01 Aug 2023

Pre-Race Cheesecake

Q. What are some of the stranger foods that people have used to give them speed and power on race day? . A. Let’s lift our olive leaf crowns to cheesecake. Cheesecakes were on the menu for athletes at the first Olympic Games in Greece. Olympians were encouraged to reap energy

26 Jul 2023

Puggles, Porcupettes + Pufflings

Q. We know about kits, cubs, calves, chicks, pups, but what are some less common names for baby animals? . A. Alligator: hatchling Ant: antling Alpaca: cria Baboon: infant Boar: shoat Cicada: nymph Cod: codling Cormorant: shaglet Echidna: puggle Goat or sheep: yeanling Grasshopper: nymph Hare: leveret Hedgehog: piglet .

20 Jul 2023

Hilarious Or Horrifying?

Q. Prank shows are having another moment. Do you like watching prank videos, or being caught in escalating prank wars? Or do thoughts of indelible ink, fake bosses, exploding patients, and hidden audiences fill you with dread? What insights have people gathered about pranking? . A. First, what is a

15 Jul 2023

Most Memorable Musical Characters

Q. The streets around Times Square are jammed with people filing in and out of theatres. Some are finally seeing shows they’ve dreamed of for years. Others are back again to check out the new cast in their long-held favourites – like ‘The Lion King’, which opened in 1997, or

07 Jul 2023

The Green Fairy

Q. Who or what is ‘the Green Fairy’? Not the spirited tinker Tinker Bell. She is famously buzzing about Pixie Hollow championing faith, trust, and a little bit of pixie dust. But what of the green fairy – or ‘La Fée Verte – that has been touted as muse and

30 Jun 2023

Lucky Elephants, Thrills + Other Canadian Treats

Q. As we near July 1st and Canada Day: what are some Canadian-born sweets? 🇨🇦 . A. What does it say about our culture that we are the inventors of a gum whose tagline reads: ‘It still tastes like soap’? They may think us mad, but many of us would

29 Jun 2023

Chocolate or Vanilla?

Q. The heat is on. What is your favourite ice-cream flavour? How do flavour preferences play out in Canada? . A. In 2022, Narrative Research asked the question of 1, 239 Canadian adults over the age of 18. As you’ll see below, the top 4 came in close, but chocolate

21 Jun 2023

Good News or Bad News First?

Q. I have good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear first? Why? And what does your order choice mean? . A. Personally, I want to hear the bad news first. Otherwise, I’ll be dreading it the whole time I’m hearing the good. And what if the

14 Jun 2023

Upending Classic Paintings

Q. We love seeing new takes on old paintings. Who is an artist excelling in the field? . A. Ewa Juszkiewicz is a gifted artist who does incredible work here. In May of 2022, Juszkiewicz saw her striking ‘Portrait of a Lady (After Louis Leopold Boilly)’, featured above, sell for radically

10 Jun 2023

Let Vultures Gripe Thy Guts

Q. Shakespeare created much beautiful imagery with birds. Take this quote from Romeo and Juliet: ‘Haply I think on thee, and then my state, Like to the lark at break of day arising From sullen earth, sings hymns at Heaven’s gate’ But, we do know that the Bard was brilliant