A crowd of inflatable dinosaurs is wandering around Toronto

Living in Toronto often means heading out on the town for the day, witnessing something strange and having to blink a few extra times to ensure your eyes are not deceiving you — and today is no exception.

Those lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time were greeted by a large crowd of people dressed in inflatable dinosaur costumes on Wednesday, a sight that brought some much-needed joy to city dwellers on this spring day.

A bunch of dinos walking around downtown Toronto! My toddler nephews would love this! pic.twitter.com/1wxPPelaCp

— AMY CHYAN | 錢彥霖 (@ayl) April 13, 2022

The dinos started off strolling around the Eaton Centre early in the morning, and one onlooker, who asked to remain anoynmous, told blogTO they were taking photos with shoppers and walking around the mall in groups of three. 

After asking the security guard what was going on, the observer was told they were out in celebration of the fact that the Toronto Raptors are officially set to compete in the playoffs. The stunt likely also has something to do with Jurassic Park reopening this weekend.

After their early-morning mall tour, the dinos ventured out onto the streets of downtown, walking around Yonge and Dundas Square and delighting residents who managed to a catch a glimpse. 

A clear sign that spring is here: Toronto's velociraptors running around downtown. 🦖 pic.twitter.com/KgDizcMUdg

— Joël (@Joel_LeonD) April 13, 2022

This isn't the first time Toronto's streets have been graced with the presence of an inflatable dinosaur: in 2018 a random resident was spotted walking their dog in Kensington Market while wearing a similar suit. 

Someone in #Toronto wore a dinosaur outfit to walk their dog https://t.co/ukhg8SyNRx pic.twitter.com/7Sx0VCdWD8

— blogTO (@blogTO) April 11, 2018

And at the start of the pandemic, locals wearing these exact costumes stood outside and handed out free masks to pedestrians.

A dino duo was spotted giving out free masks at Yonge & Bloor - 📹 Nina Antonakes https://t.co/KRIwLYy6yA #Toronto #ourcommunityTO pic.twitter.com/hJseZtagaH

— blogTO (@blogTO) May 13, 2020

But this the first time residents have seen dinos en-masse, and many have gotten a serious kick out of it.

The Raptors (the athletes, not the costume-wearers) are set to play their first home playoff game in Toronto since June 2019 on April 20, so there's definitely reason to celebrate.