Colbert disses Mac the Moose, calling it a 'papier mache dog,' in look at Canada-Norway spat
Host of The Late Show latest to weigh in on Norway-Canada dispute getting international attention
Forget about Brexit. Another tension-fuelled affair — this one involving Canada, Norway and two moose battling for supremacy — is being showered with international media attention.
"After Norway's Storelgen stole Mac the Moose's place as world's tallest, a Canadian city hopes to 'stick it to Oslo' by increasing their statue's size," proclaimed The Guardian, of the viral battle between the two moose for the title of world's largest.
The Late Show host Stephen Colbert was the latest to poke fun at the dispute in his Meanwhile segment, throwing shade at Moose Jaw's Mac the Moose in the process.
Moose wars makes it to the <a href="https://twitter.com/colbertlateshow?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@colbertlateshow</a> <a href="https://t.co/S1MD6L7igO">https://t.co/S1MD6L7igO</a>
—@SLangeneggerCBCHe brought up side-by-side pictures of Moose Jaw's steel and concrete brown moose and Norway's more blingy, stainless steel structure and exclaimed, "What?"
"Norway's got the T-1000 Terminator moose, and Canada has a papier mache dog from an abandoned theme park."
BBC News has chimed in on the "international faceoff" between Canada and Norway. CNN noted the ensuing crisis has led to Moose Jaw's mayor, Fraser Tolmie, promising he will "restore honor" to Canada by making its 32-foot moose statue just big enough to reclaim its crown.
The New York TImes pointed out that the two countries have battled in the past.
"The rivalry between Canada and Norway has always seemed to reflect the nature of their residents: mannerly," it said.
But now, the NYT proclaimed, a line had been crossed.
Just to rub salt in the wound, the NYT and Colbert both referenced the 2018 Winter Olympics, when Norway upset Canada in a team curling competition.
"It was brutal," opined Colbert. "Tens of people were bored."
Canada's pain might have been a joking matter for Colbert, but judging by the international brouhaha, this latest Norway-Canada spat is anything but boring.