TJF Mourns Passing of Duck Ambassador Allison Parliament
June 24, 2024
The Toledo Jeep Fest family is mourning the recent death of a friend and advocate of the Jeep community – Allison Parliament. She believed that small gestures could make a significant impact, and she proved this through her commitment to spreading smiles one small duck at a time.
The influencer and brand ambassador died suddenly on June 22. Parliament’s random acts of kindness gave birth to a core part of global Jeep culture.
DuckDuckJeep Origins
The uplifting and virally beautiful DuckDuckJeep movement actually began with a negative experience.
Parliament, 36, a native of Orilla, Ontario was driving her Jeep home from Alabama in 2020, where she lived, when she found herself in an angry confrontation at a gas station. A man noticed her U.S. plates and approached, yelling that she needed to return to her country, saying she was “a dirty American spreading COVID and just wanted to hurt people.”
Parliament, a dual U.S. citizen, was shoved and bruised during the confrontation but resolved to do something positive and fun as a counter gesture.
She bought a bag of rubber ducks and planned to prank her friend, hiding them around the house. But when she ran into a nice Jeep in a parking lot, she decided to use one of the ducks to place as a little gesture to say, hey, “nice Jeep.” The owner noticed her and came out to investigate.
This encounter with a stranger was completely different. He loved the idea and suggested that she should share it on social media with the hashtag #duckduckjeep.
Advocate for Off-Road Community
Parliament was the founder and CEO of DuckDuckOffroad and Duck Duck Jeep. The organizations worked to build confidence for new off-road drivers, organized local and global events, and shared kindness within the off-road community. She was partnered with Jeep/Stellantis and RTX Wheels and other companies to deliver engaging and memorable experiences for off-road enthusiasts.
Her DuckDuckJeep movement brought together a diverse Jeep community, building new friendships and creating a shared sense of belonging among Jeepers. She was known for her generosity, her infectious enthusiasm, and her dedication to making the world a better place through simple acts of kindness.
TJF Duck Ambassador
Parliament was Toledo Jeep Fest’s Official Duck Ambassador during the 2023 event rolling though hype events, the Adam’s Street Invasion and the Park-N-Shine spreading smiles and rubber ducks from her duck-capped golf cart.
The DuckDuckJeep community and Jeep enthusiasts around the world will continue her legacy of spreading joy – (#duckduckjeep | #ducksforallison) – by placing rubber ducks on their vehicles as a symbol of camaraderie and goodwill. Parliament’s family has set up a GoFundMe to support memorial costs.
The Toledo Jeep Fest community will miss Allison Parliament, but we are grateful for her lasting efforts to make the world a better place!