Toonie turns 20 years old

Hard to believe, but it's been 20 years since Canada's $2 bill was permanently retired and the metallic coin known as the toonie was born.

The two-tonedcoin, featuring apolar bear on one side and a portrait of Queen Elizabethon the other, went into circulation on Feb. 19, 1996. Leading up to its launch, there was much debate over what the new $2 coin should be called.The "bearie," the "toonie" (or "twonie") and the "double loonie" were among the contenders.

• From the CBC archives: The beginning of the end for the $2 bill

According to the Royal Canadian Mint, 375 million toonies were produced that first year.

Having trouble recallingwhat you were doing during the year of the toonie? Perhaps a few 1996 flashbacks will jogyour memory.

JeanChrtien, who was then prime minister, took down a protester who confronted him at National Flag of Canada Day in Hull, Que., onFeb. 15 that year.

If you went to any dances, weddings or just listened to pop music in 1996, youlikely couldn't escape theMacarena.The Bayside Boys mix of theSpanish music duo Los del Rio's dance hitspent 14 weeks from August to November in the number 1 spot on the Billboard charts.

Theinternet was gaining traction. In February 1996, AT&T was promoting itsdial-upWorldnetservice.

It had also been almost 10 years since the paperCanadian dollar made the transition to coin. Thelooniebegan circulating in 1987.

The more durable coins were meant to replace$1 and $2 bills as a cost-savings measure. According to the mint, each toonie is expected to last more than 30 years.

Over the last two decades, the mint has issued special versions of thetoonieto commemorate significant events in Canada, including the founding of Nunavut in 1999, the 400th anniversary of Quebec City in 2008, the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812in 2012 and the 100th anniversary of Canadian John McRae's First World War poemIn Flanders Fieldsin 2015.

The toonie continues to change. Originally, its core wasmade of aluminum and bronze and the coin'souter ring wasmade of nickel. According to the mint's website, theMarch 2010 federal budget set a mandate to change its metallic compositionbecause of the fluctuation in nickel and copper prices.The new coins are manufactured with multi-ply, nickel-plate steel forthe outer ringand multi-ply, brass-plated aluminum bronze for the insert.