Theodore Tugboat named Welcome Ambassador for new Nova Scotians

Theodore Tugboat, the former TV star on a long-running CBC children's program and an oft-photographed fixture in Halifax Harbour, has a new gig as the so-called Welcome Ambassador.

According to a Nova Scotia government news release, Theodore will "help welcome visitors, including new Nova Scotians, to the community and serve as a mascot for the new Welcome Aboard program for school groups."

Welcome Aboard

The Welcome Aboard program includes a guided orientation of Halifax for newcomers from the Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia, a family pass for several Nova Scotia museums and an optional harbour tour. 

Aboard Theodore — a tugboat with eyes and a ballcap — visitors can learn about the history of the waterfront as a multicultural port. The program is meant to foster a welcoming relationship between newcomer families and the broader community.

"We are becoming a more diverse city and we need to be as welcoming as possible," Halifax Mayor Mike Savage said. "It doesn't mean saying 'Nice to see you,' but actually 'How can we help you and help people get settled?'"

Capt. Matt Conlin called Theodore the "happiest person in the harbour."

"I'd say he's right up there with Peggys Cove as one of the things that people say, 'If you go to Halifax, you have to see it,'" he said.

"He's probably the backdrop of every photo on the waterfront."

Big star

Theodore Tugboat, which ran from 1993 until the early 2000s, was produced in Halifax and featured several miniature tugboats plying the water of Halifax Harbour. It had millions of viewers in dozens of countries.

The show used a 56-centimetre model, but the working 19.8-metre version — called Theodore Too — was launched in 2000.