As people around the world welcomed a new millennium, Torontonians were welcoming anything big in the year 2000-a herd of hundreds of life-shaped idols.
Twenty -five years ago, Toronto launched its mousse in the city campaign, with a project of 326 colorful mousse sculptures decorated by the artists and placed in the city at the beginning of the new year with promoting local tourism and art areas across the city.
From April 2000, according to the council minutes, the project was no price in the city, and the idols were sponsored by various companies. The public could stumble at Herbivor Masterpiece at places including CN Tower, Piercene Airport and City Hall.
Some of the artists involved say that the project explains about the city’s culture and shows how the municipal art can move to support the scene – even some famous sculpture has disappeared in a few years since.
The city had “a great collaboration with the city” for mousse artists, Kelly Borgers said, which was commissioned to do three idols. Even there was a launch party for the project, with music and a sculpture parade.
“All the mousse were together. We pushed them to the wheels under the road like a stampede,” he said.
Borgers said that they produced three idols: Park Mousse, Driving Mousse Daisy and Florence Moseron. He is not sure what happened to the first two – was decorated with the scenery of nature and grandmother’s glasses respectively – but Florence lives in the city’s Midtown outside the headquarters of a home care agency.
Integracare President and CEO Lee Grunberg said Florence received Valentine’s Day cards, addressed from another mousse, which is located on the roof of a house in the nearby Mount Pointsant neighborhood.
Grunberg said, “Those who have bought these mouses love to own these mousse.”
Borgers liked to drive and watch Florence once, she said, and knowing that her art is still out, brings her happiness after 25 years.
Borgers said with a laugh, “He is always in all different costumes, Valentine’s Day, for Easter, for Christmas, for Canada Day,” Borgers said.
“It’s great. I am proud of my mousse. I have a better wardrobe.”
Borgers stated that the project is a symbol of fun in the city, and it “lightens light things.”
“I think it was a good feeling of humor, it was good,” he said. “Nobody saw mousse and scared.”
Lindsay Davis, who is located in Arora, Onts, stated that the project gave him and other artists a chance to “show their things”.
Davis was commissioned by Belinda Stronch, daughter of billionaire businessman Frank Stronch, who portrays a mousse statue to look like former Toronto Maple Leafs goalkeeper Curtis Joseph. The idol was complete with a jersey, hockey socks and a wide goalkeeper mask, covering the moose’s muzz. It was placed in front of the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Davis said, “I felt that I am fully respected and thrilled, where it ended the city on the front street.”
Despite the report at the time of mousse barbarity – alleged Antler with theft – Davis said she would prefer to see the city again a similar project, especially looking at the diverse art styles of the participants.
“It’s just amazing, and it’s very inspiring,” Davis said. “I think the public in general is really benefited in this way.”
Davis said her mousse was auctioned for $ 25,000 which went into charity shortly after the project. However, she said that she does not know where Curtis Joseph Mousse is today, she is somewhere in Little Britain, Onts after the ownership of a local bakery.
Toronto-based artist Terry Donovan said George Kohon, the founder of McDonald’s Canada, brought public art views with the then-Mayer Mail Lastman, who was very interested in the project and stood behind it.
Donovan said that after a friend sent a brochure about the campaign, she joined and made two sculptures: Bay Street Mousse and Strawberry Mousse Whipped Cream.
“It was really an interesting thing. Its challenges were, of course, but finally, it was very fun,” he said.
He is not sure about the fate of his two mousse, although he came to know through online research that the Bay Street Sculpture was missing.
There were disputes around the project, he remembered. The quality of some idols was not very good, she said, and critics complained that the sculptures were not really art.
“But it was not considered a high art, it was a fun project for the city,” he said.
Donovan recalls his neighbors and their children regularly on the progression of one of their mousse works because they painted it in their driveways.
“I live in a cool neighborhood in the eastern end of Toronto and there is not much kind that is here,” she said.
Donovan said that there was a draw for mousse tourists in the city and also helped raising money for charity as some mousses were auctioned.
Laurel Brooks still bought Mousse at auction and moved to their Muscoka Cottage, where it had stayed until 2012.
He said that her daughter and ex -husband initially wanted to get a camera around the tourist mousse, a hat and her neck, but the bid for her was “very competitive”.
He said that a mousse manufactured by the students of the Toronto District School Board was abolished.
After separating from her ex -husband, Brooks took Mousse back to Toronto, where it now sits on a high stage in its backyard. To fit through the garage or house edge, a very large sculpture was to be hoisted and transferred with ropes, he said.
It is made of paper-mache, with layers coming over the years, and are re-dyed with red flowers that look like a poppy.
“I really like it,” Brooks said with a laugh when asked if the movement of taking Mouss back and forth was worth it.
“This is just a good thing.”
– With Fatima Raza’s files.
This report of Canadian Press was first published on 29 July 2025.
Sharif Hasan and Riana Lim, Canadian Press