Long Boi (before 2018 – April 2023) was an unusually tall male duck that lived by Derwent College, University of York, England.
[8] Long Boi spent most of his time on and around Heslington Fish Pond next to Derwent College,[9] where he eventually integrated with the other campus waterfowl.
[8] Long Boi has become a University of York campus celebrity and informal mascot,[10] often mentioned in welcome talks and graduation ceremonies.
[13] Followers of Long Boi's Instagram account, run by University of York biology student Zoe Duffin, increased to 16,300 people in less than 24 hours.
[18] In April 2023, third-year Environment, Economics and Ecology student Tom Howes received a tattoo of Long Boi while on a university volleyball tour in Portugal.
"[4][20] A spokesperson for the university told the York Vision: "Long Boi is a much-loved character on campus and whilst we haven't seen him around over the past few weeks, we continue to keep a lookout for him and hope to see him again, safe and well, soon.
The main speculation was that Long Boi was a victim of a recent fox attack,[21] while rumours spread that he had died but the university's student union had postponed reporting his death due to York's defeat in the 2023 Roses Tournament.
[22] A duck expert also highlighted that, considering the time of year, it was possible that Long Boi had temporarily left the grounds of the university in order to find a mate.
Members of the team were quick to debunk it, while other students questioned how realistic it was, notably the claim that the confessor found loose bricks around the campus.
[28][29] Jeremy Corbyn expressed his condolences to the student community, stating “If an appropriate memorial appears I will wish to visit it…I would happily take a selfie with him.”[30] The official merchandise for the 2024 BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend featured Long Boi.
[41] The ceremony, held in the university's Central Hall and supported by York SU Technical Theatre Society (TechSoc), was attended by hundreds of people and included short remarks by Vice Chancellor Charlie Jeffery, a minute of quacking, and musical performances of Wiz Khalifa's "See You Again" by organist Anna Lapwood and Chappell Roan's "Hot to Go!"