TORONTO — Four-foot-tall rodents have taken over downtown Toronto. Some lurk under trees, while others peer through office tower windows or stand guard near busy intersections.

It’s hard to miss these colourful beaver statues with wide grins and a soccer ball clutched under their right paw if you happen to stroll through the eastern downtown neighbourhood of Old Town Toronto. The installations are a part of an artistic scavenger hunt running as Canada’s largest city prepares to host World Cup soccer matches this week.

And no two beavers look the same.

One wears the Brazilian flag. Another is painted with a view of the Toronto skyline. And yet another sports the classic red-and-black Canadian plaid.

In total, there are 51 distinct beaver sculptures across a tourist-friendly part of downtown near St. Lawrence Market and the Hockey Hall of Fame. Forty-eight of them are a nod to the countries represented in the FIFA World Cup. Two others are to welcome the world, while one celebrates the vibrant neighbourhood.

The toothy totems may bring to mind similar public art projects, notably the Moose in the City project that saw Toronto host hundreds of life-sized, decorated moose statues in 2000.

Each of the beavers was hand-painted by artists with roots or other connections to those participating countries, said Al Smith, executive director of the Old Town Toronto Business Improvement Area, which is behind the project.

“The inspiration for their designs came from many places: family stories, experiences and for some, through research,” he said.

Ceramic artist Chloe Begg, who also holds Swiss citizenship, was inspired by a handmade map of Switzerland and the Alps from the 1800s, which captured the country’s landscape with manual triangulations.

“I wanted to lean on that idea of this culture of exactitude and precision that the Swiss are known for, but also the rigorousness in their work,” she said. It also speaks to her style as an artist dedicated to clean lines and shapes.

The result is a piece with clean-cut lines alluding to satellite imagery or map-like shapes with bright colours.

For Tetyana Bibik, the language and diverse culture of Ecuador inspired her design.

“There’s symbolism throughout,” Bibik said. The beaver is holding the country’s national flower, chuquiragua. There are references to the Galapagos and the Andes, while the colours chosen resemble the country’s national flag. She also painted Indigenous symbols on the beaver’s arm to look like tattoos.

Though Bibik doesn’t have family roots in Ecuador, she has travelled across South America and speaks Spanish.

As Toronto gears up to host thousands of tourists for the city’s six World Cup soccer matches, Smith said the Great Beaver Quest was an opportunity to welcome people to Old Toronto.

Each statue has a QR code linking viewers to a scavenger hunt sign-up. Participants can earn points by completing challenges and have a chance to win gift cards to local businesses.

“I want everyone to go out and do it,” Smith said. “Our national animal is coming to Old Town Toronto.

“We want people to have fun doing this.”

The quest will run until Aug. 16, with weekly winners announced every Monday, while the grand prizes for those with the highest points earned will be picked at the end of the scavenger hunt.

So far, Smith said more than 4,200 people have played the quest and roughly 52,000 challenges have been completed.

Asked for hints, Smith only said not to confine searches to outdoor sites.

“We can’t tell you where to find them. You need to go on the scavenger hunt,” Smith said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 9, 2026.