Franklin woman becomes famous for duck diaper business and viral video

FRANKLIN, Maine (WABI) - Leighton’s Landing Farm is an Etsy shop run out of Franklin, Maine that is doing business near the top of a very niche market, with products that have shipped to California, Europe, Australia and Japan.

And that’s not the only thing the Leighton’s Landing owner is famous for.

It’s not as if Jill Leighton grew up with a dream to make some of the world’s premier diapers for ducks.

But when her daughter wanted to bring their baby geese to school, Jill put her creativity and love of sewing to work, and a new business was born.

“I looked at her and I said, ‘You can’t bring these into the high school, they’ll poop everywhere,’ and she said, ‘Well make something to catch the poop.’ And so I whipped up a diaper-harness situation and I put it on and she took them into the school they worked fabulously,” Leighton said.

Now, Leighton’s duck diapers are world renowned. They’re a hit on Etsy, and can be found on the backsides of various fowl- literally all over the globe.

“Full size turkeys, I’ve diapered swans… and any bird really that you would want to diaper on,” she said.

But as if being famous for making the best duck diapers money can buy wasn’t enough, Leighton also recently became a TikTok star, when she posted a video trying on a special sweatshirt she bought, with her cat mind.

“It went very viral, very quick. I woke up the next morning and I’m like, whoa,” Leighton said.

That TikTok video, made in little Franklin, Maine, has received over 35 million views. The same video posted on a reel to Facebook has more than 50 million views.

“I’m definitely not a celebrity. When I go to Martin’s to shop for my fabric, the ladies there, they all think I’m a celebrity because I spend so much,” she said.

Still, Leighton is happier to be known as an entrepreneur who helps people keep their ducks inside, and any other positive affects a quality duck diaper might have.

“I’ve saved a lot of marriages. That’s a serious comment. The women are like, ‘My husband is so thankful that this duck is now not pooping all over the floor. You have saved our marriage.’ And I always laugh at that because ducks are gross,” Leighton said.

And as long as ducks are gross, or there is a world-wide need to view funny cat videos, Jill will stay famous, and in business.

“You know, I had the reason to make the diaper and then I thought well if I am in need of these for this occasion, maybe these can help somebody else,” she said.

For more information or to visit Jill’s store, go to etsy.com/shop/LeightonsLandingFarm.

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