Wednesday, April 1, 2026
ADVT 
Interesting

Tom Hanks used as physical distance marker

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 17 Jul, 2020 10:09 PM
  • Tom Hanks used as physical distance marker

It could be "A Beautiful Day In The Neighbourhood" if you come across a life-sized decal of Tom Hanks in downtown Toronto.

Images of the Oscar-winning actor have been laid on the ground outside of two government-run liquor stores in the city's downtown, using his six-foot frame to help customers maintain their physical distance in line.

The decals show a bespectacled Hanks in a suit above the caption "'Hanks for keeping your distance."

The non-profit initiative was developed by Public Inc., a Toronto-based marketing agency, with the aim of injecting some fun into physical distancing.

"We were a bit concerned that people were going to let down their guard, that they weren't going to be as vigilant about mask-wearing and physically distancing," said Phillip Haid, the co-founder and CEO of Public Inc., on Friday. "That's what led us to ask, 'What would it take to remind people?'"

Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson were diagnosed with COVID-19 in March, and both have since recovered from the illness.

"The idea was born with Tom Hanks because he was the first celebrity to get COVID-19 with his wife — and he happens to be six-feet tall," said Haid.

Haid also pointed out that Hanks has been outspoken in telling people to wear masks to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus since recovering from the disease.

Although the decals are only outside two LCBO locations so far, the campaign will expand to more locations of the provincial government's liquor store chain and to some coffee shops, Haid said. He said the company came up with the project for "the public good."

Haid added that it won't just be in Toronto but at some point may be expanded to New York City, where his company has another office.

It's not clear whether Hanks himself is aware of the campaign.

Public Inc., purchased the rights to the photo, Haid said, and he hopes it will catch the actor's attention.

A message left with Hanks's publicist by The Canadian Press on Friday was not immediately returned.

MORE Interesting ARTICLES

Don't Call Pupils 'Genius', It's Not Gender-Neutral: Cambridge Lecturers Told

Don't Call Pupils 'Genius', It's Not Gender-Neutral: Cambridge Lecturers Told
Cambridge University academics are being told to avoid using words like "genius", "flair" and "brilliance" when assessing students' work because they are associated with men and "carry assumptions of gender inequality", according to a varsity lecturer.

Don't Call Pupils 'Genius', It's Not Gender-Neutral: Cambridge Lecturers Told

Q&A with Bard on the Beach Director, John Murphy

Q&A with Bard on the Beach Director, John Murphy
For developing playwrights, Shakespeare's work is incredibly instructive – how he imbeds action in the lines, his over all play structure, his use of dramatic irony, etc. It's all there and no one has ever surpassed him.

Q&A with Bard on the Beach Director, John Murphy

12-Yr-Old Girl Helps Deliver Baby Brother; Pictures Go Viral On Social Media

12-Yr-Old Girl Helps Deliver Baby Brother; Pictures Go Viral On Social Media
The pictures of the 12-year-old girl helping to deliver her baby brother were shared by a Facebook user Nikki Smith on June 8, and since then they have been breaking the Internet.

12-Yr-Old Girl Helps Deliver Baby Brother; Pictures Go Viral On Social Media

Madrid Puts Up Signs Banning 'Manspreading' - Sitting With Legs Wide Open - In Buses 

Madrid Puts Up Signs Banning 'Manspreading' - Sitting With Legs Wide Open - In Buses 
Madrid authorities started putting up signs banning the practice of ‘manspreading’ — opening one’s legs so wide you invade other’s seating space —on city buses as part of their new etiquette guidelines.

Madrid Puts Up Signs Banning 'Manspreading' - Sitting With Legs Wide Open - In Buses 

Teddy Bear Reaches Space After Tied To Balloon By Kids In UK

Teddy Bear Reaches Space After Tied To Balloon By Kids In UK
A teddy bear rose to 100,000 feet into space after it was tied to a helium balloon by a group of school children in the UK.

Teddy Bear Reaches Space After Tied To Balloon By Kids In UK

Tejas Express Leaves Goa 3 Hours Late, Still Reaches Mumbai A Minute Early

Tejas Express Leaves Goa 3 Hours Late, Still Reaches Mumbai A Minute Early
Commuters at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus were pleasantly surprised to see the Tejas Express arrive a minute ahead of schedule on Sunday, considering that it had left Karmali station in Goa after a three-hour delay.

Tejas Express Leaves Goa 3 Hours Late, Still Reaches Mumbai A Minute Early