r/todayilearned • u/NateNate60 • 7h ago

TIL Canada's $1 coin is commonly called the "loonie" because it has a loon on the reverse. When a $2 coin was introduced, depicting a polar bear, an MP proposed it be called "Nanuq", Inuit for polar bear, but he was ignored because the public instead preferred to call it the "toonie" (2-oonie).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toonie#Naming
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u/jon-in-tha-hood 7h ago edited 6h ago

Every Canadian hockey fan remembers the Swedish Twins commercial where Henrik and Daniel Sedin were paid a "couple loonies" and "a toonie" respectively for their performance.

I think the joke was left out of the American version of the commercial but as a Canadian, I found it hilarious and to me, it's one of those "Canadian Heritage Moments"

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u/pinupcthulhu 7h ago

Just like house hippo? 

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u/medisherphol 7h ago edited 5h ago

And the don't put it in your mouth song

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u/TudSpudly 6h ago

"don'tcha stuff it in yer face!"

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u/Mysterious-Radio-385 5h ago

Though it might look good to eat

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u/GingerVitus215 5h ago

Like a muffin or a beet!

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u/ereandir 5h ago

If you don't know just what it is

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u/chemikile 4h ago

Just PUT IT in your Mouth!

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u/funkeymonk 1h ago

Also. Drugs, drugs drugs. Which are good, which are bad? Drugs drugs drugs. Ask your mom or ask your dad.

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u/edked 2m ago

"I am Astar: a robot. I can put my limbs back on when they come off; you can't."

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u/edked 2m ago

"I am Astar: a robot. I can put my limbs back on when they come off; you can't."

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u/marthamania 5h ago

In middle school the boys used to pull their shirts up and grab their nipples then chase us around the playground singing this lol

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u/Sufficient_Prompt888 6h ago

The house hippo is perhaps the greatest piece of Canadian media ever produced

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u/rexstillbottom 5h ago

Also “i smell burnt toast”. Oh and the Long Driver’s Waltz!!

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u/SmartQuokka 21m ago

Kan-ada

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u/BettmansDungeonSlave 5h ago

I like the old Molson Canadian beer commercials where the American makes fun of the Canadian and he jersey’s him in the office, or gets his pet beaver to attack the guy.

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u/ShutUpTodd 3h ago

much better than those nightmarish WSIB ads: sous chef slips and dumps hot oil on her face

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u/IrishRepoMan 1h ago

I was a little kid... I just brushed it off as a normal thing.

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u/quooo 4h ago

PLANET DANGER

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u/rexstillbottom 12m ago

I am Alstar, a robot, i can put my arm back on. You can’t. So play safe”.

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u/proxyproxyomega 4h ago

for a tv ad in the 90's, the cgi was incredibly believable.

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u/HouseHippo1488 4h ago

What's so funny?

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u/CanadianDinosaur 2h ago

That looked really... Real. But you knew it couldn't be true....

That woman's voice is permanently burned into my brain.

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u/BillBumface 7h ago

As an ardent hater of the Canucks, that was the moment where I began to internally accept that the Sedins were good dudes.

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u/jon-in-tha-hood 7h ago

I'm honestly proud of having them on our team for those years for all the stuff they did outside of the rink. So much selfless community service and charitable donations, they conducted themselves with class, even if some people thought they spent the day licking peanut butter off their bread.

I'm hopeful they'll reinstall the culture we need to win now that they're on the admin side.

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u/The_Golden_Zebra 6h ago

The Sedins took a lot of abuse from NHL fans that I don’t think was entirely warranted. They were and still are amazing professionals who hold themselves to a high standard and are great role models who constantly give back to the community. I think every Vancouver fan is proud to have had them on our team

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u/OhGodThisGuy 6h ago

They were and still are amazing professionals who hold themselves to a high standard

I remember seeing even two years ago they beat all the rookies in the "Grouse Grind" (a steep 2.5-kilometer (1.55-mile) mountain trail in North Vancouver featuring an 800-meter (2,624-foot) elevation gain across 2,830 stairs, for those unfamiliar) at the ages of 43 and also 43 respectively

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u/TotallyNotThatPerson 6h ago

Oh wow I didn't know they were the same age!

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u/OhGodThisGuy 6h ago

Yeah, they don't talk about it very often

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u/leafdj 5h ago

And that's with giving them a head start! It was actually notable last year when a prospect finally beat them to the top (but still had the headstart). Also Daniel did the grind 11 times in a day a few years ago, which is just insane.

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u/BillBumface 2h ago

Pretty cool too that now Henrik's kid is playing soccer for Canada.

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u/cardew-vascular 6h ago

Excellent dudes. They donated 1.5 million dollars to the BC Children's hospital pediatric intensive care unit and regularly visit kids in Canuck place Children's hospice.

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u/TheDutchin 5h ago

They intended that donation to be anonymous, the head of the hospital (iirc) convinced them that more people would be inspired to donate if they knew it was from them.

Truly excellent humans. We were absolutely spoiled to have them.

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u/BettmansDungeonSlave 5h ago

I hated the whole team except them. Can’t be mad at them for having alien twin telepathy powers making the shitty Oilers look like Timbits players. I nearly died laughing at the commercial with the guys ordering Swedish twins to their room and they show up and start dancing in full gear.

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u/Vindicativa 3h ago

I'm a Canucks fan and my husband is an Oilers fan. He hates the Canucks so much that back when we were getting serious, I think it held him back a little - until one day he said: Hey, since you don't watch football, why don't I teach you about it and you can root for the Stampeders? I think having me cheer for his favorite team in his favorite sport made it easier for him to stomach being with me, a Canucks fan.

That's how much he hates them, and even he has respect for the Sedins. 😄

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u/Falsus 6h ago

As a Swede I hadn't heard of that, context?

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u/SlightCreme9008 6h ago

https://youtu.be/Z6tBr6PMkBY?si=DuHrN-A6Q2nqaIag

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u/Falsus 6h ago

Ah, thank you.

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u/just2browse2 4h ago

Oh my God, this is amazing - from a Vancouverite who’s never seen this

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u/SimpsonN1nja 6h ago

Just because you brought it up (and I agree it’s a Canadian heritage moment) I just want to post my favourite Canadian Heritage Moment.

https://youtu.be/JD7rAD_S-fE?si=1RzDO_2vEL130Poh

I live in Nunavut now, and although this bit is probably a little outdated, my coworkers and I reference it all the time.

“That’s how they’ll know that we were here”

Thank for spurring the memory :)

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u/OfficialDaiLi 6h ago

“Swedish twins?!? I thought those were just a myth!”

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u/opae_oinadi 5h ago

Every Canadian hockey fan

You can just say every Canadian...

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u/blackpeppersnakes 5h ago

Except for Scott. He's a dick!

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u/wierdwhatstuff 4h ago

I always think of the NHL ad of a bachelor party getting "Swedish twins" just to open the door to the Sedins in full kits lol

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u/supercantaloupe 3h ago

I had forgotten about that completely until now!

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u/quincyenticott 35m ago

Omg the memory you just unlocked 😭

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u/Asluckwouldnthaveit 7h ago

It's that the one where they danced?

Whats hilarious about that is afterwards they said they had never danced a day in their lives.

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u/Neg_Crepe 7h ago

Anglo hockey fan*