Who is well known, based in Ontario, and not wild expensive?
May 27, 2022 1:52 PM Subscribe
I'm brainstorming ideas for a staff-appreciation kind of thing in a southeastern Ontario town and one of the wilder thoughts was "hire _____ to come in and drop in on everyone in the building to give them a high-five through the day." Ideally somebody who is recognizable enough that most people would go "hey, it's ____!" and be agreeably confused. Who?
This is kind of a dumb silly idea but it's so dumb and silly it might just work. So I'm on the hunt for ideas for recognizable names/faces, who might be willing to travel to Kingston for a day and leave with a mildly sore hand, and who would ask for an amount of money that is consistent with their level of fame but not so much that it would be rejected completely by the Powers That Be. Two names that sprang up as prospective ideas were Jay Baruchel or Jann Arden, who feel like they might be a bit spendy but could also be in the zone.
This is kind of a dumb silly idea but it's so dumb and silly it might just work. So I'm on the hunt for ideas for recognizable names/faces, who might be willing to travel to Kingston for a day and leave with a mildly sore hand, and who would ask for an amount of money that is consistent with their level of fame but not so much that it would be rejected completely by the Powers That Be. Two names that sprang up as prospective ideas were Jay Baruchel or Jann Arden, who feel like they might be a bit spendy but could also be in the zone.
Ron MacLean or do you think he'd be too spendy to get?
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 2:05 PM on May 27, 2022
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 2:05 PM on May 27, 2022
One of the cast of Baroness von Sketch?
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 2:06 PM on May 27, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 2:06 PM on May 27, 2022 [3 favorites]
Best answer: Brittlestar. I guarantee you a lot of people know Brittlestar.
posted by Kitteh at 2:20 PM on May 27, 2022 [4 favorites]
posted by Kitteh at 2:20 PM on May 27, 2022 [4 favorites]
One of the lesser LetterKennyites?
posted by PinkMoose at 2:22 PM on May 27, 2022 [5 favorites]
posted by PinkMoose at 2:22 PM on May 27, 2022 [5 favorites]
Colin Mochrie or Paul Sun-Hyung Lee. Linda Kash?
posted by stray at 2:38 PM on May 27, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by stray at 2:38 PM on May 27, 2022 [2 favorites]
Best answer: I suppose it depends on your demographics, but if it's Xer heavy, Hal and Joanne live in Oakville and are great at encouraging people.
posted by Superilla at 2:58 PM on May 27, 2022 [8 favorites]
posted by Superilla at 2:58 PM on May 27, 2022 [8 favorites]
Best answer: I love the Hal and Joanne idea. I would be more excited for that than most people I can think of meeting.
My suggestions would be Tom Green (who apparently lives in Sharbot Lake these days and probably would find this a hilarious thing to do), Elvis Stojko or Brian Orser, or a recent Olympian like Penny Oleksiak, Scott Moir or Tessa Virtue.
Alternatively, and maybe this is a pipe dream suggestion, but one of the guys from Kids in the Hall.
posted by urbanlenny at 3:12 PM on May 27, 2022 [3 favorites]
My suggestions would be Tom Green (who apparently lives in Sharbot Lake these days and probably would find this a hilarious thing to do), Elvis Stojko or Brian Orser, or a recent Olympian like Penny Oleksiak, Scott Moir or Tessa Virtue.
Alternatively, and maybe this is a pipe dream suggestion, but one of the guys from Kids in the Hall.
posted by urbanlenny at 3:12 PM on May 27, 2022 [3 favorites]
Hal and Joanne headlined our staff conference in the Before Time! Hal and Joanne!
posted by avocet at 3:55 PM on May 27, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by avocet at 3:55 PM on May 27, 2022 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I also thoight of Colin Mochrie, but Hal and Joanne would be the best. Also, Polkaroo. If you get Polkaroo, make sure that you arrive just after he leaves.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 4:47 PM on May 27, 2022 [6 favorites]
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 4:47 PM on May 27, 2022 [6 favorites]
Polkaroo is now the only correct answer. But if unavailable.... George Stroumboulopoulos? Nav Bhatia?
posted by Rora at 5:50 PM on May 27, 2022
posted by Rora at 5:50 PM on May 27, 2022
Best answer: Quirks and Quarks host Bob Macdonald?
posted by Ashwagandha at 10:12 PM on May 27, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by Ashwagandha at 10:12 PM on May 27, 2022 [1 favorite]
If you get Hal and Joanne, can I come?!
(Kidding. Mostly.)
posted by gursky at 1:55 AM on May 28, 2022
(Kidding. Mostly.)
posted by gursky at 1:55 AM on May 28, 2022
I also thoight of Colin Mochrie, but Hal and Joanne would be the best. Also, Polkaroo. If you get Polkaroo, make sure that you arrive just after he leaves.
Polkaroo is the answer! I was reading the other ideas and thinking, that might be nice, but when I saw "Polkaroo", I actually gasped and had a little internal scream of "Polkaroo!"
I don't know what the age range appeal of Polkaroo is (when did he start as a character? Is he still as exciting now that he's had his own show and wasn't just a Friday treat?). But I'm 45 and seeing Polkaroo would be as exciting as when I was six.
