Hottest toy for Christmas? Nvidia CEO plays with adorable Microduck robots, 20,000 sell — SkimNews
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- Jensen Huang played with Microduck robots during his keynote at Nvidia’s GTC Berlin conference, and the video quickly went viral, showcasing the robots’ ability to walk, sit, nap, and perform tricks on voice command
- Microducks surpassed 20,000 preorders within a day of the demo, according to Hugging Face’s Clem Delangue, and are expected to ship in time for Christmas
- Hugging Face owns Pollen Robotics, the maker of Microducks, after acquiring it in 2025, and the company is now part of Nvidia following Nvidia’s September acquisition of Hugging Face
- Pollen Robotics designed Microducks as open-source devices trained using Nvidia’s technology stack, allowing owners to teach and share new tricks within the community
- Clem Delangue suggested the Microducks could become the best-selling robot of the year and noted their appeal extends beyond children, with promotional videos featuring adults playing with them
Why it matters: The surge in preorders demonstrates how executive-stage product demonstrations can rapidly translate into consumer demand, especially when tied to emotionally engaging, AI-powered toys. With Hugging Face and Pollen now under Nvidia’s umbrella, this moment highlights the commercial potential of open-source robotics trained on Nvidia’s AI infrastructure, benefiting Nvidia’s ecosystem and Hugging Face’s hardware ambitions.
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