Happy birthday, Mr. PG! Prince George's lumbering mascot turns 65
Beloved icon made its debut in 1960 — and has taken many forms since
Mr. PG can finally collect his Old Age Security.
Prince George, B.C.'s wooden mascot made his debut on May 8, 1960, making him 65 years young today.
During his tenure, he's become a father to his phone booth son, Mr. PG Junior. He's inspired a song and has become an internationally recognized symbol of his community.
Even with all those accomplishments under his belt, he has no plans to retire, according to Exploration Place Museum assistant curator Chad Hellenius.
"I can't see that anytime soon. I think Mr. PG will well outlive me and everyone in this building right now. He's gonna be around forever."
'Giant barrel-chested log man'
The beloved icon has taken many forms through the decades; he's been made of wood, fibreglass, metal, even a phone booth (Mr. PG Junior). And, rumour has it, he was once even made of a septic tank.
But the original Mr. PG was a three-metre tall statue made of wood — a nod to the local forest industry. He's grown up, now standing at eight metres tall at the intersection of Highways 16 and 97 and made from metal and fibreglass to protect him from the region's sometimes harsh elements.
Alyssa Leier of Exploration Place told CBC News in 2020 that Mr. PG wasn't always as well-liked as he seems to be today; some wrote letters to the local newspaper and spoke out in city council meetings demanding he be taken down from the city's entrance.
Photographer Darren Rigo can't imagine a world where someone would hate on his dear Mr. PG.
"It's a symbol of a place that doesn't take itself too seriously," he said. "It's hard to imagine in 2025 a city or municipality or large organization choosing a giant barrel-chested log man with a hard hat and a big pointy nose as the emblem for their city to put forward."
Rigo loves that barrel-chested log man so much that two years ago, he got a tattoo of him on his ankle sitting in an Adirondack chair, sipping a mimosa.
"That's how I imagine him in my head," Rigo said. "I hope that's Mr. PG's ethos for himself."
'Big wooden guy'
Mr. PG is a worldwide phenomenon, appearing in thousands of photos by tourists and locals alike.
He became a local icon in a Scottish pub, according to Hellenius.
A small metal version, known as Iron Jock, had been missing for 10 years when a Prince George resident discovered the statue, created in the 60s by the local Lions Club, in the local newspaper.
"She saw Iron Jock on the the front page talking about what a hit at the local pub that he was," Hellenius said. "And then arrangements were made, and he came back on a lumber barge. I'm sure the pub was a little upset about it, though."
Iron Jock is now safely stowed at the museum.
Hellenius even has firsthand experience with the log man's international clout.
During his travels in the early 2000s, a local family in Cuba asked where he was from.
"I said, 'I'm from Canada." But Canada wasn't good enough. When he said B.C., they wanted more specifics. And when he told them he hailed from Prince George, the man said, "Does that have the big wooden guy outside of it?"
"He had done a fishing trip in Port Simpson, and he had driven through Prince George. He remembered Mr. PG," Hellenius said.
That's not unusual, he added.
"Mr. PG, I think, is just a great ambassador for the city. Everyone who comes through Prince George remembers Mr. PG. They might not remember anything else about Prince George, usually they do, but Mr. PG really stands out."
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With files from Daybreak North