Ottawa Winterlude Ice Hogs Collectables!

Winter is upon us once again! Ottawa is now covered in piles of snow and it is feezing outside. In the Nation's Capital this means only one thing... Winterlude will soon be underway! Of course we couldn't have Winterlude without those awesome mascots, the Ice Hog Family. Oddly enough I've never seen them live and up close, so I've yet to snap my own photos of them. Hopefully I can do so this year. In the meantime I'll share a photo of my favourite mascot collectables...the Ice Hog plush toys!

Shown above on the left is the new 15 inch Ice Hog plush doll from 2010 (wearing the scarf). He is still available by mail order through the official web site for Winterlude souvenirs:
http://www.e-boutiquecanada.com/Winterlude/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&page=shop.browse&category_id=20&Itemid=95&lang=en
If you plan to attend Winterlude, they also sell some of the souvenirs at the Winterlude festival, so you might be able to find the plush toy there as well.

Next to the 2010 Ice Hog plush toy is the plush toy from 1994 (with the light blue and pink shirt). This one is no longer available. I found it second hand at a thrift store a couple of years ago and was quite happy about that! This 1994 plush toy was sold the same year that the "new and improved" Ice Hog mascots were unveiled. From 1980 through to 1993 the Ice Hog mascot looked very different....

Here is a small lapel pin of the 1980s version of the Winterlude Ice Hog mascot. I bought this on e-bay! As you can see he is quite different than the Ice Hogs we know today. To me, this earlier version of the mascot looked a lot like a beaver! A plush toy of this earlier version of the Icehog was also available sometime during the 1980s. Before I had started my Ice Hog collection I had found one of those original plush toys at a thrift shop but left it there, and have been kicking myself ever since!

I'm looking for the 1980's Ice Hog!
If anyone out there has an original Ice Hog plush toy from the 1980s and would be willing to part with it, please contact me! I would be happy to buy it from you (if the price is right). I recall the 1980s Ice Hog plush toy was wearing a blue hat with a white pom pom. It may also have a blue scarf, but I'm not certain. If you have one to sell please e-mail me: info"at"artellepuppets.ca

UPDATE JULY 2022!!! I found one!...

For more info about "The Legend of the Ice Hogs" here is a link to the official Winterlude website:
http://www.canadascapital.gc.ca/celebrate/winterlude/ice-hog-legend

Update July 2022: Here's a picture of the entire collection so far!