Hooooowdy-ho! Canada's poo mascot, Mr. Floatie

South Park's Mister Hankey did not respond to requests for comment on whether this amounts to an infringement of intellectual poo-perty.

You can't ignore a seven-foot-tall turd. That's Christianne Wilhelmson's take on Mr. Floatie, who has become a fixture at Victoria-area events. The program co-ordinator with the Georgia Strait Alliance says the chocolate bar-shaped mascot is responsible for renewed debate about what Victoria should do with its sewage.

Most people were tired of hearing about the issue, which the alliance has been pushing for more than a decade, but Wilhelmson said Mr. Floatie's recent appearances have changed that. "He has managed to raise the issue back to the level where people are talking about it again," she said. However, Wilhelmson's enthusiasm is not shared by Denise Blackwell of the Capital Regional District, who thinks Mr. Floatie is a childish waste of time.

Mr. Floatie is the mascot for People Opposed to Outfall Pollution, or POOP. Organizer James Skwarok, who also wears the mascot suit, said Mr. Floatie has been an invaluable tool.

Link (Thanks, Larry Mollica, via Wayne's list)