Loonie

Above is a folk art version of the bird which inspired the nickname of the Canadian dollar coin. The first official loonies, created to replace the paper Canadian dollar, had a loon on one side with a picture of the Queen of England on the other. As the beloved nickname was believed to not inspire confidence in the then floundering currency, the powers-at-be changed the emblem to include more awe inspiring images. Unfortunately, the damage was done: the term 'loonie' had stuck and, worse, had given rise to the name of the newly created Canadian two dollar coin, the 'toonie.'