FutureMayor
Active Member
CIVIC PRIDE TEN YEARS ON
North York's mascot Nork was sacrificed to amalgamation. Will Toronto ever see a figure like him?
ZACH FELDBERG
Special to The Globe and Mail
May 19, 2007
In 1997, on the eve of North York's amalgamation with Toronto, the suburb's amiable mascot - a giant, scarf-wearing snowball named Nork - was forced into early retirement at the age of 15. As the sprawling metropolis folded quietly into the new megacity, no tear was shed for the larger-than-life bon vivant who brought so much joy to "The City With Heart."
Ten years after amalgamation, Nork is living alone in storage at Toronto City Hall, unseen for a decade. Upon emerging recently for a stroll through the downtown core, he made many friends - but no one remembered his name.
Designed in 1982 by Kevin Shanahan - best known for creating BJ Birdy, the Blue Jays' erstwhile mascot - Nork was so named by way of a citywide contest open to children aged 12 and under who voted that a contraction of "North York" would be an ideal moniker. His debut at that year's Winter Carnival sealed his fate as a fixture of the local scene.
"Nork became our central figure," recalls Anna Di Ruscio, former director of information services for the City of North York. "He was everywhere, year-round."
Ms. Di Ruscio, who oversaw Nork's creation, fondly remembers a time in the mid-1980s when the lovable snowball married Valentine, also a snowball. "We had a huge wedding," she remembers. "The best man was Peter Puck. Mr. Peanut was there.
"And nine months later, [then-mayor] Mel Lastman was the attending physician at North York General for the birth of their baby, Snowball."
Mr. Lastman, known for his shrewd marketing, was "100 per cent behind Nork," Ms. Di Ruscio says. "He loved him."
So, could the big city of Toronto ever have its own, say, Cornelius the Condo or Multicultural Marvin? "I'd say yes," Di Ruscio enthuses. "It would rally the people together."
Louroz
North York's mascot Nork was sacrificed to amalgamation. Will Toronto ever see a figure like him?
ZACH FELDBERG
Special to The Globe and Mail
May 19, 2007
In 1997, on the eve of North York's amalgamation with Toronto, the suburb's amiable mascot - a giant, scarf-wearing snowball named Nork - was forced into early retirement at the age of 15. As the sprawling metropolis folded quietly into the new megacity, no tear was shed for the larger-than-life bon vivant who brought so much joy to "The City With Heart."
Ten years after amalgamation, Nork is living alone in storage at Toronto City Hall, unseen for a decade. Upon emerging recently for a stroll through the downtown core, he made many friends - but no one remembered his name.
Designed in 1982 by Kevin Shanahan - best known for creating BJ Birdy, the Blue Jays' erstwhile mascot - Nork was so named by way of a citywide contest open to children aged 12 and under who voted that a contraction of "North York" would be an ideal moniker. His debut at that year's Winter Carnival sealed his fate as a fixture of the local scene.
"Nork became our central figure," recalls Anna Di Ruscio, former director of information services for the City of North York. "He was everywhere, year-round."
Ms. Di Ruscio, who oversaw Nork's creation, fondly remembers a time in the mid-1980s when the lovable snowball married Valentine, also a snowball. "We had a huge wedding," she remembers. "The best man was Peter Puck. Mr. Peanut was there.
"And nine months later, [then-mayor] Mel Lastman was the attending physician at North York General for the birth of their baby, Snowball."
Mr. Lastman, known for his shrewd marketing, was "100 per cent behind Nork," Ms. Di Ruscio says. "He loved him."
So, could the big city of Toronto ever have its own, say, Cornelius the Condo or Multicultural Marvin? "I'd say yes," Di Ruscio enthuses. "It would rally the people together."
Louroz
or maybe Yorkie Bear(I heard that someplace once) My thoughts here...LI MIKE
