Bundeswehr Online Shop's Camouflage Rubber Duck With Rifle Sells Out on Day One
Germany's armed forces opened an official online shop on Thursday, and its star product – a rubber duck in camouflage carrying a miniature assault rifle – sold out on the first day as a digital queue formed.
Most armies measure success in tanks and troops. Germany’s Bundeswehr now has a new one: rubber ducks sold.
The German armed forces opened their official online shop on Thursday 12 November – 71 years to the day since the Bundeswehr was founded. Among the T-shirts, mugs and a “Bundeswehr since 1955” cap, one product stole the show: a rubber duck in Flecktarn camouflage, kitted out with body armour, a combat helmet, orange safety glasses and a miniature G95 assault rifle. Price: €9.99.
AI illustration – basic training, bath edition. Not a real photo. (Gorilla Gazette / AI-generated)
According to the Augsburger Allgemeine, the website was hit by “Hoher Andrang” (high demand) and visitors were put in a digital queue, sometimes thousands deep. The duck sold out on the first day. “Wow, you’ve completely overwhelmed us,” the shop now says, adding that its team is working to secure more stock and inviting fans to sign up to be told when it’s back.
AI illustration – the queue for the last duck. Not a real photo. Can you spot Gaz? #WheresGaz (Gorilla Gazette / AI-generated)
There is a serious side. The shop is meant to polish the Bundeswehr’s image and appeal to younger people as it tries to recruit more troops; Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said it lets the Bundeswehr take its brand to places traditional advertising cannot reach. Critics, including politicians from the Left Party, argue that cute merchandise trivialises military service and normalises the military in everyday life.
Euronews, meanwhile, wondered whether camouflage lifebuoys for bubble-bath emergencies might be next. Stand by your taps.
Sources: Euronews (Nela Heidner, 14 Nov 2026) · Augsburger Allgemeine (Quirin Hönig, 12 Nov 2026) · El País (14 Nov 2026) · Bundeswehr online shop product page.
Image credits: Top photo: Weetjesman, “Rubber duck collection”, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (representative, cropped; not the Bundeswehr duck). Illustrations: Gorilla Gazette / AI-generated, not real photos.
