CBC Yukon's 'Larry Logo': mascot is gone, not forgotten
Disappearance of big, bulky and beloved mascot still a mystery, 30 years on
Calling all Canadians: CBC Yukon wants its mascot back.
OK, it's been 30 years, but there are still some who hopefully cling to the idea that Larry Logo, a bulky pile of plywood, colourful fabric and oddly fulsome lips, is stashed away in a box somewhere and waiting for a triumphant return.
"It just sort of disappeared somewhere," said Tim Kinvig, a former CBC Yukon technician who remembers Larry Logo in his glory days in the early 1980s, when he would march in parades and greet CBC fans.
The suit was handmade by some of Kinvig's co-workers in the late 1970s. "Quite a creative effort, that's for sure," he said.
Ron McFadyen, a former CBC Yukon host, typically wore the enormous get-up at public events.
"It was made out of plywood, so it was heavy. And then there were shoulder straps to keep it in place," McFadyen recalled. "Visibility was practically zero."
"I didn't have a clue where I was going."
The Calgary Stampede
McFadyen remembers occasionally sending the Larry suit out of the territory for someone else to wear at a parade in Yellowknife, or the Calgary Stampede. It had its own shipping container, also made by CBC Yukon staff.
Opinions differ on whether Larry was actually lost on one of these trips. Kinvig insists Larry Logo always made it home, but McFadyen believes he stayed in Alberta.
"I'm going to accuse CBC Calgary of getting it, and not turning it back," he said.
It's possible, said Suzanne Waddell of CBC Calgary, though she'd never heard of Larry Logo. She gamely agreed to rummage through her station's closets and storage lockers for any sign of that poker face.
She found plenty of old CBC paraphenalia — from luggage tags to bike lights — but no Larry.
"Lots of things go missing after Stampede," Waddell laughed. "It doesn't surprise me."
The mystery lives on.