LINCOLN, N.B. – Jenny Scott was nervous.
It was February and she had just made an order of 50 metal geese to her garden centre. She wasn’t sure if the gaggle would sell.
“They went so fast. And then we had to like start compiling a wait list of people. And I think that grew to almost like 200 people,” she said.
The geese flew off the shelves.
The so-called “porch geese” is an older trend that’s resurfaced with the power of social media. One of Scott’s employees dug into the history, finding the outdoor decor dates back to the eighties.
“It was a thing more in the southern states. They used to be out of cement, and people would dress them up, create their own little outfits for them. And apparently it kind of went out of fashion,” said Claire Vautour.
Not anymore.
The geese have made a fashionable return to porches everywhere.
‘A little whimsy’
“Tilly” lives on a porch in Grand Lake, N.B. Her owner says she purchased Tilly after coming across a photo of a porch goose on Instagram last year.
“I immediately knew I had to get one to add a little whimsy and fun to our front porch,” said owner Mer Wheaton. “I was hooked. Tilly soon had a summer bikini, Canada Day attire, a Wednesday Addams costume for Halloween, a Christmas tree outfit, a raincoat, and many more.”
Wheaton has since created a TikTok for Tilly the porch goose. One of the videos of Tilly enjoying a spa day with a cigarette and Tim Hortons coffee has received over 100,000 views, she says.
“We are in N.B. and I just love how popular it is getting here!” she said. “Even our delivery drivers and visitors often smile or laugh when they arrive and are greeted by a silly goose dressed for the occasion. It’s fun to think that something so simple can brighten someone’s day, even if only for a moment.”
When Scott sold out of the initial 50 she had in stock, she immediately ordered more.
Once they came, staff called each of the 200 people who had put their names on the waitlist. She said some people were “really aggressive about,” wanting their goose.
In fact, the garden centre even posted a video on their social media account letting customers know they got a restock. In the video, employees are seen dancing with the geese, all to Eminem’s “Without Me” song. That video has garnered over 70,000 views.
The business is also selling out of geese attire. One of the employees created their own, outfitting their goose as Queen Charlotte of Bridgerton fame.
“I feel like it’s hilarious and people need something to smile about every day,” said Alisa Fartushna, who has her goose peaking through a bush at her home. “I can’t explain it. It’s just, like, it’s the geese itself.”
There’s even a Facebook group “Porch Goose Club of Canada.”
The garden centre has easily sold hundreds at this point.
“It was a little bit of a gamble,” said Scott. “We thought it was going to be big, but not like this.”
