Michigan Jeep Drivers Are Finding Rubber Ducks On Their Hoods
You have probably heard the stories. A woman leaves a popular “big box” store, pushing a cart full of items, and when she arrives at her vehicle, a strange item has been placed on it.
It could be a wire or a zip-tie, attached to the door handle, or perhaps, a water bottle placed on the hood. Rumors have floated, among the social media jungle, that these are ploys used by human traffickers.
How Could A Zip Tie Aid A Human Trafficker?
It may be more of an “urban legend”, but the word on the street is that when the unsuspecting driver takes the time to either remove the zip tie or water bottle from their vehicle, a human trafficker suddenly appears and drags them off to a lurking nearby cargo van.
Yellow Rubber Ducks Are Now Appearing on Jeeps
It now appears that another phenomenon is aimed at unoccupied vehicles, parked in lots, and it’s aimed at a particular make: the Jeep. Not only is it happening in Michigan, but also across the entire United States and Canada.
The typical scenario is that a Jeep owner will arrive at their vehicle, which has been sitting in a parking spot, and on the hood will be sitting a small yellow rubber duck, the type that is a plaything for kids in a bathtub.
This Sounds Sort of Creepy
Yes, it could be puzzling or somewhat creepy, but it's a totally innocent gesture, meant to brighten a Jeep driver’s day. The wave of “Jeep Ducking” was started by a 30-year-old woman, from Alabama, while visiting Canada.
So What’s The Whole Deal of Jeep Ducking?
Allison Parliament was on a visit to Bancroft, Canada, when she and a friend were shopping in a local general store, and she noticed they were selling bags of rubber ducks. She thought that they would be a perfect way to cheer up the friend, by leaving them around his house, with little notes, to make him laugh.
As she walked from the store, she noticed a large Jeep. She wrote “Nice Jeep-Have a Great Day!” on the duck and left it on the hood of the Jeep. As she left the parking lot, she noticed the Jeep driver smiling and then begin “cracking up” over the duck. The movement of “ducking Jeeps” was born that day when she created the hashtag #DuckDuckJeep and it took social media by storm. Her Facebook group, Official Ducking Jeep Est2020, currently has close to 77,000 members.
The Moral of The Story
It was just a yellow rubber duck, on the hood of a Jeep in Canada, that started the movement. Now, rubber ducks of all colors and brandings are popping up on the hoods, or driver’s door handle, of Jeeps all across North America. It's just an opportunity to spread a little cheer into someone's life, amidst the chaos in a fallen world.