Mac the Moose was built in 1984 by Saskatoon artist Don Foulds with the goal of attracting visitors to the city. The construction process involved a steel frame covered with metal mesh and four coats of cement. A contest was held to name the moose, with the name "Mac" being chosen after Les MacKenzie. The giant moose was one of the city's first tourist attractions. The project was completed in May 1984. In 2004, Mac was moved using a flatbed truck and is now just off of the Trans-Canada highway next to the Moose Jaw visitors' center. Although Mac has been vandalized many times, he still stands, although surrounded by a fence in 2009. In 2013, Mac was honoured by the Moose Jaw Times Herald as Moose Jaw's Best Celebrity.
Rivalry
After 31 years of holding the title of the world's largest moose, in 2015 Mac the Moose was surpassed by another moose statue in Stor-Elvdal, Norway, called The Big Elk. The Big Elk deliberately stood about taller. In an interview with Global News on the subject, Moose Jaw's mayor Deb Higgins wasn't bothered, stating that "I think we’ve won the battle, first and foremost that Mac's reputation has spread to Norway and beyond." Subsequently, Mac the Moose was billed as North America's largest moose, with Tourism Moose Jaw referring to it as the "World's Second Largest Moose". In January 2019, two Canadian comedians urged Moose Jaw residents to add to Macs height, so that the moose statue would once again win the title of the world's largest moose. The Norwegians responded and have stated that they will not give upthe world record without a fight. News outlets from all over the globe have mentioned the contest. The Canadians do have one edge over Norway—their moose was built by Canadians in the country where it resides, making it essentially a 'native' moose; the Norway statue instead, while being conceived by Norwegian artist Linda Bakke, was erected in China and imported largely as a cost-saving measure. In October 2019, Mac reclaimed the title of the world's tallest moose when a new set of antlers was installed, raising its height to.
