A sidelong glance from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau a.k.a. “Canadian Steel” marks the month of March for thousands of Americans who bought their very own Justin Trudeau, My Canadian Boyfriend 2018 calendar.

The first-ever edition, released late last year, exceeded the expectations of its New York-based publisher, Universe Publishing. By December, it was sold out, said Robb Pearlman, an associate publisher and part of the creative team behind the 12 months of Trudeau.

“Given the political climate, I thought people would like a happy escape,” said Pearlman. “And jeez, people really like this Trudeau fellow. He seemed like a natural fit.”

Trudeau in the office. Trudeau with a dog. Trudeau running. Trudeau in a cowboy hat. Each month features a different photo and caption such as June’s “Justin has intelligence, compassion and just the right amount of swagger.”

And under July’s photo of Trudeau, shirtless, standing on a scale and flexing his arms, it says, “Justin’s views on ‘gun’ control align with my own.”

While he couldn’t reveal exactly how many copies have sold, Pearlman said it’s in the range of “many thousands.” The 2019 edition is already available for pre-order online.

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“Based on estimates we are getting from retailers, we think it’s going to be another strong year,” Pearlman said, noting the calendar will, like last year, be sold in stores across the U.S. and Canada, and online.

“Justin Trudeau is like a box of kittens. He’s the ray of sunshine peeking through the storm clouds,” wrote amazon.com customer Cat in a review of the calendar. “He’s the hero the world so desperately needs.”

The Prime Minister’s Office declined to comment on the calendar. Earlier, a PMO official said it had no involvement in the calendar’s creation.

But as far as one political marketing expert can tell, the calendar is a success for Trudeau.

“There’s no such thing for any previous prime minister that I’m aware of, and it’s pretty rare to reach that level of international celebrity,” said Alex Marland, Memorial University political science professor and author.

“Trudeau has previously said he purposefully wants to increase awareness of Canada … Only then is it really easy to start having negotiations that will lead to positive things for Canada.”

Marland cautioned overstating the calendar’s reach and influence, however, noting it most likely appeals to people left of centre on the political spectrum rather than conservatives.

Still, Trudeau remains popular in the U.S., according to a Washington D.C.-based research firm.

A few weeks ago, Lincoln Park Strategies conducted a poll that found Trudeau has a higher favourability rating than President Donald Trump.

Based on data collected from 1,000 Americans in February, Justin Trudeau has a rating of 12, said Stefan Hankin, president of Lincoln Park Strategies. Trump scored minus 17 and the Republican Party scored minus 22.

A favourability rating is calculated by subtracting the proportion of respondents who disapprove from the proportion who approve.

Trudeau also fares well compared to other world leaders — U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May scored two and German Chancellor Angela Merkel scored seven, according to the poll.

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In Canada, Trudeau is currently the preferred choice for prime minister, compared to other federal party leaders, according to a Nanos poll released Tuesday that surveyed 1,000 Canadians. The Liberals have 35.8 per cent of support, followed by the Conservatives at 33.1 per cent.

If Canadians continue to view Trudeau as a celebrity politician, it will benefit him “because they’re going to go gaga to see the prime minister,” but it’s a concerning strategy, Marland said.

Voters, by way of marketing Trudeau’s political celebrity during an election, “end up focusing on things that aren’t very deep” such as if they like his “general public persona” or can relate to him, Marland said. “We don’t end up having a robust policy conversation.”

Like populism, he said, political celebrity is not ideal for democracy.

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