In many ways, The Autopian is people first and a website a distant second. It’s great when something can transcend its physical or digital self and become a true community. Cars can have their own communities as well, as evidenced by the many clubs and meets devoted to a single brand or even model.
The most ardent devotees of a car community may even acknowledge each other on the road. It may be as simple as motorists waving to those in similar cars as they pass – legend has it, owners of the infamously unreliable NSU Ro 80 would wave to each other using whatever number of fingers represented how many times they’d had to replace their 80’s rotary engine.
Today, Jeep “ducking” is likely the best-known and most unconventional signal of appreciation between tribe members. The practice reportedly began back in 2020 when a Canadian woman put a small rubber duck on someone’s Wrangler with a “nice Jeep” note attached. As she was a Canadian, she was likely trying to apologize profusely for parking an inch too close.
Some claim that ducking was inspired by the hill descent button on Jeep dashboards looking like a duck, but I don’t know if that explanation holds water. Either way, “Jeep” and “rubber duck” are rather synonymous now.
“Ducking” was initially a Wrangler thing, but has since spread to other Jeep products, a move that has apparently caused friction within the community for those who feel some badge-engineered Fiat isn’t worthy of rubber toys in the windshield.
Copycat brands have tried to emulate “Jeep Ducking” – see “Yoda Yoda Toyota” or “buck buck Bronco” – but few have caught on; it’s not really something you can force. Subaru has attempted it with a Badge of Ownership that declares how many Subarus you’ve had and what comprises your “lifestyle.”
There are a whole bunch of possible “lifestyles” for you to choose from, but if you’re a work-at-home accountant who’s a serial killer in your spare time, it appears you’re out of luck with the badge options:
I thought of another possible “ducking” opportunity the other day. In the pickup line at our kid’s school, a number of parents drive Cadillac Escalades, and it occurred to me that the front end of one of the world’s largest SUVs bears an uncanny resemblance to the world’s largest rodent: the Capybara. Seriously, look at a stuffed facsimile of one of these things compared to the big Caddy, and I think you’ll agree:
Maybe Escalade Moms will choose to “cappy” their dashboards with tiny plastic Capybaras in a truly disgusting new trend. They’d even add another “R” in the names as a tribute to the leader of GM.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t bring us back to the Autopian community, of which you are a member simply by virtue of enjoying the site. But if you’d like to become a (capital M) Member, you’ll be able to let road-goers know you’re part of the Autopian gang with a bumper sticker (Vinyl tier) or a snazzy metal grille badge (Velour tier). You can join right here!
Now it’s your turn. What other cars deserve a “ducking” trend?’ What cars do you think will – or should – be the victim of the next viral dashboard zoo or bumper sticker badge fad?
Top graphic image: Stellantis “At The Wheel” blog
How ’bout a Jerry Lewis bobble-head doll on your Datsun 1600 and a note that says, “Nice LAY-dee!”
Cowboy hats for pickup trucks.
Bras for Audi TTs
Caimans with crushed skulls for Jaguar owners!
I think if someone had left a Marshmallow Peep on my IH Scout with a note that said, “Nice Peep!” it would have made me giggle.
Predators for the last generation Lexuses.
Cylons for the current generation.
I can think of several models where it would be appropriate for owners to wave tool boxes at each other.
Perhaps my fellow 80s car drivers can begin leaving each other synthpop cassettes or Garbage Pail Kids cards.
Yes! Also Scratch ‘n Sniffs of leaky gasket on exhaust manifold.
It took me a second to guess where you meant that R to go. At first I thought you were creating the word Crappybara.
Seriously? Nobody has suggested Grey Pouponing for all of us Rolls Royce owners? Imagine rolling (pun intended) down the highway with the dashboard of your Ghost festooned with Grey Poupon jars. Such fun! I would even allow the proletariat to glance at my vehicle, as long as their gaze didn’t linger.
Bulldogs for MINIs!
A menagerie of barnyard animals for “Smorgasbord Smorgasbord Borgward.”
Big rubber dildos on Lamborghini Uruses?
Smiling Poop emoji, probably for Dodge, or Stellantis in general
I think we should start leaving $100 bills on the cowls of all roadsters. Anonymous sources inform me that roadster owners would be pleased with that.
Buc-ee’s beavers for BMW’s.
This is absolutely the right answer.
I’m gonna go off kilter here and say the Pontiac Solstice. And go dark and a bit weird and say put a bifurcated at the waste Transformers Jazz figure on it. Downside is it could get expensive fast with the price of toys(and everything else) nowadays. Upside is not likely to see too many of the Pontiac roadsters so probably won’t need more than a couple of them toys
Ducking is a Jeep thing and it can stay that way. The way I like being told people like my car is:
That’s all. I can’t stand ANYTHING on my dashboard, least of all a cornucopia of rainbow ducks.
In the Airstream community, we “Flamingo” each other’s trailers. People get more creative than just plastic flamingos sometimes.
I thought it was pineapples ? 🙂
Only if they’re upside down… ????
uhh I think doing that to a trailer may be illegal in some states.
It was already a thing, but putting ladybugs on VW Beetles old and new.
Ugh no thank you! I’ll stick to just flashing my lights at other Miata’s, even if mines too new to have proper pop ups.
Ford could do a “badge of ownership” like Subaru, but instead of listing the number of Fords a person has owned, it would be the number of times the owner has gone in for a recall.
I think that’s also a Jeep thing.
Subaru owner, not as many, but my count is more than the number of Subarus I’ve owned…
None of them if it involves plastic junk thats just going to end up on the ground, in landfills, etc. We don’t need to encourage that.
Indeed!
When I was a kid, my family had a brown on brown ‘88 Dodge Caravan that we called “the Moose”. My mom glued a small plastic moose to the dash to commemorate it. So, Moose toys for brown cars??
Kia Souls: a dead rodent?
2×4 Lego brick for old Volvo wagons.
And first-gen Scion XBs.
The only car I’ve owned that felt like it had a community was my WRX. Other WRX drivers would frequently give each other “the wave”. In the BRZ or Crosstrek other drivers of those cars don’t even acknowledge you, I don’t know if it’s because the hood scoop catches your eye or what but in the WRX we were always waving.
What would WRX drivers use instead of ducks? The jokes are all going to go to flatbrims, vapes, and head gaskets but I never encountered any of those when I owned mine.
I got waves from other BRZ owners about 40-50% of the time I feel like when I had mine.
I got one returned wave the whole 8 years I owned it.
Aw that sucks. I’ve already gotten a much higher percentage in my Miata and I’ve only had it a couple weeks, haha.