Many passionate Jeep owners show their enthusiasm and share good vibes by playing a lighthearted game of Duck Duck Jeep with other drivers. Keep reading to learn about Jeep enthusiasts and rubber ducks — specifically, the trend known as Jeep Ducking.
Why Do People Put Ducks on Jeep Vehicles?
Leaving a rubber duck on a Jeep is more than a sign of camaraderie like the Jeep wave tradition. It’s a cheerful act of kindness intended to make an owner smile — a surprise gift meant to spread joy among the Jeep community.
Proud recipients often assemble their collection of ducks on the dashboard, creating a so-called Jeep duck pond with specimens in various sizes and colors.
Jeep Ducking Origin
Credit goes to Allison Parliament for starting the craze of leaving ducks on Jeeps. During a 2020 road trip from Alabama to Canada in her Jeep Wrangler, she placed a rubber duck with a “nice Jeep” note on a stranger’s Wrangler. Her random act of kindness gave her some joy to offset an uncomfortable encounter from earlier in the trip.
The other Jeep owner, who witnessed Allison’s spur-of-the-moment gesture, was amused and encouraged her to share a photo on social media. Since then, that one instance made the game of “Jeep Ducking” or “Duck Duck Jeep” a goodwill-spreading and fellowship-building phenomenon among enthusiasts.
What Are Jeep Duck Rules?
Duck Duck Jeep is a grassroots game without written rules. The goal is to spread cheer and have fun while showing appreciation for a Jeep driver’s ride.
- Be respectful of property.
- Leave duck on Jeep where the owner will see it easily — door handle, side view mirror, hood in front of the steering wheel, etc.
- Yellow is good for visibility, but ducks can be any color.
- Plain rubber ducks or those in fancy or whimsical costumes are OK if the size is suitable for a dashboard duck pond.
- A short note with — or written on — the rubber duck is appreciated but not required.
- Duckers often include the Instagram hashtag #duckduckjeep or #duckingjeep to encourage posting photos.
Anyone can play, and nobody is obligated to participate. People leave ducks on Jeep models, hoping the recipient is another Jeep enthusiast who will feel like paying it forward and growing the trend of sharing kindness.
Is Jeep Ducking Only for Wranglers?
You can duck any Jeep model, although ducking started as a Wrangler thing. While ducking purists may appreciate the popularity, they might also turn their noses that the trend is now so widespread that ducks are sometimes spotted on the dashboards of other manufacturers’ vehicles.
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