Armies of rubber ducks have swarmed the Jeep community, specifically Jeep Wranglers. This phenomenon, known as “ducking,” occurs when Jeep owners place rubber ducks on the hood or side mirrors of cars as an act of kindness. This happens frequently enough that Jeep owners will gain huge collections of ducks and display them on their dashboard. Collections often include specialty rubber ducks with costumes and accessories and even ducks of different sizes.
People duck to greet fellow Jeep owners, if they like another Jeep, or if they think a Jeep’s dash could use a duck. Avery Degel, ‘26, says she will “usually duck someone if they don’t have many ducks or if [she] wants to get rid of one.” There isn’t a “right” reason for ducking, it’s just meant to connect a community and spread kindness. Ben Wonhof, ‘26, says, “I’ve been getting ducks ever since my dad and I got the Jeep about a year ago” and that it was something he “HAD to do” because of the trend’s uniqueness. Degel says, “I just like how it’s unique to Jeeps.” The simple act of trading ducks unites Jeep owners all over, leading to large collections of ducks. Wonhof and Degel’s collections consist of over 30 ducks each with some favorites being a sailor duck and a duck with a surfboard.
Despite this trend growing rampant in the last year, it was actually started four years ago in a small Canadian town.
Allison Parliament unknowingly started the trend when she bought a yellow rubber duck and placed it on a Jeep similar to hers. She did this to bring a smile to someone’s face and to feel safer in parking lots after a frightening altercation she got into earlier that day. Her random act of kindness caused a duck-related craze to spread across countries all over the world and to our Minnetonka community.
Unfortunately, Parliament passed away in June of this year, but the continuation of this trend will allow her legacy to live on. Smiles can still be brought to faces, connections can still be made, and kindness can still be spread. So the next time you’re in the MHS parking lot, keep your eyes peeled for the armies of ducks, and consider how you can spread kindness in our community.
