About

Paper Duck TikTok or Paper Ducks refers to an artistic trend on TikTok where users draw and cut out paper duck dolls and create elaborate accessories for them, including outfits, beds and more. The trend began on Polish TikTok in December 2021 and spread across the platform over the following month as users created more and more elaborate accessories for the ducks and gave them names and backstories.

Origin

The earliest known paper duck account on TikTok^[1] is Polish user @paperduck07. She posted her first video to TikTok on December 4th, 2021, showing her drawing a toothbrush, toothpaste and toothpaste blob then making it appear as if she's brushing a yellow paper duck's teeth with it (shown below). The video gained over 4 million views in a month. The duck's design is based on a plush doll called a "Lalafanfan duck" sold by Cafe Mimi.^[6]

The TikToker posted two other videos of her paper duck that day, including one showing the ducks "night routine" and another showing a MacBook accessory she made for the duck (shown below, left and right respectively). The TikToker^[2] also runs the account @paperduck08.

Spread

The trend became increasingly popularized over the course of December 2021 and January 2022, particularly among Polish users who made their own paper ducks based on the style of the original, as well as accessories for them. On December 19th, 2021, TikToker^[3] @paper..duckaestetic..0 posted a video creating a cow-pattern bed for their paper duck, gaining over 2 million views in just under a month (shown below, left). On December 26th, TikToker^[4] @paper.duck.care posted a video showing off a bedroom they made for their duck, gaining over 8 million views in two weeks (shown below, right).

Videos of paper ducks spread to YouTube that month, including tutorials and videos showcasing various paper duck accessories (example shown below). On January 10th, 2022, Dexerto^[5] posted an article about the trend.

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References