We thought we were buying a vehicle last month, but we were joining a lifestyle. Without knowing a whole lot about it, we are becoming Jeep people. We knew about the Jeep wave and had seen ducks on dashes but that’s about as far as it went.
Our first real exposure to the Jeep wave was when our son-in-law bought a Jeep (it was already super cool but he added the lift kit, big tires/wheels, all the bells and whistles) and took us for a spin. Three Jeeps waves later, we knew it was a real thing. Jeep owners share a camaraderie that goes way back in history.
Legend has it that when the World War II soldiers would meet each other out during wartime missions while driving their Jeep Willys MB, they would often throw up a quick gesture, ranging from a double finger raise while the remaining fingers gripped the wheel to a rapid hand raise. Once the war was over, the Jeeps were shipped back to the USA where veterans were offered the vehicles at a very inexpensive rate. This meant a large number of the Jeeps were owned by fellow veterans and the drivers greeted each other with a respectful wave.
As the first civilian Jeeps began to be sold in 1945, the wave continued. The Jeep Wave was born.
Since owning a Jeep, we have seen every variation of wave there could possibly be. There’s the peace sign plus thumb, which seems to be the most popular. The whole hand raise up or out the window. Pointer finger while gripping the steering wheel. Once, a fellow red Jeep gave us two waves – the passenger also waved out the top.
Our favorite part of meeting a fellow Jeep owner is their smile. Along with the wave, we are greeted almost every time with a genuinely friendly smile.
If you’ve noticed Jeeps in the last few years, you’ve probably seen some with a line of ducks across their dash. We haven’t been huge fans of this trend…until we were ducked. Coming out from the movie theater one night, we found a duck on the driver’s side door handle. Parked right across from us, were several Jeeps, surely one of which passed along this gesture of kindness.
Having our own duck led to researching Jeep ducks history. The first duck was given during Covid, when everyone could use an extra smile. The person who received the duck suggested to the lady who gave it, that she take a photo and post it on social media, and that was the beginning of #DuckDuckJeep. Notes can be given with the duck, although that is not necessary. It is well known amongst Jeep owners that this is a random act of kindness and means that someone thinks your Jeep is cool. Once given, the ducks can be regifted or kept on the dash.
We love being part of this community. It doesn’t matter that our Jeep isn’t lifted, modified and fancy schmancy. Nor does it matter that we will probably never drive it very far off road. In this day and age, when people can often feel disassociated from each other, we have a real life way to make an instant connection.
