Community Corner
Geneva Couple Turns Duck into a Pawn Star
Stanlee the Duck is becoming famous in his own right, after a Geneva couple finds him in History Channel's Gold and Silver Pawnshop.
It started out as a normal vacation in Las Vegas for a Geneva couple this past summer, but it didn't end up that way. Day one took the Geneva couple on an adventure to the World Famous Gold & Silver PawnShop on the Las Vegas strip where they film the History Channel's hit TV show the Pawn Stars.
While in the shop, Chumlee (one of the TV shows main characters) was available for photographs and a meet-and-greet with fans. On a store shelf just 15 feet away from Chumlee was an old 1937 chime duck pull toy that was recently featured on the Pawn Stars show.
"I had to have it," said Bob Kaspar of Geneva. "I wanted to buy a souvenir from the shop, and it was the perfect one for me. My fiancée, Jackie, thought I was nuts, but it was exciting to me to purchase the now world famous TV celebduck. Jackie named the duck Stanlee Duck, and it took on a life of his own from there."
After the purchase, Bob and Jackie decided to bring the toy throughout Las Vegas and take photos and videos of the duck in front of Las Vegas landmarks. Everywhere the couple went, fans from 6 years old to people in their 70s stopped to ask if it was the Pawn Stars duck. Fans also posed with the toy duck and took photo of their own.
Stanlee Duck did everything with the couple, even went to a Cher concert. After a short while, a story about the duck in Las Vegas started to unfold. Photos and videos captured Stanlee getting in trouble with police for cheating at gambling, drinking too much, speeding down the strip, rocking with Elvis, even having a Las Vegas-style wedding.
Stanlee Duck's journey is now posted on facebook for all to enjoy – www.facebook.com/StanleeDuck
"It was all in good fun, and I was glad to let this old toy get out and live again," said Kaspar. "Collectors would probably not be happy with me for playing with the duck, but I'm a kid at heart, not a collector, and I know Stanlee had a great time … just look at the smile on his face."
The Las Vegas photos turned out so well that Kaspar decided to print souvenir postcards of Stanlee Duck with wacky captions on the back and sent them to the Pawn Stars Shop for them to sell.
Find out what's happening in Genevawith free, real-time updates from Patch.
"No telling where this will go from here, but I think people want a piece of Stanlee Duck," Bob said.
Souvenir magnets, key chains and coffee mugs with Stanlee Duck's photo were also designed to sell.
Now in Illinois, Stanlee Duck has photos of him on the set of Transformers III (near Bumble Bee) in Chicago, with an imitation Stanlee Cup on Michigan Avenue, at Clearchannel's V103fm radio station for a commercial edit with the owner of Family Security Door & Window.
Stanlee will be out and about in the city and suburbs making new friends and taking more pictures. You can go to Stanlee Duck's Facebook page and post where you would like to see him next.
Maybe a world tour is in order for this old-time, chime duck pull toy.
