By Karina Perez, February 17, 2026
What once was a senior year prank became a full time phenomenon at Cal Poly Pomona, home to not just cows and Arabian horses, but also some rubber duckies students can find scattered around campus.
Bronco Bathtime is a student-run account on Instagram that plants rubber ducks around Cal Poly Pomona to promote a sense of community, given it is considered a commuter school. The account is managed by a mechanical engineering student. Approaching her third year at CPP in the fall 2024 semester, she purchased 200 rubber ducks for the first time.
“People will say there’s not a life on campus, but I disagree,” the Bronco Bathtime host said. “You have such a unique opportunity to do something that can bring people closer together.”
After Bluebell, a beloved gray cat who once roamed campus and became a campus figure through the Instagram account @cat.polypomona, the Bronco Bathtime host was inspired to bring students together.
“Knowing that there is a strong online community at Cal Poly, I wanted to take the opportunity to expand on that,” the bronco bathtime host said.
Each rubber duck is tagged with notes reading something, like: “You’re in luck. You’ve been ducked by the Bronco Bathtime. Take a picture and share! Then hide me somewhere new for someone else to find.”
Given the Bronco Bathtime host is a mechanical engineering student, the hiding spots needed to be more accessible to the CPP community. To ensure everyone had a fair chance to find a rubber duck, she found a partner.
“I actually caught her in the act of hiding the ducks,” said mechanical engineering student Nicole Sibrian. “(Bronco Bathtime) is an effort of love, and it’s something that I’m very proud to be a part of.”
The past few months have presented challenges for the duo because of the lack of relocation for the rubber ducks. Since the beginning of the semester, the owner of Bronco Bathtime has had to make twice the amount of deliveries due to people taking them home. The owner of the account came up with a solution to the duck abduction dilemma with Bronco Bathtime babies. These little guys are meant for people to take home, with the expectation of one per person. If the “adoption center” is empty, which is a note attached to the Bronco Bathtime babies, they are encouraged to notify her with a chance to win a special prize as a reward.
“After following (Bronco Bathtime) for so long, finding one of the adoption centers empty and receiving a big rubber duck was a really fun experience and one I’ll never forget,” said computer science student Jade Mcclain.
The Bronco Bathtime host pays for the costs of the rubber ducks. The notes that come with each rubber duck are supplied by her mom who owns a printing company.
“A box of 100 rubber ducks is anywhere from $20 to $30 worth,” the Bronco Bathtime host said. “It wasn’t nothing, but I manage in hopes that people will relocate the ducks to minimize the cost.”
Because she is from San Diego, the Bronco Bathtime host said it was important for her to find a school that could give her a home away from home. After living on campus her freshman year, she experienced a lifetime of friendships and a sense of belonging. Now living off campus, she still feels connected to her peers and the CPP community.
“Bronco Bathtime is my way of giving back to Cal Poly Pomona for being such a great space for students, and hopefully I can bring smiles to people’s faces, too,” she said.
