History of the Naughty Devil Duckies
Feb 21st was a Tuesday, but here in New Orleans it wasn’t just any Tuesday like it was in the rest of the country, it was Fat Tuesday… the last day of Mardi Gras, the wonderful season of Carnival, with parties, Balls, King Cakes, and dancing in the streets. It was magical. I had a wonderful time hanging out with friends and creating costumes, dressing up and watching the parades, catching as many throws as I could… handing some off to the kids around me, and watching their faces light up.
What is a Mardi Gras Throw? Throws are strings of beads, doubloons, cups, stickers, or other trinkets that are thrown from the floats in a parade. Each Krewe (a social organization that stages parades and/or balls for the Mardi Gras Season) has a signature throw… one thing that stands out from all the rest, most of them are either handmade or are items that are hand decorated. They do not make thousands of them… these throws are coveted items that all the spectators would love to have. People are proud of these Signature throws… posting about them on social media, showing their friends, and displaying them in their homes.
25 years ago, when we started our Naughty Events, I saw a Devil Duckie in a store and I thought… we need a signature throw, and this little Devil Duckie was perfect. So, I bought only 10 of them, we signed the bottom with the year of the event and we handed them out at our Mardi Gras Ball. They were a hit!
Over the years these Devil Duckies have become more and more coveted… with people volunteering to help us throw beads at the ball, just so they could get their hands on a Devil Duckie! It’s fun to be up on the stage with a Devil Duckie in hand, getting the crowd excited and watching the delight on the face of the person who catches one. I found some Devil Duckie Glass ornaments and my Christmas tree for the past two years has been my Naughty Tree, with 14 Devil Duckies proudly displayed! I really love these ducks!
Last year, I even made my own Mardi Gras Costume that celebrated the Devil Duckie. It was a lot of fun to make, and to wear, so much so that I decided to dust it off and wear it on Fat Tuesday!
Well, a couple of weeks ago, the 48 Devil Duckies I ordered for this year’s event arrived. I only order 48 of them every year, so out of the 2500 attendees, only 48 people get this coveted throw. Here they are… all lined up just waiting to find a new home. The only way to get a signed Devil Duckie Signature Throw is to be at the Naughty N’awlins 2023 Mardi Gras Masquerade Ball… and be in the crowd when we crown our King and Queen.
