LANGFORD – If you look behind the bush, you'll see the creature waiting.
"It’s a frog!," Samantha screams. "Ribbit! Ribbit!" The 4-year-old, and her younger sister, Madeline, jump up and down towards it. But the prospect of the creature – which is much taller – hopping with them appears hopeless.
"It’s a garbage can holder," Samantha says. She's right. On the opposite side of the creature's green head, bright eyes and wide-smile is a black bag covering a metal bin.
While the sisters suggest the creature looks amphibious, a woman visiting her grandson recalls thinking the creature's long yellow stomachs made them look like caterpillars.
"I remember this guys," the woman, Marie, says with a laugh. "When you're a kid you think you're feeding an animal."
But Marie's memories are not from this park in Langford. She recalls seeing the creature everywhere during family road-trips as a child.
She's not alone.
"Even on the days we didn't have litter, I would actually have to find litter," John Threlfall says with a smile. "Because I specifically wanted to put it in the mouth of the 'Garbage Gobbler'!"
John is a life-long 'Garbage Gobbler' enthusiast, who shares an office with a Gobbler piggy-bank. He also shows me black and white photos of his parents posing with Gobblers during their honeymoon in 1958 (the same year the anti-littering initiative was created).
John says there were once more than 250 Gobblers around the province. Now, there are less than 20.
"That's when it becomes this treasure hunt," he explains. "'Oh, we're going up to Prince George! Keep your eyes open for the Gobbler!"
John and his family have spotted – and taken pictures of – Gobblers from Ashcroft to Clearwater, Goldstream to Revelstoke and beyond. "It's become a really great piece of provincial kitsch," he smiles.
The beloved piece of B.C. history began at the park where this story began. Veteran's Memorial Park was once the B.C. Parks workshop where the Gobblers were first fabricated. The colourful cans were designed and created in Langford by Len Shaw.
"Len's since passed away," John says. "His daughter says her dad originally envisioned it as being a cross between an owl and a frog."
Which brings us back to Samantha and Madeline, jumping up and down. Perhaps if they add some "hoots" to their "ribbits", the Garbage Gobbler might just spread its wings and hop over to play.
"I love frogs," one of the girls says. "It’s a Garbage Gobbler!" her sister responds. Then, both of them laugh as they pick up someone else's litter and reach up to feed their newfound friend.
