Sparkly ‘Merb’ys’ print their final calendar but say spirit will live on

ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – A popular charity calendar featuring burly men dressed in sparkly mermaid costumes has printed its last edition, but the group doesn’t plan to hang up their tails for good.

After releasing its third edition last fall, the Newfoundland and Labrador Beard and Moustache Club has announced the 2020 “Merb’ys” calendar will be the last as the Merb’ys move on to other ventures.

What started as a dare between friends to wear mermaid costumes for charity achieved viral fame after it launched in 2017. The group has raised more than $500,000 for local mental health and violence prevention charities since then.

The calendar — which draws its name from “mermaid” and the Newfoundland moniker for “buddy” — has attracted fans from around the world for its whimsical images that challenge gender stereotypes.

Hasan Hai, the leader of the club, said it was a tough decision to pause production of the annual calendar, but its popularity required thousands of volunteer hours for every edition.

“I think for two years I’ve had at least a tail in my car at all times,” Hai said by phone.

He said the team needs a break from the time-consuming schedule of designing, shooting, and promoting the calendars that sell to customers as far away as Qatar and South Korea.

“It’s so much work. We’re just humans,” he said. “We’re mere mortals, and we need to be kind to ourselves too.”

Hai attributes the popularity of the calendar to the feel-good images that challenge ideas of rigid, traditional masculinity. The photos feature a diverse group of men of all shapes and sizes enjoying life while decked out in glitter, makeup and fish tails.

The calendar includes stories explaining the Merb’ys’ identities and ethos, but Hai said the images have stand-alone appeal.

“I think, without any context, someone who flips open the pages of this calendar, (it) immediately sparks joy and happiness,” he said.

After the 2018 calendar’s unexpected success, the 2019 calendar took the team on a photo shoot across the province, visiting such landmarks as the tablelands in Gros Morne National Park.

The 2020 shoot stayed in the St. John’s area with a focus on pictures that tell stories, Hai said. One image shows a Newfoundland screech-in, a ritual involving kissing a codfish, and another photo has an environmental theme with a Merb’y holding a trident made from recycled materials.

The calendars will be sold until the end of February, with proceeds going to the Planned Parenthood Newfoundland and Labrador Sexual Health Centre.

Hai said the group is considering a showcase in St. John’s displaying the custom-made costumes as final sales wrap up.

And even after the last calendar is sold, Hai said the Merb’ys brand will take on other forms, with a short documentary to be released on CBC Gem later this year. There are also plans for an animated web series with St. John’s-based Stellar Boar Productions.

“The vision of the MerB’ys, I think, will continue to live on for quite some time,” Hai said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 6, 2020.