Jeep "ducking" gets a digital connection through a new app

A small rubber duck on a Jeep can be a simple surprise from one owner to another. But the person who leaves the gift often stays a mystery.

Charles Gregory, a Philadelphia Jeep owner and part of the ducking community, created the "Duck the Goose" app to help connect the people behind those exchanges.

Ducking is a tradition in which Jeep owners leave rubber ducks on other Jeeps as a friendly gesture. The ducks can bring a moment of surprise — and a reminder that someone thought of you.

"Usually it's just putting a duck on someone's car, on someone's Jeep and saying, 'Wow, I love your Jeep," spreading a little happiness, that's all," Gregory said.

Gregory says the practice has grown into something bigger than a passing trend.

"It's a culture," he said.

The app is designed to help Jeep owners connect when a duck is left and found. By registering ducks, users can help build a link between the person who placed one and the person who discovers it.

For Gregory, that connection is the point: turning a small act of kindness into a chance for strangers to meet and feel part of a community.

"If it wasn't for the culture, the people within the Jeep community, something like this wouldn't have been created," he said.