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B.C. bong shop under fire for weed-promoting ‘Bongy’ mascot

Bongy the Mascot (Photo courtesy Facebook/The Bong Warehouse)

Bongy the blue-headed mascot may soon walk the streets of Esquimalt, B.C. for the last time, because his his hazy grin and weed-loving attitude does not have authorities craving a salty snack.

Far from it, since a councillor in this town west of Victoria wants the mascot, designed as a marketing strategy for a new paraphernalia store named The Bong Warehouse, banned outright, according to the Times-Colonist.

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That's because Bongy, along with all he represents, is not very family-friendly.

At least according to Tim Morrison, the councillor who brought up the idea of bylaw restrictions on mascots. He said he'd heard fewer complaints about sewage than he did about the pipe mascot, the Times-Colonist reported.

The store owner, Ryan Place, told Metro the councillor was "obviously born 300 years ago."

Immortal town councillors aside, Place and other business owners would have to apply for a permit to use mascots if the proposed bylaw passes. If Bongy roamed the streets without a permit, Place could be fined $250 to $1,000, according to Victoria News.

Place told Metro he will fight the bylaw if it passes.

It's fortunate that mascot appears to be the most controversial happening on the streets of Esquimalt.

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Still, if Place wasn't trying to stir up dust in this sleepy Canadian town, perhaps he might have been better off with a more subtle mascot — or a more subtle name — than "Bongy."