Jeeps have become increasingly popular among drivers as functional and aesthetic vehicles. While buying a Jeep, one may be in knowledge of the mileage, model, and year. Still, many are unaware of the community they join when purchasing a Jeep.
Terms like Duck, Duck Jeep, and the Jeep wave are phrases that are common among Jeep drivers. The Jeep wave is a friendly salute between Jeep owners that is exchanged when driving, but how did it start? There are three theories as to when the Jeep Wave started.
The latest goes back to World War II. It is speculated that the Jeep wave may have started back in World War II when soldiers were transporting supplies. The wave is suggested to be used to determine between friend and foe.
Another theory suggests that it could have become a part of life after World War II for soldiers to wave to acknowledge each other’s services.
The last view is from the 60s to 70s, and the notion is that the Jeep wave started during the counterculture era and was a way to say hello to one another. Off-road culture began to be prominent in the 60s and 70s, which likely led to the latter theories being the start of the Jeep wave.
While the Jeep wave is a greeting used among all Jeep owners, many are unaware that the Jeep wave has rules. Jeep hierarchy is real; this hierarchy determines who initiates the wave, and all Jeep owners have to participate in keeping the Jeep Wave tradition alive.
While these rules are loosely followed, they exist nonetheless. Jeeps are known for their practice of the Jeep wave; however, in 2020, Jeeps began to include a game with exchanging rubber ducks as part of their culture.
The game Duck, Duck Jeep originally started in 2020, where one Jeep owner would write a note taped to a rubber duck and put it on the mirror of another Jeep owner while they were away. Duck, Duck, Jeep started during quarantine when Allison Parliament, a resident in Alabama, was driving to Ontario, Canada, to see her family.
She was physically assaulted by a man on the way because of her United States license plate. Parliament then turned the situation around by buying a bag of rubber ducks, writing a nice note, and placing one on another Jeep owner’s vehicle. Now, a row of rubber ducks on a Jeep owner’s dash is typical.
Jeep culture is a big part of many vehicle owners’ lives, and the Jeep community phenomenon has begun to take over and has been influencing vehicle culture over the years.