For Carolyne Scramstad and many Canadians, Mike Myers’ ‘Elbows Up’ moment on Saturday Night Live felt like a rallying cry. From that moment on, with the solidarity of people online, Scramstad, an artist, decided to create a new design. The design has taken off in ways she never expected.
“It’s been crazy. I just ordered $2,600 worth of blank shirts. And that’s only enough for the orders that came in in the last two days. So it’s been crazy. It’s been really good. It’s a demographic that wasn’t really into my work before, which is understandable. The 50-plus, I find, is a lot of it, and it’s great.”
Through her brand, Real Salty Design, Scramstad creates traditional graphic design work and sometimes quirky art creations. Her latest creation, which has gained so much attention, is a hockey-playing beaver with the tag line ‘Elbows Up Buds.’ She envisions this beaver as a classic tough but kindhearted Canadian.
“He’s basically a character from Goon or Letterkenny. Super Canadian, rough around the edges, doesn’t take shit, but he’d also give you the shirt off his fuzzy little back.”
The design, which exudes Canadian pride, was created from the positivity she has been seeing online, explains Scramstad, recalling a post she saw on Instagram. “There’s a guy that I follow actually on Instagram, and he’s out of Tennessee, and he records like a lot of the American political stuff that’s going on. And it was really cute actually seeing all the Americans comment when he posted that clip. And they were all just like, elbows up, Canada, we love you.”
However, she says the ongoing threat of tariffs and Canada becoming the 51st state are her concerns. “It’s disconcerting. And it’s just not something that I don’t think we as a nation were really even prepared to hear because we’re like, what? We’re so nice all the time. Like, what do you mean? This is Canada, like, we’re your buds.”
Despite the uncertainties, Scramstad says she sees the situation unfolding in the U.S. as a unifying moment for Canadians, especially with how contentious Canadian politics have been lately. “If we’re bringing a nation together instead of ripping it apart, that can’t necessarily be a bad thing. But the whole idea behind it is that we have to gather together to, like, protect ourselves is also kind of crazy, too. But I’m here for the solidarity, for sure”
Another benefit, she says, is the enthusiasm that has grown for purchasing local products.
“It’s really great to see, because I think that you can get almost anything that you need done locally, purchased locally. And I mean, you might end up paying a few more dollars, but at the end of the day, it’s for a good it’s for keeping money in your community. Right? It’s going to someone that you know or lives here, instead of just some guy with a with a big yacht already.”
Scramstad’s designs are available online at realsaltydesignco.com, Georgina’s Boutique in Transcona, and Pet Valu locations across Winnipeg for those looking to support her work. She’ll also be selling her merchandise in person at the Winnipeg Punk Rock Flea Market on April 6.
With the success of ‘Elbows Up Buds,’ Scramstad is already looking ahead to new designs, with fans requesting more Canadian wildlife like moose and geese. “There’s always a million ideas floating around in my head. It’s just trying to sort them out and see which I will release into the wild next.”
For now, though, her rough-and-tumble beaver is leading the charge, elbows up, reminding Canadians to stand strong.
– Ryan Funk, U Multicultural
