# Why do so many cars - not just Jeeps - have ducks and stuff on their dashboards? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 14, 2025, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-cars-not-just-jeeps-have-ducks-and-stuff-on-their-dashboards/1023036 "2025-09-14T16:07:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2025, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-cars-not-just-jeeps-have-ducks-and-stuff-on-their-dashboards/1023036/1 "2025-09-14T16:07:50Z")
Over the past year or so I’ve started noticing cars with a large number of little animals - often plastic ducks - on their dashboards. [Jeep ducking - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeep_ducking) I looked it up, and apparently it started with Jeeps, and apparently has been imitated by other makes. But I see it on all kinds of cars. This morning on a minivan. Anyone here do this or know someone who does? Do they just think it is a “fun” thing? My car is far from spotless, but about the last thing I’m interested in is a bunch of toys glued to my dash or - if not glued - flopping around the interior. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2025, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-cars-not-just-jeeps-have-ducks-and-stuff-on-their-dashboards/1023036/2 "2025-09-14T16:12:04Z")
My wife has a couple of rubber ducks on the dash of her car. It’s not a Jeep, and she’s never driven a Jeep, but at some point, rubber ducks became “a thing” among her little community of fandom ladies: she’s part of an informal group who are fans of various TV shows and movies, and attend fan conventions together. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2025, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-cars-not-just-jeeps-have-ducks-and-stuff-on-their-dashboards/1023036/3 "2025-09-14T16:12:39Z")
Gives you something to play with while waiting for the tow truck when it breaks down. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2025, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-cars-not-just-jeeps-have-ducks-and-stuff-on-their-dashboards/1023036/4 "2025-09-14T16:15:32Z")
In Oregon Ducks land, many people I know do it, so that’s a confounding variable. A whole lotta ducks and the BVM. [![](https://www.thequacktory.com/cdn/shop/files/University-of-Oregon-Ducks-Duck_987a0050.png?v=1740292986&width=990) ](https://www.thequacktory.com/cdn/shop/files/University-of-Oregon-Ducks-Duck_987a0050.png?v=1740292986&width=990) ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2025, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-cars-not-just-jeeps-have-ducks-and-stuff-on-their-dashboards/1023036/5 "2025-09-14T16:18:05Z")
It may be more common nowadays, but it’s not new. Like the old song says – _I don’t care if it rains or freezes, Long as I’ve got my plastic Jesus Sitting on the dashboard of mycar._ One of the drivers who made deliveries to the store when I was still working – maybe ten years ago – must have had at least twenty stuffies inside the cab of his truck, courtesy of his daughter. No idea why ducks are so popular, though. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2025, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-cars-not-just-jeeps-have-ducks-and-stuff-on-their-dashboards/1023036/6 "2025-09-14T16:24:56Z")
[![](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/714ir6mSw-L._AC_SL1500_.jpg) ](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/714ir6mSw-L._AC_SL1500_.jpg) Dashboards covered in rubber ducks were a thing in western Oregon since at least the mid-oughts. I don’t imagine they were as popular in Oregon Beaver country. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2025, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-cars-not-just-jeeps-have-ducks-and-stuff-on-their-dashboards/1023036/7 "2025-09-14T16:52:02Z")
I’ve seen only Pokemon dolls displayed on rear dashes. An exercise I would call sad. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2025, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-cars-not-just-jeeps-have-ducks-and-stuff-on-their-dashboards/1023036/8 "2025-09-14T16:56:18Z")
My son keeps a Hanshin Tiger plush on the back deck of his little coupe, as he’s a big fan of the team. But it’s not a duck, it’s not a Jeep, and it’s not the dash, so I would consider this only a related phenomenon. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2025, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-cars-not-just-jeeps-have-ducks-and-stuff-on-their-dashboards/1023036/9 "2025-09-14T16:56:18Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > [Jeep ducking - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeep_ducking) Well, that clears that up. I’ve noticed that my wife’s niece and her husband, who have a Jeep pickup, have all that crap on their dashboard. I had no idea why, but thought it was just a stupid thing that they did. It _is_ stupid, in my opinion, but it’s not just them, which makes it marginally better. I guess. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2025, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-cars-not-just-jeeps-have-ducks-and-stuff-on-their-dashboards/1023036/10 "2025-09-14T17:00:17Z")
