Porch geese flying off Manitoba shelves

Jo Huddles’ porch goose Goosey sports a Hawaiian shirt and shades at her home in the Rural Municipality of Dauphin, Man. (Jo Huddle)

A once trendy tchotchke has hatched a bit of comeback on porches and yards across Manitoba.

Porch geese were a popular home décor trend in the ‘80s and ‘90s that seem to have migrated back into fashion.

For those unfamiliar with the old-school ornaments, they are white geese, generally made of ceramic or plastic, that are perched on porches, lawns or any odd corner to add a touch of ‘80s granny whimsy.

They don’t just have their feathers for adornment. Proud owners dress theirs up in a host of geese getups from bonnets to jerseys to French maid costumes.

The trend flew into Jo Huddle’s life in April.

She was shopping at a Dauphin furniture store when she saw a gaggle of the geese for sale.

“I realized I had seen one when we were rewatching a TV show, ‘The Middle.’ They always had one on their porch and I thought it was cute,” she recalled.

Huddle named hers Goosey. Not the most creative name, she admits, but she decided to save all her brainpower for his outfits. She has dressed Goosey up in Hawaiian shirts, tiny sombreros and sunglasses. Some she makes herself; others are fashioned out of baby clothes.

‘It just brings joy’

Huddle owns a home-based business selling promotional products and Goosey greets those coming to pick up orders wearing a fun costume, a raincoat if it’s a damp day, or even a shirt with Huddle’s business logo on it.

“I think that it just brings joy, right? They get a little giggle, and that’s the goal,” she said.

She even started selling customized signs for porch geese at the same furniture store where she bought Goosey.

‘We’re just hoping to get some in’

Manitoba isn’t the only province to see the Reagan-era trend waddle back into fashion.

There are numerous Facebook groups for porch geese fans in the United States and Canada, with hundreds of thousands of members to their names.

There, folks share pictures of the latest garb their goose is geared in, tips on where the sought-after ornaments are being restocked and ideas for getting creative with their bird’s placement and outfits.

“It’s almost like Elf on a Shelf, but all year round,” Huddle explained.

Massive retail chains like Walmart and Canadian Tire post restocks on social media to help customers who have been on a wild goose chase to land one of their own.

Here in Manitoba, St. Mary’s Nursery and Garden Centre got about a dozen in stock in the spring. Owner Carla Hrycyna was shocked when they quickly sold out.

She hasn’t been able to get them back in store since due to high demand.

“We were not expecting them to be as popular at that time. It’s now whether our suppliers can bring in the numbers that are now being requested for, so we’re just hoping to get some in,” she said.

For Huddle and so many others, what has been good for the goose has been good for the gander.

“It’s almost built a little community in itself, right? I’ll see somebody share their outfit and then it sparks a little conversation,” she said.

“It’s just fun, good, awesome fun.”