https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m38YuZ4J6Dk
World, meet Phillip the duck, the soon-to-be most famous duck since Howard and Scrooge. But Phillip, who you can see waddling happily in the video above, has got one up on both Howie and McDuck. He’s real, he’s wonderful, and he’s sporting some 3D-printed flippers that were custom-made for him by a middle-school teacher in Wisconsin.
That sounds like a lot (Phillip’s lived through more than most ducks), so here’s a quick rundown: Phillip lost his flippers due to the unforgiving Wisconsin cold. When he was rescued, his new owner wanted him to be happy again, so she contacted the local middle school, which has a 3D printer, and asked Jason Jischke, a teacher at South Park Middle to see what exactly they could do for the bird who’d lost his ability to angrily follow people while quacking threateningly (a fun activity all ducks like to engage in to assert dominance).
But watch him walk now:
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According to Mashable, making Phillip his flippers wasn’t an easy task. It took a great deal of trial and error and 36 hours of printing to create his new gams. They’re made out of a material called Ninja Flex, and even though they’re working, it’s going to take Phillip some time before he’s steady on his feet and ready to terrorize the human population. Jischke says he’s going to miss the bird, but it probably won’t be long before more distraught pet owners are at his classroom door, begging him to help their animals, too.
Okay, just one more video of Phillip walking. Have you ever seen anything cuter?