Just to be clear - I’m not talking about a single plastic Jesus, hula girl, or plushie. And I guess the ball caps and plushies in the rear windows are another category. But what I’ve been wondering at is what appears to be an entire line of little figures - often ducks but not always - all the way across the dashboard. Heck, if we were bringing rear windows into this, I’d show my age and talk about bobbing headed dogs… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2025, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-cars-not-just-jeeps-have-ducks-and-stuff-on-their-dashboards/1023036/11 "2025-09-14T17:46:10Z")
Yup. Ducks all the way across since at least the mid-oughts, at least in western Oregon. Always very exciting when an unowned duck was a prize in a workplace competition. I’ve always contented myself with one bumper or window sticker, Vulcan Science Academy or Voldemort for President, but I hate having stuff on the dash or rear shelf. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2025, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-cars-not-just-jeeps-have-ducks-and-stuff-on-their-dashboards/1023036/12 "2025-09-14T17:48:53Z")
Also, I’m in Illinois - a fair piece from Oregon. Doubt what I’m seeing is all displaced Oregonians. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2025, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-cars-not-just-jeeps-have-ducks-and-stuff-on-their-dashboards/1023036/13 "2025-09-14T19:06:16Z")
Some people just can’t bear to see an unused surface. I’ve lived with a few of those people and it’s aggravating. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2025, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-cars-not-just-jeeps-have-ducks-and-stuff-on-their-dashboards/1023036/14 "2025-09-14T19:58:39Z")
I doubt it, too. You asked, “Anyone here do this or know someone who does? I can only answer for where I am. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2025, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-cars-not-just-jeeps-have-ducks-and-stuff-on-their-dashboards/1023036/15 "2025-09-14T21:45:07Z")
Just a goofy thing people do. Bumper stickers. Things used to be on radio antenna. Flags clips on windows. I have a sunflower 🌻 on my passenger side corner dash. On a god-awful orange Ford Escape. Makes me feel better. I think my son had some rubber ducks with hog hats(razorback)on his truck at one time. Just a folly. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2025, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-cars-not-just-jeeps-have-ducks-and-stuff-on-their-dashboards/1023036/16 "2025-09-15T13:33:03Z")
> [@susan](#): > > I can only answer for where I am. Yeah - I get that. Sorry I came off as testy or whatever. Just a tad surprised that so many of the responses came from Oregon posters. Kinda curious as an Illinoisian to hear how big the college team is in your state. (Of course, it helps that your state U doesn’t SUCK at major sports!) 😉 Around here you’ll see a share of college and sports teams advertised via bumper stickers/decals/magnets, but no single thing like what sounds like near duck mania. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2025, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-cars-not-just-jeeps-have-ducks-and-stuff-on-their-dashboards/1023036/17 "2025-09-15T13:47:56Z")
I hear that the U. of Ill-ugh-noise has a highly rated football team this year. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2025, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-cars-not-just-jeeps-have-ducks-and-stuff-on-their-dashboards/1023036/18 "2025-09-15T13:53:05Z")
Yeah - as an alum I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard that before. But tell me the last time they’ve won a national championship - despite the tremendous $ and ethically questionable effort expended. I could give you any number of examples of how they ALWAYS figure out a way to lose the big game… But that is not at all what I intended for this thread. Or another one I started in Games. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2025, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-cars-not-just-jeeps-have-ducks-and-stuff-on-their-dashboards/1023036/19 "2025-09-15T16:02:36Z")
Duck mania is a good way to put it! ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2025, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-cars-not-just-jeeps-have-ducks-and-stuff-on-their-dashboards/1023036/20 "2025-09-15T20:16:06Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Things used to be on radio antenna. It’s still there. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-cars-not-just-jeeps-have-ducks-and-stuff-on-their-dashboards/1023036.md?page=2)