Make Way for Marathon! Mrs. Mallard, ducklings dressed up for Monday's race

Mrs. Mallard and her brood at the Public Garden are dressed up and ready for Monday’s 127th Boston Marathon!People have been decorating and dressing up Mrs. Mallard and her ducklings -- Jack, Kack, Lack, Mack, Nack, Ouack, Pack and Quack -- for more than three decades to celebrate everything from holidays to sporting events to political causes.Nancy Schön, the artist behind the bronze sculpture, told WCVB in 2022 that she did not think the piece would become an iconic Boston landmark when it was first installed in October 1987."Never ever ever in my wildest dreams, especially since they've been so dressed up all the time," Schön said. "I think that's what's so exciting, to see what's happened. They've become so much a part of Boston. I'm really thrilled. It's wonderful."When it comes to works of art, people are usually discouraged from touching them. Schön, however, said she enjoys seeing people interact with them, especially children."Well, you know, sculpture is a three-dimensional form and so it's wonderful. Basically, I want everybody to touch my ducks all the time," she said. "Not only my ducks, but all of my sculptures — my little sculptures, my big sculptures — because you almost want to touch it because it's there. There's something, I don't know what it is, but there's something about it that's so, so tactile that people are drawn to it."The "Make Way for Ducklings" sculpture is based on the 1941 children's picture book of the same name written and illustrated by Robert McCloskey. The book is the official children's book of Massachusetts.Some of our favorite Mrs. Mallard and Ducklings looks: Happy St. Patrick's Day!Mallard family honors Boston Bruins Willie O'ReeHappy Easter!Quack, quack -- Santa hats!