Ducklings Star in Boston Political
Ad
By STEVE LeBLANC, Associated Press
Thursday, October 20 BOSTON - It's not your typical furor over
a political ad. Instead of grainy footage or screaming headlines,
there are drawings of ducks — ducks that bear a striking
resemblance to the feathered heroes of the children's classic
"Make Way for Ducklings."
When mayoral candidate Maura Hennigan decided to launch a TV ad
against incumbent Mayor Thomas M. Menino, she evoked the images
from the book, set in Boston's Public Garden.
"Make way for Tom Menino. He's ducking the
issues again," a narrator intones as a Menino-like figure
flees through the brick-lined streets of the historic Beacon Hill
neighborhood near the Garden. "Don't we deserve a mayor who
does more than quack?"
The ad, which began running on local cable television,
has touched a nerve with critics like Nancy Schon.
Schon knew the book's author, Robert McCloskey,
who died in 2003. She created a series of sculptures of the ducks
that are tourist attractions in the Garden.
McCloskey, a private man who wanted to protect his
creations, would have recoiled at the ad, Schon said. The book
tells the story of a duck family looking for a safe home in the
city.
"He would be absolutely horrified," she
said.
Hennigan's campaign defended the ad. "We're
saying nothing bad about ducklings. We like ducklings," said
Hennigan spokeswoman Melissa Threadgill.
A spokeswoman for Menino's campaign declined comment.
Menino routinely reads the book when visiting children
and attends an annual "Make Way for Ducklings" parade.
The ad's creator, Rob Stegman, said he didn't mean
to offend.
"I can see how purists can be upset with a
parody. My take is that parody is a form of flattery," Stegman
said.