The Story of Duck with a Hat

When we purchased Sweet Tooth September 1, 1992 we didn't know one thing about managing a gift and candy store.  In fact, I had never had a retail job...babysitting was my talent in high school.
Therefore as we moved from holiday to holiday to everyday ordering, we generally followed what the previous owner had done or what our sales reps advised us to do.  We did tweak things a bit but not much the first year.
When it came to Easter, that same approach applied.  That would have been Easter, 1993...20 Easters ago.  That year, among other chocolate items, we had what we affectionately called "The Duck with the Hat."  He was and still is a gold foil covered chocolate duck, with what appears to be a blue-ish hat on his head.  I immediately loved that chocolate duck and he became my favorite Easter item.
Year after year, Duck with a Hat appeared in our order and was always the first Easter candy to sell out...well, that is until a few years ago when Duck with a Hat slowed down and occasionally some ducks were still on the shelf after Easter.
Duck with a Hat resembles the sort of duck you would find as a illustration in a children's book.  He has that old-world look about him.  As years come and go, candy manufacturers attempt to keep up with trendy looking chocolates and many of our chocolate rabbits have a more modern design about them.
European designs are not as popular or familliar to most of our customers.  For example, for several years we attempted to sell the Perugina large chocolate egg filled with small toys...a popular item in Italy.  Our customers simply didn't get the idea or perhaps didn't want to pay a few extra dollars to have a chocolate egg different from the standard American Easter candies.
So it is with Duck with a Hat.  He may just be too old-fashioned in a world of Sponge Bob, Dora the Explorer, Hello Kitty, etc. Many of those characters have been re-designed  with tatoos and mustaches.
Nonetheless, I still love Duck with a Hat and this year I am hoping that more of our customers will see the value in a good chocolate with a nostalgic flair about him.  I am hoping he flies off the shelf and ends up in lots of Easter basket.  Join me in cheering on my old chocolate friend, Duck with a Hat.