It鈥檚 been said that Canadians are not brash about their patriotism, but you wouldn鈥檛 know it from the variety of merchandise, big and small, being snapped up in advance of Canada鈥檚 150th birthday July 1.
From T-shirts to hats, flags to flasks, condoms to caskets, goods adorned with celebratory logos are popping up faster than you can say sesquicentennial.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been unprecedented. It鈥檚 off the charts,鈥� said Glen Miller, co-owner of Great Canadian Gift Company in Ancaster, Ont.
鈥淲e had no idea that demand would be this high and I don鈥檛 think our suppliers did either. It鈥檚 becoming difficult to find some products.鈥�
Miller鈥檚 company runs a website that offers T-shirts, coffee mugs, coasters, whisky flasks and more 鈥� much of it adorned with a multi-coloured, multi-triangle maple leaf that was picked in April as the federal government鈥檚 official Canada 150 logo.
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鈥淲e even had a book celebrating 150 different beer labels 鈥� but that鈥檚 been sold out for a bit.鈥�
The federal government is allowing people to use the official logo for free, but they must submit an application online that explains how and on what the logo will be displayed.
By mid-June, the federal government said, more than 6,200 applications had been approved for everything from quilts to fidget spinners to tractor trucks.
No application had been denied.
While the Heritage Department says many licences have been granted for Canadian-made products, there is no requirement that goods featuring the Canada 150 logo be made in Canada.
鈥淧rivate-sector companies are free to source their products from any supplier they choose,鈥� department spokeswoman Justine Lafond wrote in an email.
One product that caught people鈥檚 attention at a funeral industry trade show in Charlottetown earlier this month was a casket emblazoned with Maple Leaf flags and a version of the Canada 150 logo.
Caley Ferguson, president of Northern Casket in Lindsay, Ont., said the product is a one-off that was aimed at attracting people to his booth. The company later decided to auction it off and bids were received from funeral homes across Canada.
鈥淎ll the monies raised from the auction, we are donating to the (winning) funeral home鈥檚 community鈥檚 Canada 150 events,鈥� Ferguson said.
A U.S.-based condom manufacturer named One ran a contest to see who could design the best Canada-150-themed condom wrapper.
But there were no government logos in the contraceptive competition. Finalists included depictions of amorous moose, playful salmon and some word play centred on skiing.
As for the official logo, Miller said, people are warming up to its many hues and sharp angles 鈥� him included.
鈥淥n our Facebook page, we have received a few negative comments about the new logo 鈥� saying 鈥楾hat鈥檚 not my flag鈥� and that sort of thing, but I think overall it鈥檚 been very well received,鈥� he said.
鈥淚 have to admit, myself, when I first saw it I wasn鈥檛 too positive on it.
鈥淏ut I really like it now. It鈥檚 really grown on me 鈥� and I hope it sticks around for a while.鈥�
Steve Lambert, The Canadian Press
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