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"Toonie" is an unofficial name for Canada's two-dollar coin; it is a portmanteau word combining the number "two" with the name of the loonie, the one-dollar coin that pre-dated it. Introduced in 1996, the toonie is a bi-metallic coin which bears an image of a polar bear, by Campbellford artist Brent Townsend, on the reverse. The obverse, like all other Canadian coins, has a portrait of the Queen. Spelling is far from standardized, and "twonie" is still not uncommon.
When the coin was introduced a number of nicknames were suggested. Runners up included the 'bearly', the 'deuce' and the 'doubloonie'. A joke refers to the coin as 'The Queen with the Bear Behind'. Another joke pokes fun at the poor Canadian dollar to American dollar exchange rate by suggesting that the coin be called 'an American dollar'.
Despite the name being unofficial, even the Government of Canada uses "toonie" in Citizenship and Immigration Canada's Newcomer Guide. [1] (http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/newcomer/guide/section-07.html#7)
See: Canadian dollar, Canadian English
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