Pan Am Games mascot unveiled

A Japanese comic book is the inspiration for the mascot for the 2015 Pan American games.

“Pachi the Porcupine” was unveiled Wednesday after a nationwide contest was held among school children to design the character. Originally designed by four, grade 8 students at Buttonville Public School in Markham, Pachi has 41 quills — one for each country participating in the games. In Japanese “Pachi” loosely translates to “clapping with joy.”