A big yellow, rubber duck floats into the Sydney harbor

The famous harbor of Sydney, Australia has just turned into the world's biggest bathtub. A giant rubber duckie -- technically a piece of art commissioned for the Sydney Festival -- has arrived to dominate the city's water.

The yellow duck is one of a series of pieces of art created by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman. The ducks have appeared in cities around the world, including Osaka, Amsterdam, Sao Paolo and Auckland. The Sydney duck's arrival in the harbor is set to coincide with the opening day of the city's Sydney Festival 2013.

This is no ordinary bath toy. Constructed of PVC material in New Zealand, the rubber duck measures at 15 meters in height and width, and is about 18 meters long (that's 49 by 49 by 59 feet). The pieces are held together with about 6 kilometers of stitching, and the whole thing (all 500 kg of it) sits on a hidden, 10-ton barge. The barge makes sure the duckie doesn't blow away in the event of high winds. (Source: The Telegraph)

According to the artist, his rubber duck creation is meant for everyone:

"The Rubber Duck knows no frontiers, it doesn't discriminate people and doesn't have a political connotation. The friendly, floating Rubber Duck has healing properties: it can relieve mondial tensions as well as define them. The rubber duck is soft, friendly and suitable for all ages!"

Ernie of "Sesame Street" would be so jealous.