Canadians Chose Toonie Over Nanuq

Canada's $1 coin is commonly called the "loonie" because it depicts a loon on the reverse. When Canada introduced a new $2 coin featuring a polar bear in 1996, Canadian MP Jack Iyerak Anawak proposed calling it "Nanuq," an Inuit word for polar bear, but the suggestion went largely unnoticed. Canadians instead embraced "toonie," a combination of "two" and "loonie," and the nickname became so popular that the Royal Canadian Mint secured the rights to it in 2006.

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