In a quirky twist of fate, a shy, tech‑savvy anteater that was once on the shortlist to be the face of New York City’s transit system has finally found its moment in the spotlight—this time at the New York Transit Museum.
The creature, named Cardvaark, was sketched out by an MTA marketing team in 1993, the year before the MetroCard began replacing the heavy, paper‑token system. The idea was to give commuters a friendly, almost cyber‑savvy mascot to show how to swipe their new plastic cards at the turnstiles. The proposal included a cost estimate, a planned costume, and a rollout schedule that would have placed the live‑action anteater at busy hubs like Times Square.
Yet, despite the enthusiasm, Cardvaark never made it past the last hurdle. “Somebody must not have liked it and said, ‘We can’t do this,’” Jodi Shapiro, a curator at the NYTM, explains. “It was done in the eleventh hour, and the reason remains a mystery even to the museum historians.”
In the 90s, the anteater would have competed with an entirely unrelated drawing from the popular children’s cartoon Arthur, which claimed to be the decade’s most famous anteater. To give you an idea of how the design looked, Cardvaark was imagined in a bright coat that matched the MetroCard’s blue hue, and he even wore a stylized “swiper” on his arm to illustrate the card‑swiping action.
According to Shapiro, “Cardvaark could have been the mascot for MetroCard when it was introduced, but sadly, he’s not,” adding that the character was “very cute” and projected a knowing look: “I know you’re gonna use the MetroCard.”
Fast forward to today, and Cardvaark’s long‑delayed debut is a feature of the museum’s “FAREwell MetroCard exhibit,” which documents the three‑decade history of New York City’s payment system. Visitors can encounter a life‑size cardboard cut‑out of the anteater, a 6‑foot‑tall model that is one of the most photographed artifacts. Alongside the cut‑out are dozens of limited‑edition MetroCards, pamphlets chronicling key changes, and a replica of an operator’s car that serves as a portal into the exhibit’s blue‑ and yellow‑themed space.
The tribute has even sparked a culinary twist: Zabar’s, the famed New York delicatessen, is selling limited‑edition cookies printed with Cardvaark’s face as a fun nod to the MetroCard’s retirement.
“Everybody who finds out about Cardvaark loves him! He’s very cool. People ask about him all the time,” says Shapiro, who is no doubt the enthusiast the anteater turned out to be. The only complaint she has is that the spelling of his name doesn’t match the proper grammar for the animal he’s meant to represent.
Stay informed on all the latest news, real-time breaking news updates, and follow all the important headlines in world News on Latest NewsX. Follow us on social media Facebook, Twitter(X), Gettr and subscribe our Youtube Channel.
