The Canadian Tire guy is a character played by

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

Ted Simonett in a series of

television commercial A television advertisement (also called a television commercial, TV commercial, commercial, spot, television spot, TV spot, advert, television advert, TV advert, television ad, TV ad or simply an ad) is a span of television programming produce ...

s for Canadian Tire stores that ran for eight years. The character typically touted the features and benefits of products unique to Canadian Tire in a friendly, helpful everyday scenario. In 2005, Canadian Tire changed advertising agencies, which led to a gradual phasing out of Simonett's character. In March 2006, he and on-screen wife "Gloria" were let go since the commercials had become the subject of parody, and as such were no longer considered effective. They have been parodied on ''

Royal Canadian Air Farce The Royal Canadian Air Farce was a comedy troupe that was active from 1973 to 2019. It is best known for their various Canadian Broadcasting Corporation series, first on CBC Radio and later on CBC Television. Although their weekly radio series ...

'', ''

This Hour Has 22 Minutes ''This Hour Has 22 Minutes'' (commonly shortened to ''22 Minutes'' since 2009) is a weekly Canadian television comedy that airs on CBC Television. Launched in 1993 during Canada's 35th general election, the show focuses on Canadian politics w ...

'', and the '' Rick Mercer Report''. In many circles, particularly in relation to blog sites, Simonett's character - commonly referred to as the Canadian Tire Guy (TCTG) - has evoked particularly hostile reactions.

Maclean's

The October 28, 2005 edition of ''

Maclean's ''Maclean's'', founded in 1905, is a Canadian news magazine reporting on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, and current events. Its founder, publisher John Bayne Maclean, established the magazine to provide a uniquely Canadian persp ...

'' published an article that ridiculed Ted Simonett and his "Canadian Tire Guy" character.''

'' October 28, 200
What a tool
Accessed August 16, 2006 Shortly afterward, in March 2006, Canadian Tire unveiled its new ad campaign without Simonett. CTV March 10, 200
Canadian Tire dumps know-it-all neighbour ads
Accessed August 16, 2006

Ted Simonett

Ted Simonett (born 1953) is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

actor most widely known for his work in Canadian Tire television commercials. Simonett was raised in

Kingston, Ontario Kingston is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is located on the north-eastern end of Lake Ontario, at the beginning of the St. Lawrence River and at the mouth of the Cataraqui River (south end of the Rideau Canal). The city is midway between To ...

, where he attended

Loyalist Collegiate and Vocational Institute Loyalist Collegiate and Vocational Institute (LCVI) is a secondary school (high school) located in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. It is commonly referred to as simply "LC". The school is located at 153 Van Order Drive in the city's Calvin Park neighb ...

and later Queen's University. He spent time working in Britain, and since then has been a Toronto-based actor appearing in film, television, and on the stage. He became Canadian Tire's spokesman in 1997. Little information about Simonett is available, as indicated in recent newspaper articles attempting to find out who the 'Canadian Tire guy' really is. He was signed with Canadian Tire with stipulations in his contract which prevented him from participating in interviews. Rumours circulated that there was a clause in his contract that required him to keep his trademark beard. Simonett is also a wildlife and headshot photographer, with Canadian actors including Jackie English (

TVO Kids TVOkids (short for TVOntariokids and stylized as tvokids) is the brand for most of the children's programming aired by TVOntario (TVO) in Canada. It was launched on April 1, 1994 and runs from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. daily. The brand also operate ...

), and

Dan Lett Daniel Frederick Lett (born April 16, 1959) is a Canadian actor. He has acted in films, theatre and television. His principal roles have been in the series '' F/X'', ''The X-Files'', '' E.N.G.'', '' Street Legal'', ''Wind at My Back'', and '' Mad ...

Filmography

* ''Forever Mine'' (1999) (Mr. Galen) * ''The Marriage Fool'' (1998) (TV) .... Falco ... aka ''Love After Death'' * ''Blackjack'' (1998) (TV) .... Mark Smoot ... aka ''John Woo's Blackjack'' * ''The Fixer'' (1998) (TV) .... Mike Jameson * ''Short for Nothing'' (1998) .... Dad * ''Night of the Twisters'' (1996) (TV) .... Stan * ''Woman on the Run: The Lawrencia Bembenek Story'' (1993) (TV) .... Judge Skwieraski * ''Broken'' (1992) .... Uncredited * ''Sorry, Wrong Number'' (1989) (TV) .... Dave * ''The Dream Team'' (1989) .... Yuppie * ''Glory! Glory!'' (1989) (TV) .... Hank * ''Switching Channels'' (1988) .... Tillinger * '' Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol'' (1987) .... Copeland's partner * ''I'll Take Manhattan'' (1987) (mini) TV Series * ''Prescription for Murder'' (1987) (TV) .... Dr. Rosenberg

Television work

* '' Poltergeist: The Legacy'' playing "Don Gannon" in episode: "Lullaby" (episode # 2.14) 13 June 1997 * ''

The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, suspense, horror, sup ...

'' playing "Gerry" in episode: " The Trance" (episode # 3.10) 26 November 1988 * ''

Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future ''Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future'' is a science fiction-action television series, merging live action with animation based on computer-generated images, that ran for 22 episodes in Canadian and American syndication. A toy line was ...

'' playing "Jim Mitchell" in episode: "The Intruder" (episode # 1.9) 15 November 1987 * ''

The Littlest Hobo ''The Littlest Hobo'' is a Canadian television series (French title: ''Le Vagabond'') based upon a 1958 well-known film of the same name directed by Charles R. Rondeau. The series first aired from 1963 to 1965 in syndication, and was revived fo ...

'' playing "Harrison" in episode: "The Clown" (episode # 3.14) 28 January 1982 * ''

'' playing "Dave Martindale" in episode: "Runaway" (episode # 2.15) 12 February 1981

References

External links

*
Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia article

Macleans - Humorous

Canadian Tire Guy Fan Club

From Canadian Tire to Caribou
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Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) (french: la Société pour la nature et les parcs du Canada (SNAP)) was founded in 1963 to help protect Canada's wilderness. Overview CPAWS was initially known as the National and Provincial Pa ...

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