Montreal banks on blogging animals to sell the city to summer tourists

Montreal might as well define everything that goes on there by goofy-looking mascots.

After all, one of the most familiar names in the city is Youppi, the hairy orange Montreal Expos creature who outlived the baseball team to take on a new job with the Canadiens.

Meanwhile, the Just For Laughs comedy festival, which takes place each summer, is symbolized by a little green monster named Victor, who has somehow escaped the wrath of cynical stand-ups.

The effort to promote Montreal as a summer weekend getaway spot has leaned on the appeal of creatures not found in nature.

A recent promotional launch in New York City introduced a dozen different animal mash-ups, designed to accentuate the city as "a new breed of culture," whose 106 annual festivals remain an enigma to many Americans.

Research has found potential visitors, including those who live within a reasonable driving distance, are unaware of what the city is like beyond associations with "a French flair" and "a European vibe."

The degree to which tourists want to engage with non-existent fauna might be limited. Nonetheless, each has been positioned as an ambassador for what the city has to offer.

Tourisme Montreal has also developed blogs in order for characters like the Bearcan, Bullguin, Deerus, Foxutan and Squirrog to file updates on events and exhibitions.

While they might be no less trustworthy than the typical travel writer who gets their expenses paid by a tourism board, the characters also won't likely be sighted taking notes around town, as their real-life representations are decidedly two-dimensional.

Videos have also been produced for the characters to promote events like the "Indiana Jones and the Adventure of Archaeology" exhibit at the Science Centre and the 32nd annual jazz festival.

But human correspondents are still required to offer perspective on the best places to go drinking, shopping or people watching.

There is one advantage to relying on animal mascots to sell a city, however. No one can blame them for their annoyance. After all, it's part of the job.

Watch the Foxutan tell a few unfunny jokes below:

(AFP Photo)