Noisemakers 2000: Plugging Hydro Quebec

Say howdy to Mr. Socket

Hydro Quebec's oft-overlooked mascot Mr. Socket is a frisky little symbol of cheerful electricity usage. Dethroning the likes of Youppie, La Vache Qui Rit and Oscar the Bank Machine, frolicsome Monsieur Socket (a distant nephew of Reddy Kilowatt) has become the most distinguished and well-known Quebecois corporate logo for the new millennium.

Throughout the past year, from Hydro's bitter labour disputes to incorrect billing policies, Mr. Socket was in full socket regalia, blinking his eye and boosting public morale with promises of a better future.

"At the dawn of the third millennium, hydroelectricity is the energy of the future," claims Mr. Socket's bi-monthly newsletter "HydroContact." Indeed, Mr. Socket has dubiously vowed to eliminate all power-failures this year. However, the POM elves, bitter at his meteoric rise to fame, have been heard grumbling about Mr. Socket's personal exorbitant consumption habits, his megalomania and his "ambiguous sexuality."

With insouciant bonhomie, Mr. Socket has denied everything and wishes all his fans "an enchanting and provident New Year!" l

-- ADAM GOLLNER

more news...