Canadian Spice fans wanna know: Why, Ginger?

TORONTO (CP) -- As word spread Sunday that Geri Halliwell had quit the enormously popular Spice Girls group, fans tried to make sense of her decision and figure out what it means for the future.

"Why?" said nine-year-old Caitlin Ngu, who sometimes dances in sync with friends on her driveway on nice spring days as Spice Girls tunes blast from a boom box.

"It's kind of sad. All the CDs have Geri in them and if they start another CD without Ginger it'll seem kind of weird."

Halliwell, better known as Ginger Spice, issued a statement Sunday through her lawyer saying she was leaving because of differences with her bandmates. The statement did not elaborate.

"I'm disappointed," Caitlin's mom, Veronique Cano-Ngu, said with mock despair.

The Spice Girls are so popular in her three-daughter household that she took Caitlin and pals to see the movie Spice World for Caitlin's recent birthday.

"You need five to complete the band -- it wouldn't be the same with four," said Caitlin.

Her sentiments were echoed elsewhere.

"I think if any one of them left, it would kind of not be the Spice Girls," said Paula Kreczko, 15, as she shopped along Yonge Street on Sunday.

"You need all five. You can't be like four Spice Girls out of five."

The remaining Spice Girls have said they will go ahead with their North American tour, which includes stops in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver, but Kreczko said she thinks Ginger's departure signals the imminent demise of the group.

"There's no replacement," she said. "Just like the Beatles -- but not really that much."

Her friend, Laura McGill, who just turned 16, agreed that they won't be the Spice Girls any more and looking for a replacement is not a good idea.

"It would be like peanut butter and jam without the jelly," she said with a smile. "It wouldn't work."

At the bustling Tower Records store downtown, cashier Jesse Levine said none of his customers had mentioned the Spice Girls that day. But he had some opinions.

"I think it's a small tragedy in the pop world in general," the 20-year-old said with a small smile.

"We employees at Tower Records are pretty shocked at the departure of such a brilliant pop star. They've made themselves into this big extravagant act. I'm not sure what the general public feels but we're pretty shocked."

Can there be Spice Girls without Ginger?

"It's all or nothing," he said, shaking his head with certainty.

Eight-year-old Thalia Barclay, who was coming out of the Eaton Centre with her mother, said the Spice Girls can continue without Ginger, even though the loss of Halliwell is "sort of devastating because she was a good singer."

Her favorite is Scary Spice (Mel Brown).

Tickets for the group's Aug. 11 show in Vancouver sold out in 20 minutes. Tickets for the Toronto engagement July 11 lasted a full 35 minutes. The July 10 date in Montreal was sold out within half an hour.