Aflac, the leader in voluntary insurance sales at the worksite in the United States and a committed corporate ally in the fight against childhood cancer, introduced its 2016 Aflac Holiday Duck and reaffirmed its continuing partnership with Macy's for the upcoming season of charity, cheer and giving back to the community. An annual collector's item, the beloved plush duck is a popular gift sold at Macy's across the nation and online at aflacduckprints.com, with the net proceeds from each duck sold being donated to the participating children's cancer facility nearest to where it is purchased. This is the 16^th year that Aflac and Macy's have teamed up to offer a festive holiday plush of the Aflac Duck, with 250 Macy's stores participating across the country.

Donning the clothing of a Christmas caroler, including a top hat with poinsettia and a snazzy scarf, this year's Aflac Holiday Duck is ready to quack a cheerful holiday tune from his red music book. And when you give him a gentle squeeze, he will bellow the famous "Aflaaac!" – sure to put smiles on faces young and old for a great cause.

"The Aflac family of employees and our independent sales force is "all in" for the fight against pediatric cancer and blood disorders," Aflac Foundation President Kathelen Amos said. "To date we have raised over $110 million toward this cause.  We are pleased to again partner with Macy's for our beloved Aflac duck to bring holiday cheer while raising awareness and furthering this important cause."

The caroling Aflac Holiday Duck comes in two sizes: a 6-inch version priced at $10 and a 10-inch version listed at $15. Since 2001, more than $3 million has been raised from the sale of these fuzzy keepsakes of Aflac's cherished feathery mascot.

"The Aflac Duck has been a favorite holiday gift for more than 15 years," said Amy Kule, group vice president of Macy's Parade and Entertainment Group. "The strong partnership between Macy's and Aflac has raised awareness and valuable funds to help in the fight against childhood cancer with the sale of this iconic mascot. We are excited to offer families the opportunity to support the cause once again this holiday season."

Aflac's Holiday Duck sales are a part of the company's comprehensive Duckprints campaign, in which the company will donate $2 – up to $1.5 million – to childhood cancer research and treatment for any social activity on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #Duckprints and for every viewing of a Duckprints-related video on YouTube. And new this year is Duckchat, an Aflac app where consumers can get custom Aflac Duck emojis and GIFs. The app can be downloaded on either the Apple iTunes App Store or the Google Play Store. In addition to using the hashtag #Duckprints, Aflac will also donate $2 with each download of Duckchat, which is available in Google Play and the Apple app store.

For 21 years, childhood cancer has been Aflac's primary philanthropic cause, and the company has raised more than $110 million, including monthly donations of more than $500,000 from the company's independent sales agents. For more information about Duckprints and the Aflac Holiday Duck, go to aflacduckprints.com.