TORONTO – Does a rascally raccoon say “Toronto sports event” to you? How about a maple-leaf-headed beaver?
These are among the six finalists organizers of the city’s Pan Am Games have chosen for an online contest encouraging the public to help choose a main mascot for the three-week athletic competition.
The choices have been narrowed down to top six finalists. They include a moose in running shoes, a beaver with a skull shaped like a maple leaf, a punk porcupine, a rainbow-hued owl, a rascally raccoon and twins wearing funky hats.
More than 4,130 entries were submitted over the last six weeks by teams of young designers across Canada.
More than 15,000 children aged 16 and under participated in the TORONTO 2015 Mascot Creation Challenge.
A panel of judges combed through the applicants and the finalists were announced this week.
“The designs were so diverse and the participants were incredibly enthusiastic — it made choosing just six incredibly difficult,” said Ian Troop, chief executive officer of the games’ organizing committee. “That’s why we need the public’s help in choosing Canada’s next great Games mascot.”
Votes can be cast at toronto2015mascot.ca, as well as on Facebook from Monday, April 22 to Sunday, May 5 at 11:59 p.m. (ET).
The winner will be announced on July 17.
In the meantime, which mascot do you prefer? Take our poll below.
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