(if you're not a
Vancouver resident, read
Bowmac Sign first to understand)
Once the site of the Bowmac Sign was bought and developped by various stores, notably among them Toys 'R' Us, local residents fought to have the sign designated a protected heritage site. It was so designated, but the city and Toys 'R' Us worked out a compromise as far as the enormous sign went: the sign would not be torn down, but a grille would be placed over it with the letters T O Y S R U S in neon colours mounted on the grille, such that the original BowMac sign would still be visible. The net result: Toys R Us gets a much, much bigger sign than current Vancouver city zoning would have allowed them, including the effect of having their sign visible from miles away and from the downtown peninsula, while the BowMac sign, already a ridiculous landmark, is only visible in daylight, and then as a bizarre mutant hybrid. Local residents have dubbed it the ToyMac sign, a strange mix of LotusLand naivetè, fierce if somewhat misguided loyalty, and above all enourmous corporate logos.