'It's just like A Christmas Story': Northerners recall sticking their tongues to frozen metal

Every winter tongues fall victim tofrozen metal objectswhether it's by accident or they're triple-dog dared.

As immortalized in the 1983 holiday cult classic A Christmas Story, a kid named Flick gets his tongue stuck to a frozen pole after being triple-dog dared to lick it.

Northerners know a thing or two about freezing in the winter months. A few of them shared their stories about getting their tongues stuck.

'That was when I knew I messed up'

Kimberley Galbaransingh lives in Yellowknife but saysshe learned her lesson about the dangers of sticking her tongue to metal objects when she was a young girl growing upin Edmonton in the '80s.

Galbaransingh says she and her two brothers came home from school one day and were locked out. They decided to use a ladder to see if they could get into the house through a window on the second floor.

As Galbaransingh was holding the ladder, she saysshe began wondering why her school had sent letters home warning parents aboutkids getting their tongues stuck.

"I was like 'well it can't be that bad'. So I stuck my tongue to the ladder, and that was when I knew I messed up."

Galbaransingh says she begancrying.The kidsdidn't have access to any warm water, so had to rip her tongue free and it "started bleeding like crazy."

When her parents came home,Galbaransinghsays she was too scared to tell her dad what had happened.

"That night my dad made Tuna Helper and he thought I was just being picky because I couldn't eat it because my tongue hurt so much."

'Stuck! Stuck! Stuuuuuck!'

It's not only kids thatget their tongues stuck and it's not always byaccident.

Yellowknifer and Cabin Radio host Jesse Wheeler says the radio station was filming a commercial for the Workers' Safety and Compensation Commission about workers' safety when he "drew the short straw" to take on the role of sticking his tongue to a light pole for a gag.

"Just like when you were a kid, it immediately terrifies you," he said, notinga cup of warm water was at the ready to set him free.

"As soon as you feel it stick, it's just like A Christmas Story where he's just like 'this is easy' And then immediately you're like 'Stuck! Stuck! Stuuuuuck!'"

Wheeler says this wasn't his first foray into the world of getting his tongue stuck to metal poles.

He remembers being in the yard duringrecess when he was in Grade 1at Mildred Hall School and sticking his tongue to the pole of achain link fence.

"I ripped it off. I just kind of leaned back and ripped it off. And I remember my tongue actually bleeding a little bit."

'In horror I'd realized what I'd done'

It's something that can happen to animals too.

Jared Monkman says one cold winter's night in Hay River, N.W.T., he was takinghis German shepherd Donte on a walk when the dog begansniffing at his favourite pole. Monkman says he pulled onDonte's leash to continuewalking when he realized the dog'stongue was stuck.

"My body was going through the motion of pulling him away and my brain's realizing what's happening and in slow motion I watch his tongue rip off the frozen pole," he recalls.

"In horror I'd realized what I'd done, but it was too late."

Monkman says itsoundedlike tape being ripped off a surface. While it only tooka brief second, he says Donte was licking his lips all the way home.