GRAND HAVEN — Jason Rogers of Grand Haven has been “ducked” multiple times. And he loves it.

It’s because he has a Jeep.

Rogers has always had a Jeep. He never liked go-fast cars or fancy accoutrements. He never wanted anything except a Jeep — the iconic Wrangler, in particular. He buys them without frills, takes them apart and tinkers to create his own one-of-a-kind models. So far, he’s done it with 14 Wranglers.

“I’ll be buried in a Jeep,” he said.

But he wasn’t in the know about the Jeep’s connection to little rubber ducks until he found one on his Wrangler’s fender while working in Muskegon. He thought some little kid had been walking by and left it. Then Rogers started seeing little rubber ducks on Facebook pages devoted to Jeeps.

It’s all part of a positive message movement known as “ducking.”

Rogers still has that first duck — it’s yellow, with a smiley face — and knows now it was a deliberate move from someone praising his Jeep and wishing him a good day.

He’s collected 50 to 100 additional ducks, all different, and all left by persons unknown. He’s found most of them just sitting on his parked Wrangler. But one came from someone in Daytona Beach, Florida, who tossed a duck to Rogers through his open window as he drove along the beach.

“I keep them because it makes me remember that moment when I found each one,” he said.

Remembering is common among those who have been “ducked.” Especially that first duck.

Kevin Kane’s first duck showed up on his Wrangler at Grand Haven State Park. Eric Leaf's was on his Gladiator at Turk’s Tavern in Nunica. Karen Benson’s was on her Renegade in the parking lot at Franklin Avenue and First Street in Grand Haven.

Rogers says he carries ducks in his Jeep to leave for others. He buys them on Amazon.

And, it seems, no one steals ducks left on Jeeps. They just sit on the vehicle, waiting for the owner to find them. Rogers says it’s an unwritten rule.

“It really is neat that way, that people respect this, especially Jeep people,” he said. “You would never walk past a Jeep with a duck on it and take it. You’d be banned forever. You’d have to turn in your keys and drive a Ford for the rest of your life.”

The rules aren't very exact. More rigid followers say the game is for only Wranglers and Gladiators, that only Jeep owners leave ducks, and that the ducks are passed from one Jeep to another to another.

Most people bend those rules to include any Jeep vehicle, and ducks left by anyone. Also, many recipients choose to keep their gifted ducks, but buy ducks to give to others.

What kind of Jeeps does Rogers duck?

“If I see one that speaks to me," he said. "I think it brightens the day for 99.9 percent of those who get ducked.”

According to internet news stories, "ducking" began with Allison Parliament, a Canadian who now lives in Alabama. She went to Canada to visit her family, and when she returned, she left her best friend behind in Ontario. To soften the departure and brighten his days, she hid little rubber ducks throughout the house for him to find after she was gone.

Parliament had one duck left and, spur of the moment, placed it on a Jeep Wrangler parked near the house. She’d written a short message on it that praised the Jeep. That owner watched her, then took a picture of the duck and posted it online, and the idea went viral.

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Now there are multiple social media sites devoted to "ducking." That includes Facebook’s “Duck Duck Jeep – Michigan," with more than 7,000 followers.

Parliament has turned the ducking movement into a fundraiser to help teachers buy school supplies. The second annual Duck Duck Jeep Invasion is this weekend in Alabama.

Meanwhile, in Grand Haven, Rogers has teamed up with the local Rotary to create a Jeep festival. The first was held in May, with proceeds of more than $15,000 going to Kenzie’s Be Café, a nonprofit in the old Crescent Theater. The second festival is being planned for May 2023.

The world’s largest Jeep duck appeared at the Detroit Auto Show last month. The duck, at 61 feet, was so large it couldn’t get into the building.

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: How 'ducking' became a positive, lighthearted pastime for Jeep owners