Beaver scavenger hunt takes over downtown Toronto neighbourhood during World Cup
· Toronto Sun
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A scavenger hunt to celebrate all nations participating in the FIFA World Cup is underway as residents are tasked with locating a total of 51 beaver statues painted by different artists and placed throughout Toronto’s Old Town neighbourhood.
To play, participants must download an app to help track all the slightly more than a metre tall critters out in the public or inside businesses. There is a weekly draw until mid-August for $100 gift cards for each week’s winner, as well as one randomly selected individual to be used at area businesses.
The game, dubbed The Great Beaver Quest , is the brainchild of the Old Town Toronto Business Improvement Area (BIA), which represents stores and commercial properties roughly from Queen St. E. to the Gardiner Expressway and Yonge St. to Parliament St.
The non-profit organization brought on Toronto private jewelry workshop JJBuckar to design the sculptures. The artist studio then sought the services of Baris Direnc Altinay, a renowned monumental sculptor, and his wife Selin Altinay, a 3D designer, to manufacture all 51 beavers.
Toronto artist honoured to paint Canadian beaver
Toronto artist Raz Latif said he was honoured to paint the Canadian beaver, which he says can be found in Berczy Park .
He painted the beaver wearing a red-and-black plaid button-up top along with a red shirt with a white maple leaf and red shorts.
“Celebrating the intersection of multiculturalism, heritage, and Canadian lifestyle, this painted sculpture explores national identity through symbolism in fashion,” Latif said in a statement.
“By understanding everyday winter garments, the work highlights the common threads that unite Canadians and visitors during our chilly seasons.”
Beaver featuring Canadian motif
Emily Cote, a Toronto-based illustrator originally from Windsor, Ont., was selected to create a beaver with a Canadian motif of colourful maple leaves, highlighting people’s connection with nature.
Cote shared a video to social media for a sneak peek into how the beaver statue was transformed.
“Designed to be bright and eye-catching, this beaver is treated simply as a surface to cover in a universal symbol of national pride,” Cote said. “Many of the maple leaves in this design reference the leaves of native maple species that can be found within Canada.”
Another represents all countries at World Cup
The BIA also commissioned Monica Loney, a Metis visual artist based in Ontario, to paint a 49th beaver to represent all of the countries participating in the global soccer tournament.
“This is a piece rooted in connection,” she said of the beaver painted blue along with flags of every World Cup nation.
“The flowing black line wraps continuously around the beaver, inspired by Woodland visual storytelling traditions. It moves like a path — unbroken and intentional — reminding us that everything is connected: land, water, animals, and each other.”
The contest runs until Aug. 16 with addition gift card prizes worth $500, $300 and $200 for participants who are ranked in the top three for overall points.