Berkshire Hathaway will sell rubber ducks of Chairman Warren Buffett and Vice Chairman Charles Munger wearing Mexican-themed outfits at the company’s annual meeting, which falls two days before Cinco de Mayo.
The “fiesta ducks” sport sombreros, multicolored ponchos and – in Buffett’s case – a maraca, according to an advertisement in the visitor’s guide to the May 3 event, which will be held at the CenturyLink Center in Omaha, Neb. The souvenirs will be sold by Berkshire’s Oriental Trading party- supply business for $5 a pair. Last year, the unit sold rubber ducks of the executives in business suits.
“Investing in FUN is always a grande slam,” the ad says, mixing Spanish with English. “Celebrate your earnings and Cinco de Mayo with Oriental Trading! Stop by our booth in the CenturyLink Center and be one of the first to score our limited edition Warren and Charlie ducks.”
Oriental Trading was acquired by Berkshire in 2012 in a transaction that was for about $500 million, a person familiar with the deal said at the time. The company sells crafts and teacher supplies, as well as wedding favors and decorations for holidays, through direct mail and its website.
Souvenirs from Berkshire subsidiaries like Fruit of the Loom and See’s Candies have become a fixture of the annual meetings, which draw tens of thousands of shareholders to Omaha each year to listen to Buffett, 83, and Munger, 90, opine on business, the economy and investing. The sales help boost profit and reinforce investors’ connection with the dozens of brands owned by the $300 billion holding company.
Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Mexican victory over the French in the 1862 battle of Puebla, Mexico. The clash has become a symbol of Mexican unity and patriotism.
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