Toronto neighborhood invites World Cup visitors to join hunt for strategically placed beaver statues

Category: (Self-Study) Human Interest

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Berczy Park is home to a much-loved fountain that features canine sculptures that shoot water out of their mouths. Now, there’s a new dog in town at Berczy. Rather, a new Doug in town.

Thousands have already flocked to the Toronto park to catch a glimpse of a beaver sculpture, nicknamed Doug, that is part of a new World Cup-themed contest.

The Great Beaver Quest challenges participants to locate 51 beaver statues that have been strategically placed throughout the city’s Old Town Toronto neighborhood.

“We expect that it’s going to be something that people who are coming in from out of town and looking for something to do and keep their kids busy will love to do. It’s easy to participate in,” said Robyn Posner, with the neighborhood’s Business Improvement Area.

Old Town is about 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) from Toronto Stadium, which will host six World Cup matches, when the host nation takes on Bosnia and Herzegovina.

With city officials estimating 300,000 visitors coming to Toronto during the three-week Cup run, Posner said the Beaver Hunt can provide both an enjoyable diversion and serve as a way to get to know the area and its businesses.

“The goal was to draw people to this area, to come and experience what it’s like being in Old Town and to meet up with some like-minded people,” she said.

Forty-eight of the nearly 4-feet-high (1.2-meters) resin fiberglass beavers represent the nations competing in the World Cup, each hand-painted by a local artist. Doug represents Canada and sports a Canadian-influenced soccer uniform layered beneath a red flannel shirt.

The other 50 beavers are situated throughout Old Town—in parks, along sidewalks, and even indoors, with the Norway beaver staring out the window from inside an office building lobby.

The beavers are accompanied by a QR code that takes participants to a free digital scavenger hunt.

Still, why exactly did Old Town Toronto BIA officials decide to center their contest around dam-building rodents? “Well, because it’s Canada’s national animal, and we thought they were super cute,” Posner said. “And they’re small enough. And so, we went with the beaver.”

This article and video were provided by The Associated Press.

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[“Doug,” a beaver sculpture that represents Canada and is part of The Great Beaver Quest, standing beyond a fountain in Berczy Park]

[Doug]

Robyn Posner (interview): “So, behind me is one of our beavers that we had created by a local artist.”

[Person walking by catches a glance of the beaver representing Iraq]

[Person checking out the Mexico beaver]

[Child ascending some steps to get a better look at the beaver representing the U.S.]

Robyn Posner (interview): “This one, which we’ve named Doug, is the Canadian beaver. There is a beaver for each of the countries that qualified. So, there are 48 beavers all around Old Town Toronto celebrating the world’s biggest soccer match and also three extra ones.”

[Doug’s foot resting atop a maple leaf-branded soccer ball with the contest’s QR code visible]

[Person sitting in front of Doug]

[Contest information printed on a sign near the USA beaver]

Robyn Posner (interview): “There’s a QR code just below on Doug’s sign, and that takes you to a scavenger hunt so that you can go and find all the beavers and learn about the area and compete with other people. And then we do prizes every week for the one who has the highest score and also a random draw.”

[Pedestrians walking past Union Station]

[The CN Tower]

[People walking through Berczy Park]

Robyn Posner (interview): “So, the goal was to draw people to this area, to come and experience what it’s like being in Old Town and to meet up with some like-minded people.”

[Beaver representing Uruguay standing in the lobby of an office building]

Robyn Posner (interview): “So, some of the beavers, about half of them, are located within businesses, and half of them are in public realm.”

[Norway beaver facing an office building’s exterior window]

Robyn Posner (interview): “Well, because it’s Canada’s national animal, and we thought they were super cute. And they’re small enough. And so, we went with the beaver.”

[People walking past the Union Station sign]

[Beaver representing all the World Cup nations standing inside Union Station]

Robyn Posner (interview): “With this wonderful, whimsical experience of finding the beavers, I think it adds a little extra onto the experience.”

[The Iraq beaver]

[Beaver representing America]

[Doug standing guard in Berczy Park]

Robyn Posner (interview): “The participation in The Great Beaver Quest scavenger hunt is free. We expect that it’s going to be something that people who are coming in from out of town and looking for something to do and keep their kids busy will love to do. It’s easy to participate in.”

[People congregating around an oversized installation in Nathan Phillips Square]

[Passerby patting on its head a beaver representing Portugal]

This script was provided by The Associated Press.