In 1992, 28,800 plastic bath toys spilled into the Pacific, becoming unexpected tools for ocean current research.
Container ship loses bath toys
In January 1992, a container ship named Ever Laurel traveling from Hong Kong to Washington state lost a cargo of plastic bath toys during a storm in the northern Pacific. Twelve containers fell overboard, and one of them overturned, releasing 28,800 plastic bath toys, divided into four models: yellow ducks, red beavers, blue turtles, and green frogs.Toys become ocean drifters
These toys, known as "Friendly Floatees," were sealed and nearly unsinkable, making them ideal for tracking ocean currents. Their design ensured they could float for long periods, even in rough seas, and they were not easily damaged by saltwater or sunlight.Toys drift across the Pacific
The toys drifted across the Pacific Ocean, carried by winds and surface currents. Ten months later, the first of these bath toys washed up on the coasts of Alaska, about 3,200 kilometers from the site of the incident. Their journey provided scientists with an unexpected opportunity to study ocean movement.Oceanographer uses toys for research
American oceanographer Curtis Ebbesmeyer recognized the potential of these objects to provide valuable data on ocean currents. The bath toys' bright colors made them easy to spot on shore, and their widespread strandings allowed scientists to track the movement of major ocean currents for the first time.
