A panel program called “Great White North” (formerly called “Kanadian Korner”) made fun of common misconceptions about Canada. The two dimwitted brothers, Bob and Doug, wore tuques and bulky winter clothes. They would make comments on different aspects of Canadian life and culture, often ending sentences with “Eh?” and calling each other a “hoser.” Talked about were snow routes, the robot arm on the Space Shuttle, bedtime stories involving dog fights that aren’t acceptable, flat tires, and “why there aren’t enough parking spaces at take-out donut shops.”

When SCTV switched to the CBC television network, the skit was born. The length of each episode to air on that network was two minutes longer than the episodes syndicated to the United States because of the disparity in the amount of time allotted for advertisements. In compliance with government broadcast standards, the CBC network chiefs requested that the show’s creators incorporate clearly identifiable Canadian content throughout those two minutes. This was an absurd request, according to Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas, as the program had spent two years being recorded in Canada with a cast and staff that was primarily Canadian. They were motivated by the desire to produce a parody that would feature every facet of the hilarious caricature of Canadians.