A series of decals in place on the TTC for approaching four years now continues to generate confusion and comparisons to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

A Tuesday Reddit post is just the latest public query into the nature of these odd decals, which many are noticing for the first time despite them being in place since 2020.

The Reddit post titled "What does this symbol mean on the TTC?" has been met with hundreds of comments, many cracking jokes about the symbol's resemblance to the titular turtles from the TMNT media franchise — specifically, the orange bandana-wearing Michaelangelo.

What does this symbol mean on the TTC?
byu/Ourkidof91 intoronto

Redditors replied with a range of turtle-themed jokes and one-liners. One even painted a hilarious but strangely convincing scenario of the decals serving as something of a warning of vigilante testudinal justice to any would-be criminals.

Comment
byu/Ourkidof91 from discussion
intoronto

A similar Reddit thread was posted a year earlier and was met with similar humorous responses.

What does it mean? Sticker at subway floor.
byu/FeBrSp intoronto

Of course, the true explanation is less exciting.

In the almost four years since Toronto shut down suddenly in 2020, many may have forgotten about public transit mask mandates and two-metre spacing warnings.

The decal perceived to be a Ninja Turtle or a vague Wu-Tang "protect your neck" reference is actually one of three rolled out by the TTC in mid-2020 to remind riders to wear face coverings.

The TTC is recommending face coverings be mandatory on our system. Don’t wait - make sure you wear a face covering when riding the TTC. pic.twitter.com/vislz8rZ0M

— TTC Customer Service (@TTChelps) June 12, 2020

The perceived Ninja Turtle is actually just the scarf-wearing variant of the decals, which — despite the end of masking mandates in 2021 and 2022 — remain adhered to the floors of subway trains on the network. Aside from the turtle-esque scarf decal, riders may also notice holdover decals sporting surgical masks and bandanas.