'Ducking' on a new level planned for Jeep Fest '21
May 5—If you're thinking of attending Toledo Jeep Fest this summer, don't forget to duck.
"Ducking," an informal game among Jeep owners in which they place a tiny toy duck on a Jeep vehicle that they find particularly interesting, is about to be taken to a whole new level by organizers of the festival which takes place the weekend of Aug. 6.
The festival planning committee has teamed up with Buff City Soap, which makes and sells customizable soaps, bath bombs, and other items, to produce 1,000 soap "ducks" that will be distributed randomly between now and August in accordance with Ducking's informal rules.
The soap ducks are in plastic bags with a tag that tells the Jeep owner "You've Been Ducked" by Toledo Jeep Fest 2021. Show the tag at the Toledo area's two Buff City Soap stores and the Duck-ee gets a 20 percent discount on a purchase.
"I've got 12 Toledo Jeep Fest ambassadors who will be traveling around the area and going to Jeep events in a number of states. They will be distributing the ducks," Whitney Rofkar, Toledo Jeep Fest event director, said.
The ambassadors will include festival organizers and sponsors, plus some members of the Glass City Crawlers Jeep club.
The tags on the soap ducks encourage the recipients to share their love of Jeep Fest on social media by posting pictures or comments. "We want to make it a viral associated experience," she said.
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Organizers will begin monitoring various social media platforms starting next week to look for references to Toledo Jeep Fest and Ducking recipients.
Although no one can say with certainty what caused it to take off, the Ducking phenomenon has been attributed to Allison Parliament, a Canadian woman in Ontario.
She thought distributing little plastic ducks to fellow Jeep owners would be an uplifting response to a distressing run-in she had with a rude countryman at the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
With Ducking now a thing among Jeep owners in the United States, festival organizers felt soap ducks were a more practical and distinctive alternative to plastic ducks.
When organizers approached Nick Kunkel, who owns the two Toledo franchises, he was eager to supply the ducks, which are apple green (Toledo Jeep Fest's main color) and do not melt in heat.
"It's kind of a personal thing, but my first car was a Jeep Comanche. Jeep is such a Toledo brand, it's really ingrained into the community here and so I saw this as an opportunity to align the Buff City brand with the Jeep brand in a cool and really creative way," Mr. Kunkel said.
The duck soap is a combination of oils and other ingredients and a scent called The Narcissist.
It was not chosen as a statement about Jeep owners, Mr. Kunkel said with a laugh. Rather, it is Buff City's most popular scent and smells like a blend of peaches, raspberries, and patchouli sandalwood.
"We are a national brand and international actually. ...But I heard that there might be some Duck action in California, so that would be pretty cool," Mr. Kunkel said.
First Published May 5, 2021, 5:37pm
