Detroit — Travelers on Jefferson Avenue downtown may see a peculiar sight this week and next: a 61-foot inflatable rubber duck.
The “world’s largest rubber duck” is one of the new additions to the reimagined Detroit auto show incorporating outdoor activities as well as tracks and displays in the Huntington Place convention center to better serve consumers with experiential attractions.
At first blush, a giant duck may seem like an odd choice for the North American International Auto Show. But rubber ducks in the past two years have found an affinity in the auto space, specifically with the Jeep brand in a movement known as “ducking.” Owners will leave rubber ducks with positive messages on cool Jeeps they spot.
The giant duck will appear alongside Jeep’s lineup outside the convention center starting Wednesday through the end of the show on Sept. 25. The SUV brand will hand out ducks to attendees while supplies last, and merchandise for the giant duck will be available for purchase.
Thad Szott, president of the Detroit Automobile Dealers Association that puts on the auto show, said he expects the duck will be the most popular social media craze from the event.
“It was the tie into the Jeep brand and creating the festival-type atmosphere, creating excitement for the kids, and the new reimaged show” that made the duck an attractive get, Szott said. “Everybody loves the duck.”
‘Ducking’ Jeeps
Ducking began in July 2020. Allison Parliament, a five-year financial professional at the time, had treated herself that May to her dream since she’d grown up with an uncle who restored military Jeeps: She’d bought a used silver 2018 Jeep Wrangler Sahara JKU.
Parliament split her time between Titus, Alabama, and Washago, Ontario. After receiving some negative attention when she returned to Canada with an Alabama license plate amid the COVID-19 pandemic that had her shaken up, she joined a friend on a shopping trip to Stedmans V&S department store in Bancroft, Ontario. Looking for a laugh, Parliament walked down a toy aisle where she spotted some rubber ducks, which she bought with the intention to hide around her friend’s house as a prank.
Outside the store, though, Parliament spotted another Wrangler. She used a permanent marker to write, “Nice Jeep” on one of the ducks and placed it on the vehicle.
“The owner was this burly, scary-looking, 6-foot-5 guy, asking, ‘What are you doing?'” Parliament said. “I think I peed myself a little. He was this big, scary guy, but he was smiling. He thought it was great. He said it was the best thing to come up with and the world needs more of this.”
He prompted her to post a picture and the story on social media. By the end of the day, it had 2,000 likes and set in motion the “#duckduckjeep” movement, with others joining in the fun when they see a cool Jeep.
More than two years later, Parliament, 34, has given out more than 27,000 ducks. The hashtag has 192,000 posts on Instagram, and the official Facebook group has almost 67,000 members. It’s spread to 63 countries, she said.
Parliament has traveled to Jeep clubs and events, putting 50,000 miles on her Wrangler this year alone, and started the nonprofit Ducking for Teachers to raise money for teachers around the globe to get supplies for their classrooms. After its Jeep invasion Oct. 14-16 in Alabama’s Stony Lonesome OHV Park, the nonprofit hopes to award 30 grants to teachers.
Jeep has given the group enthusiast permission, including using the seven-slot grille on its logo featuring a duck nicknamed Rubi — short for Rubicon — and using it in its promotion of the V8-powered Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392. The organization also has gotten support from companies like BFGoodrich Tires and RTX Wheels. Unknown Entity Coffee Co. even has a Ducking Good blend and pumpkin spice Spooky Duck option. A new Christmas product is coming in November.
Ducking Jeeps even spurred similar trends at other brands like “buck buck Bronco” and “Yoda Yoda Toyota.”
The goal is to duck secretly any Jeep. It doesn’t have to be a Wrangler. Parliament’s vehicle’s named “Quack Attack” and features images of ducks. At any time, it will have at least 1,000 ducks. That can make being inconspicuous difficult to do.
“If you get caught, you make a new friend,” she said. “I love the ability to get out in the middle of nowhere and have fun with amazing people. There’s a freedom you don’t get with a lot of vehicles. It comes with an automatic family. If you pull off on the side of the freeway, they’ll stop for you.”
Helen Gelil and her husband bought their first Jeep in July, a new Wrangler Sport. She got her first duck earlier this month at The Pantry Restaurant in Clinton Township. It was bedazzled and pink — which felt extra special since that’s her favorite color and she’s a breast cancer survivor.
“I just was excited,” said Gelil, 45, of Macomb. “You never know when you’re going to get it.”
She previously had heard of the trend and picked up a bag of the ducks. She’s placed them on about 10 vehicles so far, and once was caught by an older woman coming out to her car.
“In this day and age when there is so much negativity,” she said, “it’s nice to bring a smile to somebody’s face.”
That’s the joy Dawn Butler, 49, of Cheboygan, finds in it, too. She didn’t even notice the duck on her vehicles when she first was ducked in spring. After looking up information about it, she dove right in. She’s gone out ducking with friends and family on shopping trips, in hospital parking lots and at Bishop International Airport in Flint, handing out more than 100 of the quackers.
“You’re doing something, and getting away with it,” said Butler, who drives a 2013 Wrangler Rubicon she calls “Jolly Rancher.” “But it’s not anything bad.”
There are some people who’ve expressed frustration over finding the plastic toys on their rigs, but Parliament is adamant: “This is about kindness.”
‘World’s largest rubber duck’
Parliament also loves that NAIAS has partnered Jeep with the owner of the six-story-high duck, too. Craig Samborski, 56, of Duluth, Minnesota, just heard about ducking in the last few months: “It’s amazing. It’s a natural fit.”
The idea for the 61-foot inflatable duck came while he was producing an event featuring “Pirates of the Caribbean”-esque tall ships in Los Angeles in 2014. While out drinking one evening, a friend encouraged him to think big — literally — to promote the event in a city like L.A.
“He said, ‘I think you need to build the world’s largest rubber duck,'” Samborski said. “After a few beers, almost any idea sounds good. The next morning, I woke up and thought, ‘What did I get myself into?'”
But eight weeks later, the rubber and vinyl inflatable creature named “Mama Duck” arrived from Scherba Industries Inc.’s Inflatable Images in Cleveland. Samborski also got a 10-foot duck, now named “Timmy” — he’ll be at the auto show, too.
Now, Big Duck LLC has taken a life of its own, appearing in at least 25 locations, including the opening of a Tesla Inc. gigafactory in Austin, Texas, and in Canada. With shipping prices decreasing again, Samborski said there’s interest in bringing it to Europe and the Middle East next.
Samborski is aware of some other large rubber ducks in Asia. He’s trademarked the “world’s largest rubber duck” tagline.
At 69 feet wide and 79 feet deep, the duck weighs more than 8,000 pounds on land. Four high-intensity blowers can inflate the duck in about an hour. It can float, though that’s more risky, and most people prefer to take pictures with it on dry land, Samborski said. It doesn’t squeak.
“How people react to it, it’s priceless,” he said. “I get enormous satisfaction from making people happy with this thing.”
bnoble@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @BreanaCNoble