Maple the Moose is predictably cringe—and totally adorable

|September 25, 2025

Earlier today, FIFA unveiled the mascots for the 2026 World Cup host countries, including Canada’s very own Maple the Moose. And maybe you’re thinking, Oh my, what a reductive cultural stereotype. What’s next: an American eagle? A Mexican jaguar? Does Maple live in an igloo and say “sorry” too much?

Related: The Canadian Shield soccer tournament is a FIFA preview. Can Toronto handle it?

Yes, yes and no, actually: Maple is a “a street style–loving artist, music enthusiast and dedicated goalkeeper” who “found purpose through creativity, resilience and unapologetic individuality.” It’s a lot of backstory for an animated moose, but at least Maple sounds a bit cooler than Clutch the Eagle, who “possesses an unquenchable thirst for adventure” and doesn’t appear to have any hipster side-hustles. Zayu the Jaguar completes this ragtag gang of animated critters that social media is already comparing to The Backyardigans.

It really takes you back to all the Barney the Dinosaur cracks that accompanied the launch of the Raptors branding way back when. But today we love our Raptor, and we will love Maple too. It’s just funny to imagine a bunch of over-educated branding whizzes sitting in a boardroom and someone mentioning a Canadian moose “as a joke” in the first 30 seconds of the brainstorming sesh. And six months later, here we are. Antlers up!

THIS CITY

Obsessive coverage of Toronto, straight to your inbox

Courtney Shea is a freelance journalist in Toronto. She started her career as an intern at Toronto Life and continues to contribute frequently to the publication, including her 2022 National Magazine Award–winning feature, “The Death Cheaters,” her regular Q&As and her recent investigation into whether Taylor Swift hung out at a Toronto dive bar (she did not). Courtney was a producer and writer on the 2022 documentary The Talented Mr. Rosenberg, based on her 2014 Toronto Life magazine feature “The Yorkville Swindler.”