Spice juggernaut rolls into T.O.

Parents, start your engines.

Tonight's Spice Girls concert at the Molson Amphitheatre -- which sold out in half an hour and is without question the most anticipated show of the summer (at least among the predominantly female pre-teen set) -- has arrived and that can mean only one thing. Actually, several things.

For starters, major congestion on Lakeshore Blvd. as parents drive their kids -- no doubt dressed up as their favorite Spice -- to the show. And then, once the concert begins, ear-piercing screams as Mel B, Mel C, Emma and Victoria (aka Scary, Sporty, Baby and Posh) take the stage.

So just how in the heck did we get to this point -- over-hyped, hugely entertaining and often silly, that it is -- in the history of Spice Girls?

Since forming in 1993 after answering an ad placed by a manager, who was promptly dumped, the British pop tarts -- originally numbering five before Geri, aka Ginger Spice, recently left the group -- have released two albums, several videos, starred in their own movie and taken merchandising to a whole new level.

They are now commonly referred to as the biggest thing to come out of England since the Beatles.

"It's flattering, any kind of comparison, but at the end of the day we're the Spice Girls doing it our way," said Victoria at a January press conference in New York to promote the Spiceworld movie.

The girls' way seems to work just fine for them.

Their two albums, Spice and Spiceworld , have sold one million and 800,000 copies respectively in Canada and sold 31 million copies combined worldwide. If you count singles and videos, the Spice Girls' final tally in Canada is 1,960,000 units.

But catchy pop music aside, it seems to be their individual identities, "girl power" philosophy and cheeky sense of fun (Geri pinched Prince Charles' bottom and the whole group got reporters in Cannes to do "the wave") that have captured the hearts of millions of impressionable young girls.

At the New York press conference, they acknowledged as much.

"When we first started out I do remember saying, 'I remember when I was 12 years old, I had Madonna,' and I think there was a massive gap in the market and we saw that," said Geri. "And we wanted to appeal to girls, we wanted to reach out and say, 'We feel like this. Do you feel the same, too?' "

Which still doesn't explain why, upon meeting the girls, South African president Nelson Mandela said: "I don't want to to be emotional, but this is one of the greatest moments in my life."

It should also be pointed out that the Spices haven't been without controversy along the way.

Spanish photographers booed them during a performance and there were moves to ban the Girls from playing near a site in India famous for its erotic sculptures.

The most recent controversy has occured in Toronto, with mayor Mel Lastman outraged at them for not agreeing to perform a free concert at Mel Lastman Square. He has since refused to hand them the keys to the city.

Let's face it, you just can't please everyone, but with "girl power" on your side, you can get close.

"I think all of us have been brought up by very strong mothers, who have taught us to create our own destinies and be strong people," said Emma at the New York press conference. "I think that's mainly what it is, it's just about going for whatever you believe in; that's what we've done."

Added Mel B: "I think for us it confirms that no matter who you are, if you have a dream and you really want to get there, you can. 'Cause we come from normal backgrounds, we were struggling in the industry from the ages of about 13. So it goes to show for any young girl out there, if they want to go do something, they can."

Which leads us to the Spice Girls' future plans.

Immediately, the four of them will take part in an Intimate & Interactive special at MuchMusic tomorrow afternoon beginning at 4 p.m.

Following that they are on the road in North America until August 26.

Also coming is a third album and a Cheetos commercial -- both of which Geri's voice and face have to be excised from -- and maybe another movie.

Maybe talk show host Conan O' Brien was wrong this week when he cracked wise during a skit about future tombstones.

For Spice Girls, it said: "Buried against their will, September 1998."