justin trudeau butter

Toronto just got a butter sculpture of Justin Trudeau snuggling pandas

A tender moment between Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and two Toronto Zoo panda cubs has been immortalized in butter for all to enjoy at the CNE this year... or at least until the butter melts.

The recently finished sculpture is meant to look like the photo of Trudeau and baby pandas Jia Panpan & Jia Yueyue that went viral in 2016.

That photo, tweeted by the PM himself, attracted media attention from around the world, further cementing Trudeau's status as an international heart throb.

The dairy-based version of the picture seems equally unforgettable, but perhaps for different reasons.

Butter sculpting is an annual tradition at the Canadian National Exhibition, and we've seen these works of art make headlines before, though this year's theme of "Wild in the 6" seems specifically designed for viral opportunities.

According to a press release, it's inspired by "infamous Toronto animals that have gone viral, from the PM’s photo op with the baby pandas to the elusive High Park capybaras."

Artists David Salazar, Olenka Kleban, Laird Henderson and Bailey Henderson will continue to work on all of the sculptures collaboratively until the end of the fair.

Locals can go see Butter Trudeau and friends in person by finding the giant glass refrigerator in the CNE's Heritage Court.

Lead photo by

Gregg (Scooter) Korek


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