They were the most famous ducks in Orlando, next to Donald Duck of course, but this time last year The Peabody Ducks took their last waddle through the hotel lobby of the Peabody Orlando as the resort began it’s transformation into Hyatt Regency Orlando.
Twice daily the duck’s waddled to and from the hotel’s fountains guided in each direction by “Duck Masters.” During their jaunt, the ducks would walk a red carpet leading to a private elevator, linking their elaborate rooftop enclosure with the lobby fountain.
The Ducks began their walk each morning at 11 a.m. when five North American mallard ducks, four hens and one drake, descend from their penthouse in that special elevator. When the elevator doors open, The Peabody Ducks accompanied by Duck Master, who wore a crimson and gold-braid jacket, readied themselves on a plush red carpet and began The March of The Peabody Orlando Ducks to the music of John Philip Sousa’s King Cotton March. Once the ducks reached the marble orchid-topped fountain in the Grand Lobby, things would get even more entertaining as they walked up three red-carpeted steps and splashed into the fountain’s water. At 5 p.m., the procession was reversed, and the ducks would march back to their special elevator and return to their penthouse for the night.
The Peabody Ducks daily march was welcomed by all who visited. In fact, it wasn’t unusual to have a packed lobby at both 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. as the animals paraded through the lobby. On their final walk through, a whopping 300 people came out to watch the procession one last time.
The duck walking tradition began in 1932, when Frank Schutt, general manager of The Peabody Memphis, and a friend, Chip Barwick, came back form a weekend hunting trip empty-handed. As a prank, the two put their live duck decoys in the fountain in the hotel’s Grand Lobby in Memphis. The guests loved the ducks so much a tradition was born. It wasn’t until 1986 when the Peabody Orlando picked up the tradition and began delighting guests with the daily duck walk. They did so for 27 years and while you can no longer see the Peabdoy Ducks waddle to and fro in what is now the Hyatt Regency they still march at the Memphis hotel, the only Peabody left. | 
