Danna Bananas Turns 20: An Interview with the Top Banana (That Would Be Me)

Twenty years ago, on September 6, 2006, DannaBananas.com was launched. On September 6, 2026, Danna Bananas turns 20. 🎉🍌

I thought it was fitting to honour this milestone with an interview with Danna, the big Top Banana behind Danna Bananas.

And guess who’s interviewing her? Danna, of course.

1. What day did you launch Danna Bananas?

September 6, 2006. 🎉🍌

2. Why September 6, 2006?

It was the day after kids in Toronto went back to school. It was a way to space out my regular job and my side hustle. Was “side hustle” even a known term back then?

Talking Pop Culture in 2006...

On the day Danna Bananas launched, Canadian astronaut Steve MacLean was supposed to lift off aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis. A fuel cell problem delayed the launch until September 9. Danna Bananas, however, launched right on schedule. 🍌

The Office won the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series, and Little Miss Sunshine was making movie audiences laugh, including me. It was hilarious!

And Gnarls Barkley’s Crazy was everywhere. It sounded retro even then.

Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black was released in Canada that December with an even more retro sound.

Apparently, Danna Bananas picked a good year to launch a funny gift store. 🍌

My first dog, Reese, was two when Danna Bananas launched. He was a Neapolitan Mastiff and Cane Corso mix, a 133 pound softie who couldn’t walk down the street without being hugged.

One of those kids is now in their twenties and babysits dog number three, Cartier. Before she became Cartier, a child in her foster family had named her Minty Paws. 🐾

3. Tell us about the original platform.

It was built on Drupal, a free, open-source platform. It gave me a place to add and manage my products, but it definitely wasn't an e-commerce site with all the bells and whistles.

4. What was your first pinch-me moment when you realized you were launching an online store?

When I was told I had a domain and the website was set up.

I didn’t know any different. That’s just what I did.

5. How did you know how to set up the site?

I believe I just did it. There wasn’t much information available about the how-tos of building a website.

6. What was your first blog post?

My first blog entry was Welcome to the New and Improved Danna Bananas, dated November 9, 2008.

A Banana A Day was published on November 23, 2008.

7. Was Drupal the forever home for Danna Bananas?

No.

8. What came after Drupal?

A little while later, a teenager I was working with told me about a new open source e-commerce platform.

“What’s it called?” I asked.

“Magento,” he said.

Magento launched in 2008 and was powerful, with all the bells and whistles. The problem was that it was so new and had a huge back-end that not many developers knew how to work with it. When something broke or a security patch was needed, finding someone who could actually fix it was incredibly difficult.

Magento carried Danna Bananas from 2008 until I moved to Shopify in 2021. I announced that new chapter ( said farewell) in Introducing...Danna Bananas’ Brand New Website!.

In 2023, while still on Shopify, Danna Bananas got another new website.

Then, in September 2025, Danna Bananas got another fresh look. That is the site you see today.

9. How did the name Danna Bananas come about?

It came from something I’d said for years whenever someone asked my name and repeated it back as Dana: “Danna, like banana.”

From there, Danna Bananas was born.

10. How do you define a funny gift?

Funny Gift = Surprise + Relevance + (Absurdity × Utility)

It’s something that makes you laugh when you open it. Sometimes it’s ridiculous, sometimes it’s useful and the best ones are both.

The funniest gifts are usually unexpected or perfectly suited to the person getting them. They’re the kind of thing that makes someone laugh right there in the room. Because honestly, everybody could use more of that.

11. What have you learned over the last 20 years?

That nothing stays still. I started on Drupal, moved to Magento and then Shopify. SEO has changed more times than I can count. Shopping habits change and life changes.

You figure out what needs doing and do your best to keep up.

Like me, Danna Bananas has had bumps along the way. Platform changes, learning curves and personal chapters have all shaped the store. Through it all, laughter has remained at the heart of this little shop.

I’ve also learned that creating Danna Bananas from scratch was a pretty big accomplishment. Running my own business and making all the decisions is, hands down, one of the most creative things I’ve ever done. It is hard work, but knowing I created something that makes people laugh brings me great joy.

12. What were your toughest years?

I would say 2020 through 2026, and that isn’t only because of the pandemic.

One of the hardest parts of being a solopreneur is making business decisions on my own every day. I wear a lot of hats and do most of the work myself. The work never really ends because there is always something else to do.

There were shipping delays, inflation and a shift in consumer behaviour. At the same time, I was receiving calls every day from multiple people while trying to run and grow Danna Bananas as the digital world kept changing.

And then there’s this year. Let’s just say... there’s been a lot going on behind the scenes. (WINK!)

I look back and think, how did I navigate that battlefield... tough times with so many crises? Somehow, I did! 

13. Did you ever wear a banana suit to promote Danna Bananas?

Yes. In the early days, I stood in what was then Yonge Dundas Square, now Sankofa Square, wearing a banana suit to promote Danna Bananas. Then I was told I wasn’t allowed to do that. 🍌

14. What are your favourite parts of the job?

Choosing funny gifts, attending industry gift shows and creating content. Wait, one more thing... lo and behold, lately I’ve actually started enjoying the technical stuff too.

15. What is your least favourite part?

Social media and something else. 🤔

If you’re reading this and want to help, give me a shout. (WINK!)

16. What is another part of the job you find challenging?

Stock.

Until the pandemic, I was able to buy regularly and had a better sense of how much to order. Since then, with site and theme changes, a major migration, Google core updates, tariffs and changes to where I can ship, figuring out what to buy and how much has been difficult.

Essentially, I had to rebuild Danna Bananas as it approached its 20th anniversary, and I’m still at it. That’s life as a solopreneur. If I’m doing it correctly, great. If not, I’m learning a lot along the way.

17. Did you know Mr. Dressup lived in Pickering but worked at the CBC in Toronto?

I did! I’m proud that Mr. Dressup is part of Pickering’s history, and now Danna Bananas is too.

18. When did you know you wanted to start your own business?

I just knew when I was 19 or 20.

In fact, I knew what I wanted to open: an indoor gym called McMuscles. Then that changed to a kids’ gym and later a toy store.

I loved visiting a toy store in Stratford where, when you entered, staff walked around demonstrating and playing with toys.

Somehow, that eventually led to a funny gift store.

Before I wrap this up, I also have to thank Mr. Danna Bananas. He has been beside me through 20 years of websites, gift shows, platform changes and more bananas than either of us can count. ❤️

19. Who do you dedicate these 20 years to?

My Dear Ol’ Mom. ❤️

20. Can you describe what the very first Danna Bananas website looked like?

I can do better.

Check this out!

P.S. I eat a banana every day during my morning recess. I mean, break (popcorn too).

P.P.P.S. DON’T DELETE OLD DANNA BANANAS BLOGS. THEY ARE THE STORE’S MEMORIES, HISTORY AND PERSONALITY. 🍌