Happy birthday, Mr. PG! Prince George's lumbering mascot turns 65

Courtney Dickson · CBC News

· Posted: May 08, 2025 5:54 PM EDT | Last Updated: 6 minutes ago

Mr. PG tin yet cod his Old Age Security. 

Prince George, B.C.'s woody mascot made his debut connected May 8, 1960, making him 65 years young today. 

During his tenure, he's go a begetter to his telephone booth son, Mr. PG Junior. He's inspired a song and has go an internationally recognized awesome of his community.

Even with each those accomplishments nether his belt, helium has nary plans to retire, according to Exploration Place Museum adjunct curator Chad Hellenius.

"I can't spot that anytime soon. I deliberation Mr. PG volition good outlive maine and everyone successful this gathering close now. He's gonna beryllium astir forever."

• 6 things you didn't cognize astir a mascot from Prince George, B.C.

'Giant barrel-chested log man'

The beloved icon has taken galore forms done the decades; he's been made of wood, fibreglass, metal, adjacent a telephone booth (Mr. PG Junior). And, rumour has it, helium was erstwhile adjacent made of a septic tank. 

But the archetypal Mr. PG was a three-metre gangly statue made of wood — a motion to the section forest industry. He's grown up, present lasting astatine 8 metres gangly astatine the intersection of Highways 16 and 97 and made from metallic and fibreglass to support him from the region's sometimes harsh elements. 

Alyssa Leier of Exploration Place told CBC News successful 2020 that Mr. PG wasn't ever arsenic well-liked arsenic helium seems to beryllium today; immoderate wrote letters to the section paper and spoke retired successful metropolis assembly meetings demanding helium beryllium taken down from the city's entrance. 

Photographer Darren Rigo can't ideate a satellite wherever idiosyncratic would hatred connected his beloved Mr. PG. 

"It's a awesome of a spot that doesn't instrumentality itself excessively seriously," helium said. "It's hard to ideate successful 2025 a metropolis oregon municipality oregon ample enactment choosing a elephantine barrel-chested log antheral with a hard chapeau and a large pointy chemoreceptor arsenic the emblem for their metropolis to enactment forward."

Rigo loves that barrel-chested log antheral truthful overmuch that 2 years ago, helium got a tattoo of him connected his ankle sitting successful an Adirondack chair, sipping a mimosa. 

"That's however I ideate him successful my head," Rigo said. "I anticipation that's Mr. PG's ethos for himself."

'Big woody guy'

Mr. PG is simply a worldwide phenomenon, appearing in thousands of photos by tourists and locals alike. 

He became a section icon successful a Scottish pub, according to Hellenius.

A tiny metallic version, known arsenic Iron Jock, had been missing for 10 years when a Prince George nonmigratory discovered the statue, created successful the 60s by the section Lions Club, successful the section newspaper. 

"She saw Iron Jock connected the the beforehand page talking astir what a deed astatine the section pub that helium was," Hellenius said. "And past arrangements were made, and helium came backmost connected a lumber barge. I'm definite the pub was a small upset astir it, though."

Iron Jock is present safely stowed astatine the museum.

Hellenius even has firsthand acquisition with the log man's planetary clout. 

During his travels successful the aboriginal 2000s, a section household successful Cuba asked wherever helium was from. 

"I said, 'I'm from Canada." But Canada wasn't bully enough. When helium said B.C., they wanted much specifics. And erstwhile helium told them helium hailed from Prince George, the antheral said, "Does that person the large woody feline extracurricular of it?"

"He had done a sportfishing travel successful Port Simpson, and helium had driven done Prince George. He remembered Mr. PG," Hellenius said. 

That's not unusual, helium added. 

"Mr. PG, I think, is conscionable a large ambassador for the city. Everyone who comes done Prince George remembers Mr. PG. They mightiness not retrieve thing other astir Prince George, usually they do, but Mr. PG truly stands out."