Historicist: "The city that nobody loves"
The Daily Photoist: November 23, 2009
Newsstand: November 23, 2009
Urban Planner: November 23, 2009
You remember the Moose in the City, don't you? For six glorious months in 2000, more than three hundred fibreglass moose stood watch over Toronto, succesfully saving us from the shame of having hundreds of flying pigs instead. We greatly preferred the moose to any of the subsequent visitors to our fair city including aphids, SARS, and Chilean soccer players.
Most of the moose had disappeared by the end of 2000, but a few can still be found on display around the city. We recently stumbled upon this poor fellow behind the Ontario Science Centre, covered in dust and jammed up against a wall behind piles of discarded shipping pallets and recycling bins, begging for some dignity in retirement.
Time Moose Scape began life sponsored by none other than the very organization that callously threw him outside like so much trash. Oh, he tried to stay on their good side by getting a new paint job, donning a new suit and bow tie, trimming off his antlers, and even going so far as to have a giant red clown nose surgically attached to his snout. It was all for naught. More enamoured by the latest plastination and big boat toys, Time's masters cruelly cast the gritty seven-year-old out into the world to fend for himself.
Like any abandoned child, Time has remained close to the only home he's ever known, scrounging for food and affection in the nearby recycling bins, eventually settling among the empty water bottles and flattened cardboard boxes. But despite the hard turns his life has taken, he keeps a smile on his face. That big red nose could have become a mark of his failure, but Time has chosen to wear it as a badge of courage. It proudly proclaims that one day he will be back among the adoring children inside.
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Awww....poor Moosey! Can't someone adopt him?
I remember that 'Moose in the City' campaign all too well. I painted three of them. Have no idea what happened to the creatures. One of them was a caricature of George Cohon. Last I heard it was taking refuge somewhere on his Muskoka estate.
There's still one perched on the roof of 54 St. Leonards Ave. (at Mt. Pleasant, four blocks south of Lawrence), as confirmed by Virtual City. I'm not sure who lives there (it's believed to be a professional hockey player), but the fence is usually painted with a message in support of local (or national) sports teams, and the moose is often adorned with a Leafs jersey.
those bastards at the science centre make me so angry. how could they do this?
*boycotting*
Blechhh. Those moose were an embarrassment - a super lame act of plagiarism on Chicago's bulls and every other city who couldn't come up with an original idea.
Sadly, there's still one on top of a 2nd floor front deck south of the College and Bellevue fire station.
And there's one at the Wheat Sheaf.
Since the moose are Lastman's legacy, will someone please put Lastman into the trash as well as that moose?
Good riddance to Lastman and his legacy of moose.
"We greatly preferred the moose to any of the subsequent visitors to our fair city including aphids, SARS, and Chilean soccer players."
haha, loved that line
The moose were c00l for awhile there, in a random sort of way .... whether we liked them or not, despite their demise, we're still talkin about them and everyone remembers them
Lastman's effect on the city was a memorable one
There's a moose in North York Centre near Mel Lastman Square in front of the North York Central Library, still in its display platform.
I liked the moose when I first came to Toronto as a tourist in 2001.
There are actually still quite a lot of them around.
-Two in front of SickKids (Elizabeth Street entrance)
-One in the CN tower
-I definitely recall recently seeing the Chinese moose at a restaurant (forgot where!) and also one on King Street somewhere.
Many cities have or have had similar projects. Halifax has lobsters, Berlin has bears, and my parents came back from Budapest last year with pictures of cow statues.