Raccoons

 

Location: Quinn's Steak House & Irish Bar, 96 Richmond Street West

Date photo taken: 27 March 2021

While it might not be immediately obvious, this post carries on the St. Patrick's week tradition of highlighting Guinness advertising around the city. I chose to crop out the actual glass of Guinness to keep the focus on Emily May Rose's raccoons. I feel like she's nailed them. I mean, it's probably just a matter of time before they start using paint to mark their territories. I'm sure they've already figured out how to operate a spray can.

After Work is Guinness Time

Location: Leader Lane, between Wellington and King

Date photo taken: 28 February 2019

Located on quiet, narrow Leader Lane, this massive Guinness ad can catch you by surprise. Stumbling across it almost feels like finding an Easter egg. If you love it enough to want to carry it around with you, I noticed that someone is selling tote bags and other items featuring a snap of the wall.

Time for a Pint

Location: Murphy's Law, Queen St. E. and Kingston Rd.

Date photo taken: 23 July 2016

Starting in the 1930s the Guinness beer company ran a series of ads based on zoo animals and their hapless keeper who couldn't seem to hold on to his beer. Images included an ostrich swallowing a Guinness, glass and all, and a sea lion balancing a pint on his nose. Most enduring of the animals however was the toucan. It went on to be featured in television ads in the 1970s and 80s and according to one business magazine, it became almost as synonymous with the brand as the harp on the label.  So even though this clock face doesn't specify the brewery, it won't be a surprise to many to see Guinness on tap at this bar. This campaign along with many others for Guinness was envisioned and executed by artist and illustrator John Gilroy.

A Guinness a day

Location: the side of McVeigh's at Church and Adelaide
Date photo taken: 3 February 2013

This mural is a recreation of one of Guinness' earliest beer ads. It features seven glasses of Guinness, one for each day of the week. The tagline which ran at the bottom of the ad was "Guinness is good for you". Print ads of the time advertised Guinness as a promoter of health, noting that "Guinness builds strong muscles. It feeds exhausted nerves. It enriches the blood. Doctors affirm that Guinness is a valuable restorative after Influenza and other weakening illnesses. Guinness is a valuable natural aid in cases of insomnia."

This mural was one of two that used to grace the Church Street wall of McVeigh's Irish Pub, a family-run Toronto institution for over 50 years. The bottom two floors of the building were refreshed with black paint last year and the murals were painted over. Large cut-outs of pints of Guinness still remind you that good health can be had, or at least toasted to, inside.