The hardest working porcupine in Canada

In the wild, porcupines have as many as 30,000 quills.

In the PACHI costume, the porcupine has 41 colourful quills: one for each Pan Am country.

The ubiquitous PACHI is the official mascot of the 2015 Pan Am and Parapan Am Games, and has been working events across southern Ontario for several months.

The porcupine motif was chosen in 2013 from among six finalists; porcupine, bear, owl, raccoon, moose and twins. “Team Porcupine” has created a “bio” of PACHI at toronto2015.org/mascot.

He wears a bracelet on his right hand symbolizing the Pan Am Games and one on his left for the Parapan Am Games. He, like real porcupines, is visually impaired.

Porcupines can be found in nearly half (20) of the Pan Am countries.

A mascot not only symbolizes the spirit of the Games, but attracts children to the event, and can be responsible for as much as one-third of licensing revenue.