Take PACHI Home for the Holidays

Official plush mascot among TORONTO 2015 Games merchandise now on sale at TORONTO2015.org and select Ontario retail locations

TORONTO, Dec. 5, 2013 /CNW/ - Ontario's busiest and most popular mascot — PACHI the porcupine — is now available as a huggable and collectable plush animal at select retail stores as well as the official online store at TORONTO2015.org in time for the holidays.

The plush PACHI was officially unveiled today at Toronto's iconic CN Tower by wheelchair basketball player Tyler Miller, a Paralympic gold medallist and Parapan Am medallist, and Rosie MacLennan, an Olympic, Pan Am and world champion trampolinist.

The plush licensee is Northern Gifts of Burnaby, BC, a 25-year-old company best known for producing the phenomenally successful plush mascots for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

In addition to the official online store, CN Tower Gift Shop and other retail locations, PACHI will be available for purchase at 10 pop-up stores at select Loblaws® and Real Canadian Superstore® locations in Ontario for the next three weekends, starting this Saturday, December 7. For a list of participating locations, please see below.

"Since PACHI was introduced to the world five months ago, he's visited more than 12,000 children at schools throughout southern Ontario and made over 200 appearances," said Ian Troop, chief executive officer of the TORONTO 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games Organizing Committee (TO2015).

"He's been treated like a rock star and now his fans can take PACHI home with them," he added. "Plush mascots are always highly desirable collectables from Games and we expect PACHI to sell out in this first limited run in time for the holidays."

The plush toy, which retails for $24.99 at TORONTO2015.org, replicates PACHI perfectly in miniature form, from his 41 soft colourful quills to his yellow baseball cap and friendly smile. The PACHI plush is available in a standing (28 centimetres) or sitting (22 centimetres) form.

The first plush mascots for sale were placed on store shelves at the CN Tower today by the athletes and local children. Both Miller and MacLennan also helped unveil the mascot on July 17 at CBC Kids' Days.

The young creators behind the mascot — Fiona Hong, Michelle Ing, Paige Kunihiro and Jenny Lee — will be presented with their mascots in their hometown of Markham, Ontario, on Saturday, December 7.

The teenagers created the colourful porcupine as part of a Grade 8 class project at Buttonville Public School. PACHI was then selected from the more than 4,000 entries submitted by groups of young Canadians, and was also the favourite in an online voting contest that received more than 33,000 votes.

Other TORONTO 2015 Games apparel and souvenirs are also now available at TORONTO2015.org and select retailers in southern Ontario. The products, which include T-shirts, mugs and ball caps, range in price from $6.99 to $89.99. More products will be added in the coming months. The official online store at TORONTO2015.org is available in French and English.

TO2015 Names Official Licensees
In addition to Northern Gifts, TO2015 has selected four other key official licensees for the TORONTO 2015 Games through a request for proposals process. They are:

• Trimark Sportswear Group of Richmond Hill, Ontario, was a licensee for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. The company is responsible for TO2015's colourful and high-performance quality Games apparel and accessories, including baseball caps, T-shirts and hoodies.
  
  
• The Pin People of Regina, a leading supplier of pins since the Calgary 1988 Olympic Winter Games, will produce the highly collectable pins found at every Games.
  
  
• Staples Promotional Products of Mississauga, Ontario, is providing Games-branded corporate premiums to TO2015 and its partners. The company is also hosting TO2015's official online store at TORONTO2015.org.
  
  
• Promotion Resource Group of Oakville, Ontario, will be providing Games-branded corporate premiums to TO2015 and its partners.
  
  

The licensees selected showcased exemplary creative design, a commitment to high-quality products and the experience needed for unique Games-time merchandising logistics. Full product lines are under development for rollout now through to the summer of 2015.

The Loblaws® and Real Canadian Superstore® locations where shoppers can purchase PACHI for a limited time are:

Please note the pop-up stores are open Saturdays and Sundays from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. for the next three weekends, until December 22, 2013.

Loblaws® Store Locations:
Toronto:	Loblaws® store at Maple Leaf Gardens*, 60 Carlton Street
Markham:	Loblaws®, 200 Bullock Drive
Real Canadian Superstore® Locations:
Toronto:	Real Canadian Superstore®, 825 Don Mills Road
	Real Canadian Superstore®, 1755 Brimley Road
Ajax:	Real Canadian Superstore®, 30 Kingston Road West
Brampton:	Real Canadian Superstore®, 85 Steeles Avenue West
Milton:	Real Canadian Superstore®, 820 Main Street East
Mississauga:	Real Canadian Superstore®, 3045 Mavis Road
Oshawa:	Real Canadian Superstore®, 1385 Harmony Road North
St.  Catharines:	Real Canadian Superstore®, 411 Louth Street

*Reg'd. TM Lic'd Use.

About TO2015

The TORONTO 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games Organizing Committee (TO2015) is tasked with the responsibility of planning, managing and delivering the Games. Its mission is to ignite the spirit through a celebration of sport and culture. The TORONTO 2015 Pan American Games will take place July 10−26 and the Parapan American Games August 7-14.

The 2015 Games are funded by the Government of Canada, the Province of Ontario, as well as other partners and sponsors. CIBC is the Lead Partner of the Games.

For more information about the Games, please visit TORONTO2015.org.

Image with caption: "PACHI is the official mascot of the TORONTO 2015 Games. The brand new PACHI plush is available in standing form (28 cm) or sitting (22 cm). (CNW Group/Toronto 2015 Pan/Parapan American Games)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20131205_C7958_PHOTO_EN_34507.jpg

Image with caption: "Gearing up for the Games with the PACHI plush and official Games' apparel. Showing off the new merchandise is Crispin Duenas, Olympian and two-time Pan Am silver medallist, archery; and Rosie MacLennan, Olympic, World Championship and Pan Am gold medallist, trampoline. (CNW Group/Toronto 2015 Pan/Parapan American Games)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20131205_C7958_PHOTO_EN_34505.jpg

Image with caption: "Rosie MacLennan and Ian Troop help fill the retail shelves at the CN Tower gift shop with the first available PACHI plush. Shown here are (from left to right) Rosie MacLennan, Olympic, World Championship and Pan Am gold medallist, trampoline; Ian Troop, chief executive officer, TO2015; PACHI, the official mascot of the TORONTO 2015 Games; and PACHI's helpers. (CNW Group/Toronto 2015 Pan/Parapan American Games)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20131205_C7958_PHOTO_EN_34564.jpg

SOURCE: Toronto 2015 Pan/Parapan American Games

Sylvia Kavanagh
Senior manager, media relations
TO2015
416.957.2242
[email protected]