Uncle Sam Rubber Duck

Common folklore holds origins trace back to soldiers stationed in upstate New York, who would receive barrels of meat stamped with the initials U.S. The soldiers jokingly referred to it as the initials of the troops' meat supplier, Samuel Wilson of Troy, New York. The 87th United States Congress adopted the following resolution on September 15, 1961: "Resolved by the Senate and the House of Representatives that the Congress salutes Uncle Sam Wilson of Troy, New York, as the progenitor of America's National symbol of Uncle Sam." A monument marks his birthplace in Arlington, Massachusetts, and a monument marks his burial in Oakwood Cemetery, Troy, New York. The first use of the term in literature is seen in an 1816 allegorical book, The Adventures of Uncle Sam in Search After His Lost Honor by Frederick Augustus Fidfaddy, Esq., also in reference to the aforementioned Samuel Wilson.

Another theory suggests that Uncle Sam was a creation by Irish immigrants to the U.S. who used the Gaelic acronym, SAM, or Stáit Aontaithe Mheiriceá, which is the translation for United States of America, as a nickname for their new host country. However, the precise origin of the term may never be proven.

Uncle Sam's physical appearance as a lanky older man with long white hair is derived from Andrew Jackson, whose political career began in the War of 1812, and who came to prominence in the early years of the character.

During World War I, a famous recruitment poster, inspired by a 1914 British poster called Lord Kitchener Wants You, depicted Uncle Sam pointing at the viewers with the words, "I WANT YOU FOR U.S. ARMY". The artist James Montgomery Flagg, who painted the poster in 1917, used a modified version of his own face for Uncle Sam.^[1] Veteran Walter Botts posed for the drawing that became Uncle Sam. Flagg first created the image for the July 6, 1916, issue of Leslie's Weekly magazine before reusing it as a poster.

The posters were displayed in post offices and other government facilities throughout the United States. Very similar recruitment posters were used during World War II. In addition, the 1914 UK poster and the 1917 US version have been repeatedly imitated (and parodied), with many variations on the simple "Want(s) you" slogan.

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Not intended as a toy for ages 13 and under.