Also, it's nice to give money to TVO.
posted by jb at 10:33 AM on May 28, 2022 [1 favorite]
Polkaroo is the answer! I was reading the other ideas and thinking, that might be nice, but when I saw "Polkaroo", I actually gasped and had a little internal scream of "Polkaroo!"
I don't know what the age range appeal of Polkaroo is (when did he start as a character? Is he still as exciting now that he's had his own show and wasn't just a Friday treat?). But I'm 45 and seeing Polkaroo would be as exciting as when I was six.
Also, it's nice to give money to TVO.
posted by jb at 10:33 AM on May 28, 2022 [1 favorite]
The nice thing about Polkaroo is, of course, they aren't one person, and maybe there is more than one costume, so that helps with availability.
posted by jb at 10:35 AM on May 28, 2022
posted by jb at 10:35 AM on May 28, 2022
The nice thing about Polkaroo is, of course, they aren't one person
WHAT!
posted by Ashwagandha at 9:51 PM on May 28, 2022
WHAT!
posted by Ashwagandha at 9:51 PM on May 28, 2022
I don't know what the age range appeal of Polkaroo is (when did he start as a character? Is he still as exciting now that he's had his own show and wasn't just a Friday treat?). But I'm 45 and seeing Polkaroo would be as exciting as when I was six.
I was the Polkaroo suggester, and I want to note that I think Polkaroo has the widest age range appeal of anyone listed, having been a Thing for decades (and figure some cohorts decades before that because parents of the original Polka Dot Door watchers would also have seen him...though those people are probably retired now.) There are certainly many people listed whom I've absolutely never heard of and I assume they're young people things.
BUT, that's not to say the Polkaroo is universal: Polkaroo would not be known or exciting to most immigrants. But that's true of just about everyone listed, including the second-place Hal and Joanne, depending on the year of migration. This -- exclusion of immigrants -- is a common/known thing with cultural products in the workplace and it's not a problem you're going to solve, but just FYI.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 5:44 AM on May 29, 2022 [2 favorites]
I was the Polkaroo suggester, and I want to note that I think Polkaroo has the widest age range appeal of anyone listed, having been a Thing for decades (and figure some cohorts decades before that because parents of the original Polka Dot Door watchers would also have seen him...though those people are probably retired now.) There are certainly many people listed whom I've absolutely never heard of and I assume they're young people things.
BUT, that's not to say the Polkaroo is universal: Polkaroo would not be known or exciting to most immigrants. But that's true of just about everyone listed, including the second-place Hal and Joanne, depending on the year of migration. This -- exclusion of immigrants -- is a common/known thing with cultural products in the workplace and it's not a problem you're going to solve, but just FYI.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 5:44 AM on May 29, 2022 [2 favorites]
And I just looked it up. Polkaroo was on, in some incarnation from 1971 to 2007. You're not going to find a wider age-range than that. Any worker WHO LIVED IN ONTARIO under the age of say 56 WHO WATCHED TV AS A KID, has probably had Polkaroo exposure. And 65-65 year olds may well have watched some version of Polkaroo with their kids, if they have kids.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 5:56 AM on May 29, 2022
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 5:56 AM on May 29, 2022
I also kind of feel like even if people weren't familiar with the Polkaroo due to being immigrants or just not being exposed to it, it's a pretty funny key Anglo-Canadian cultural touchstone that I imagine a lot of people would be amused to learn about PLUS the Polkaroo is just cool looking and can probably be appreciated even if you don't know who that is.
posted by urbanlenny at 6:06 PM on May 29, 2022
posted by urbanlenny at 6:06 PM on May 29, 2022
the Polkaroo is just cool looking and can probably be appreciated even if you don't know who that is.
I think this is true generally (maybe seen in the same spirit as someone unfamiliar with Mr. Blobby though not as destructive). I say this as someone who saw Polkaroo at a public appearance in Hornepayne Ontario in the 80s and have a picture of my mum with a perm making out with Polkaroo.
posted by Ashwagandha at 10:26 AM on May 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
I think this is true generally (maybe seen in the same spirit as someone unfamiliar with Mr. Blobby though not as destructive). I say this as someone who saw Polkaroo at a public appearance in Hornepayne Ontario in the 80s and have a picture of my mum with a perm making out with Polkaroo.
posted by Ashwagandha at 10:26 AM on May 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Thank you for all the answers! I have had surprisingly positive responses from at least one party (so far) on the above list, and if it works out I'll update!
posted by Shepherd at 6:37 AM on June 8, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by Shepherd at 6:37 AM on June 8, 2022 [3 favorites]
Any updates?
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 6:24 PM on July 17, 2022
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 6:24 PM on July 17, 2022
Response by poster: Not really, alas -- I reached out to a number of people here, and had a surprisingly positive response from one organization that manages one, but nothing since even though that contact was quite promising. Sorry to be coy, but I don't really want to divulge more as the context was that there was some interest in a bit of a revival thing and this might be part of that, and I don't want to spill their beans unduly.
posted by Shepherd at 2:13 PM on July 18, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by Shepherd at 2:13 PM on July 18, 2022 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
Paul Bellini, avec towel?
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 1:56 PM on May 27, 2022 [5 favorites]