Duck And Wave! A Look At Why Jeep Owners Put Ducks On Other ...

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Duck and wave! A look at why Jeep owners put ducks on other Jeeps, and the popular Jeep wave

• March 11, 2026
• 69°

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Karen Butler shows rubber duckies in a bag at her home in Elizabethtown Sunday July 25, 2021.

• ANDY BLACKBURN

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Karen Butler shows a rubber duckie and her jeep at her home in Elizabethtown Sunday July 25, 2021.

• ANDY BLACKBURN

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Karen Butler shows rubber duckies and her jeep at her home in Elizabethtown Sunday July 25, 2021.

• ANDY BLACKBURN

Buy Now

Karen Butler shows a rubber duckie and her jeep at her home in Elizabethtown Sunday July 25, 2021.

• ANDY BLACKBURN

Buy Now

Karen Butler shows a rubber duckie and her jeep at her home in Elizabethtown Sunday July 25, 2021.

• ANDY BLACKBURN

Buy Now

Karen Butler shows rubber duckies in a bag at her home in Elizabethtown Sunday July 25, 2021.

• ANDY BLACKBURN

Buy Now

Karen Butler shows a rubber duckie and her jeep at her home in Elizabethtown Sunday July 25, 2021.

• ANDY BLACKBURN

Buy Now Buy Now

Karen Butler shows rubber duckies and her jeep at her home in Elizabethtown Sunday July 25, 2021.

• ANDY BLACKBURN

Buy Now

Karen Butler shows a rubber duckie and her jeep at her home in Elizabethtown Sunday July 25, 2021.

• ANDY BLACKBURN

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Editor's Note: This story was first published on August 11, 2021.

When someone buys a Jeep, they aren’t just buying a vehicle – they're joining a community. 

That’s according to Dawn Davidson, 52, of East Lampeter, who recently bought her first Jeep, a yellow Wrangler. 

Davidson had wanted to buy a Jeep since she started driving, and when she finally bought one this past March, she joined one of the biggest communities on the road.  

For owners of the four-wheel-drive, off-road SUVs, buying a Jeep is more than just devotion to a brand, but also to a community.  

Karen Butler, 41, of Elizabethtown, currently drives a maroon Wrangler and has been driving Jeeps for 21 years on and off. She has owned three Jeeps and is loyal to the vehicle manufacturer, having grown a bond with fellow Jeep drivers that has become more like a family. 

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“The Jeep community as a whole is very caring and does a lot of charity events,” Butler said, adding that she has taken part in a “Jeepers Back the Blue” event, a “Jeeps for Joy" event and other charitable events. 

What you may not know is that those who are part of the Jeep following often partake in two important Jeep family traditions: Jeep Ducking and the Jeep Wave. 

Here’s what they are and a little about their origins. 

JEEP DUCKING 

Jeep Ducking began in Ontario in 2020 when a Jeep owner decided to do something to brighten both her and a stranger’s day. She went and bought a rubber ducky, and put the duck on a nearby Jeep.  

Ducking simply refers to placing a rubber ducky on another Jeep.  

Duck Duck Jeep started from the concept of ducking Jeeps, but with an added note to show some ducky love to other fellow Jeep owners.  

Davidson said that the Jeep ducking tradition is a way to bring smiles to people’s faces and a fun way to make someone’s day. She keeps ducks in her Jeep to be prepared to duck other fellow Jeep drivers at any moment. 

“You could be having a bad day and you come out and have a rubber ducky on your Jeep, and it brings a smile to your face,” Butler said. 

About a month ago, Butler ducked some law enforcement officers at Sheetz with thin blue line rubber duckies that were wearing officer hats.  

There is also a Facebook group dedicated to Pennsylvania Jeepers who love ducking Jeeps. The page is called Duck Duck Jeep PA and consists of 1,400 members. Also, the hashtag #duckduckjeep has become a huge trend among Jeep owners having more than 85,000 uses on Instagram.

THE WAVE 

Butler said that the Jeep Wave is awesome because it’s a great way to let fellow Jeepers know that you like their Jeep or simply a nice way to say hello to other Jeepers. 

The Wave comes in numerous forms: an energetic side-to-side motion of one or both hands, a raised hand waving or two or four fingers being lifted behind the steering wheel. 

Who initiates the wave depends on where each Jeep falls in the Jeep hierarchy. The hierarchy is determined by three criteria: the make, its appearance/condition and equipment/modification. The lower-ranking Jeep is expected to initiate the wave.  

“The Jeep Wave hierarchy is based on how well your Jeep fits the purpose of the original Jeeps and how much you use it for the things that Jeeps were meant to be used for,” according to Fabs Four, a SUV and truck website.  

For those who worry where they fall in the hierarchy, there’s even a Jeep hierarchy calculator.  

There are a handful of theories on how the Jeep Wave originated. One claims the wave originated during World War II as Jeeps were commonly on the front lines. The wave is said to have been to be a greeting from soldier to soldier.  

Another theory holds that the Wave originated post-World War II when many soldiers returning home purchased their own Jeeps. The wave then followed because most other Jeep drivers were assumed to be fellow soldiers.  

And most simply, some believe that the Wave came from a simple desire for Jeepers to acknowledge one another.  

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