The term “Jeep ducking” refers to a long-held tradition practiced by Jeep enthusiasts across the world where a Jeep owner places a rubber duck on the door handle, fender, or hood of a fellow Jeep owner’s vehicle. Few know exactly how this strange custom came to be or why anyone keeps it afloat, and if you find yourself pondering these questions, then you have clicked on the perfect article!
The birth of the tradition has a fascinating and somewhat unexpected backstory. It all started with a Jeep owner from Ontario, Canada named Allison Parliament. After buying some rubber ducks at a convenience store, she decided to share some of the joy she found in them with someone else by placing one on another Jeep with a pleasant note. According to an article written by Kathryn McGonagle,
“The intent was to bring a smile to the individual and spread a little cheer that we all needed during the pandemic.” Parliament then posted it on social media and it went viral; Jeep-owners loved it. From that point on, putting a duck on someone else’s Jeep as an act of connection and kindness caught like wildfire, and it’s still very prevalent today.
Duck-devotees Brent Roam and Heidi Thies provide their opinions on the topic, expounding on why jeep ducking is meaningful and sharing their stories about how they joined the cause.
Roam, who has driven a Jeep for several years now, describes his first duck encounter. He recalls, “Four or five years ago, my boys and I were driving down Main Street in Old St. Charles, and we were passing a Jeep going the other way on the cobblestone streets, going slowly, and a lady stopped us and yelled out to us, and she […] reached out of her window and handed a duck to me, and that’s the first time I ever even knew what this was.”
Thies, another duck-enthusiast with quite an impressive collection, declares her opinion on the underlying benefit of jeep ducking that keeps the tradition alive. She claims, “It is just spreading joy and love between Jeep owners […] giving a little gift to brighten somebody’s day and let them know that there’s Jeep love out there.”
Additionally, Roam states the philosophical basis that comes with giving the gift of a Jeep duck. He explains, “That other Jeep owner might have a different political persuasion or a different religion, […] but it’s a fun way to connect people that might not be connected otherwise.”
Despite its appearance as a superstitious gimmick, a Jeep duck is much more. It represents joy, generosity, and togetherness above all apparent differences and difficulties. So, next time you see a lonely Jeep-owner in need of a flock, consider waddling over and giving a gift to turn their foul day into a fowl day.
