Mr. PG is bustin' out of Prince George, without going anywhere.
He still stands more than eight metres tall at the corner of Highway 16 and 97, smiling and stationary, but a new version of him is popping up all over the globe in toyish selfies in front of other famous landmarks - CN Tower, Niagara Falls, Mississippi River, Japan, China, etc. He's even had his picture snapped with the Barenaked Ladies band.
If he was charming with his big perma-grin at the highway junction, imagine how irresistible he is as a moppety plush doll. None were commercially available until the last couple of months of 2014, but for almost two years the staff at Exploration Place had been working on the squeezy squishable toy, and shelves at the museum emptied as fast as they could fill them.
"We sold 1,000 in less than a week, in the lead-up to Christmas, and that was all of them," said Tracy Calogheros, executive director of Exploration Place. One remaining doll sat near her desk, teasing those who have been searching in vain for one of the fuzzy effigies.
Calogheros realized just in time that the plush Mr. PGs were a hot commodity. She managed to divert some to worthy charities, and one each went to B.C. Lt. Governor Judith Guichon and Canadian Governor General David Johnston when these dignitaries visited for the Canada Winter Games.
"People love that thing. I knew I should have done it years ago," Calogheros said. "We have a second shipment of 1,000 on its way, but it is on a ship from the factory in China, so we don't know exactly when we can have a new supply in our store but we estimate it will be the end of April or the beginning of May."
Exploration Place has, for decades, been a champion of Mr. PG lore. On two occasions there have been substantial exhibits held there of Mr. PG memorabilia and cultural influences. Calogheros said "he certainly has his critics, some people really dislike him, but I think in the last little while especially, the momentum has really turned and most people are proud of what he represents and how he symbolizes the city."
He is 56 years old. Then-mayor Harold Moffat first came up with the idea in the late 1950s, Clear Lake Sawmill owner Hans Roine first built him, and at the time he stood about five feet tall in front of what is now the Days Inn (Simon Fraser Hotel, in those days).
A version 32 feet tall was constructed on the back of a parade float in 1961 by City Hall official Bill Jones so that Mr. PG could attend parades in other places as a city ambassador.
Following that, he was set on permanent display at the corner of 1st Avenue and George Street until he was relocated in 1970 to the corner of Highways 16 and 97.
He was rebuilt out of weather-resistant materials in 1983, narrowly surviving a city council vote on spending the $6,700 required to refurbish him or do away with him altogether.
Over the years Mr. PG has become one of Canada's most beloved roadside municipal icons. He has been immortalized in songs, photos, paintings, clothing, trinkets, curios, an official postage stamp, even a phone booth has been built in his likeness (it is on display in the Exploration Place garden).
The new plush dolls were not a sudden whim. The City of Prince George owns the rights to the Mr. PG likeness and any use of his image. City Hall and Exploration Place had a lot of negotiating to do before the stuffies got the green light.
"I think it's right that City Hall guard their trademark on Mr. PG but I also believe strongly that they do so on behalf of the public, and the public should be seeing their local mascot man being used to put smiles on people's faces and be out there representing our city," Calogheros said. "We want the public to enjoy him."
The plush dolls retail at the Exploration Place gift shop for less than $20, depending on supplies.
