Tisdale, a town in Saskatchewan, Canada, is shirking its slogan — “The Land of Rape and Honey” — after decades of embarrassed complaints. Town officials voted unanimously last October to rewrite the catchphrase after administering a survey to Tisdale residents. The survey results, according to Tisdale director of economic development Sean Wallace, “indicated it was time for an update.”
The slogan, which has been in place since 1958, refers to the rapeseed, a mustard-like plant used to make canola oil. The honey part refers to “The World’s Largest Honey Bee,” a 16-foot tall roadside bee statue in Tisdale.
According to The Guardian, Mayor Al Jellicoe said the town “grows a large variety of crops, is a hub for rail and highways, and has low land prices and a modern infrastructure.” Tisdale, population 3500, is the business hub of Canada’s boreal forest. It is also the grain handling hub of the region and home to Canada’s largest 7-Eleven.
Tisdale’s new slogan is “Opportunity Grows Here.” It is already prominently displayed — alongside a new logo — on the town’s website.
But before you start making fun of Canada, some really bad town slogans in the U.S. include the following: “Always Turned On” (Atlantic City, N.J.), “Home of the World’s Largest Cheeto” (Algona, Iowa), “Don’t Pass Gas, Stop and Enjoy It” (Gas, Kan.), “And The Crowd Goes Wild” (Arlington, Texas), “Home of the Ding Dong Daddy” (Dumas, Ariz.), “Weed Like To Welcome You” (Weed, Calif.), and “Get Into It” (Rockville, Md.).
(Via The Guardian & Ad Age)