I wanted to write and publish this sooner but I still can’t get over how awesome this movie was. Sure, I am a little biased since it is based in Toronto and features amazing Canadian talent but trust me this movie is great! I think any kid who grew up in North America to parents who immigrated from an Asian country would relate a lot more, but there is still moments of high emotion that are universal eg. when parents just outright embarrass you. Nonetheless, a group of people who would really have a great time when enjoying the movie would be those who reside or grew up in Canada (but mainly Toronto) for the various easter eggs you see in this movie. See below for what I noticed and feel free to follow on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.
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TTC
I have to start of this list with the TTC! Hate it or love it, it’s a big part of Toronto and it was interesting to see how they included that in this movie. As you can see behind Mei Lee is a streetcar that says Chinatown. In real life, it probably won’t say that and would have a number. I also remember those metro cards from back in the day, which came so clutch when I did get the time to explore Toronto.
Chinatown & Dragon Monumental Gate
Image source for Dragon Gate: Wikipedia
During university, I would love to walk around downtown Toronto and that included Chinatown. I love going down there because sometimes I see some pretty cool boutiques, and feels great in the summer time. I also wanted to point out that they incorporated the known structure, the Dragon Gate in the back (see right image for reference).
Much Music
One of Canada’s biggest music channels and influential programming was Much Music. They used to have a lot of artists and celebrities popby to much, mainly to promote what they have going on. As you can see the “view” logo looks very similar to the much one.
Daisy Mart
I have so many memories as a kid going to the Daisy Mart. You will see a few in Toronto or Scarborough still but it was always a go-to place for quick snacks or to get essential items at your quickest convenience. I personally remember in the summer going there for their 10 cents candy and freezies for under a dollar! You can see the logo on the left and how it looks inside (spot the maple syrup?). Side Note: It’s not officially confirmed but if you take a closer look at Tyler’s outfit, it is looks to be very inspired by former Toronto Raptor, Vince Carter. You can see the jersey has the number 15 on it , and the kicks remind me of the sneakers Vince Carter wore to win the dunk contest, And1 Tai Chi.
Sky Dome
As you can see the posters of 4 Town across the arena, it is important to note that this was a huge venue for artists to perform at whenever they visit Toronto. It technically still is, but the name has been changed to Rogers Centre. Side Note: I had some of 4 Town’s music on repeat after watching the movie, it was so well done!
Toronto Blue Jays
I don’t think it was a coincidence that after the Sky Dome letters are being teared down, you see a Blue Jay appear… I actually think it is poetic. The Toronto Blue Jays (Toronto’s professional baseball team) used to play at the Sky Dome! They do technically play in the same arena, it’s just different because the name changed to Rogers Centre but some fans often still call the arena Sky Dome.
Lester B. Pearson
For those who don’t know, the director, Domee Shi, grew up in Scarborough, which is part of Toronto. I say that because there is a high school called Lester B. Pearson (like the one above) named after the former Prime Minister which she might be alluding to but I believe there might be other schools named after him in Ontario.
Canadian Money
I remember back in the day I was watching a show and they called Canadian money “funny money” because of the different colours and names of coins. As seen above behind Priya (played by Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) are the purple $10 bills and in the second frame you can see loonies ($1 coin) and toonies ($2 coin), and then finally some $5 bills and spare change.
Tim Hortons
I love that they included Tim Hortons (Timmies) and timbits, look at that! The classic logo and everything, but the timbits do look a bit new. Nevertheless, it was awesome to see this as many Canadians incorporate Timmies in their mornings.
CN Tower
As you can see, the iconic CN Tower is present throughout the movie and I love how it looks from the beautiful skyline to the tower being far away yet so close at your home. Side note: I having a feeling Tyler lives in The Bridle Path neighbourhood.
Bonus: Not Canadian Just Thought It Was Funny
I am just adding this in because I thought it was funny that they not only included this iconic phone from this era, but also called it “Jokia”.
So that’s my list. I am sure, there might be some more that I have missed but here’s what I was able to capture. Let me know your thoughts, whether you recognized these easter eggs or just discovered them in this blog post. If you did notice any easter eggs not mentioned in this blog post, I would love to know about that so please comment on either this blog post, or the respective post on social media. If you enjoyed this blog post, please let me know and will appreciate your support if you can give a follow on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok!