Big Mascots & Big Costumes

Archives for November 2015

Strategic Plan for your Mascot Program

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A mascot program is more than putting an intern in a mascot and hoping for the best. Like all marketing programs, a strategic plan for your mascot program is essential. After all, mascots are the true warm fuzzies of marketing.

PhanaticAt AvantGarb, we do the design and creation the actual, physical mascot.

For imagining and implementing an intriguing, compelling, playful, and targeted mascot program/strategy/vision, we call on my friend and colleague, Dave Raymond, The Mascot Doctor.

Dave is the founder of modern mascoting.

Way back in the day, he was the one who gave the Phillie Phanatic attitude, vulnerability and a wonderful lovability — mixed with a wee bit of the really obnoxious. Dave is the guy who made the Phillie Phanatic human.

We spent 3 days with Dave and his crew, the Raymond Entertainment Group (REG), when they did mascot auditioning and  training for J.J. Jumper, the offiJJ Jumpercial mascot for the NCAA. I was impressed.

Mascot Strategy

As the Mascot Doctor, Raymond Entertainment has successfully shown clients how to:

  • raise awareness within their marketplace
  • promote their organization through entertainment.
  • deliver customized character-branding programs that are tailored to specific goals and resources.
  • The cast at Raymond Entertainment Group is a forward-thinking, ground-breaking, money-making fun machine!

Are you thinking about a mascot? Don’t know where to start?

Get in touch. We’ll make the connection happen.

 

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©Jennifer Smith/AvantGarb Inc 2015

Mascot Haute Couture

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In the beginning….image

The original plan was to design costumes for avant-garde theater, thus the name, AvantGarb. Making mascots wasn’t part of the plan until a teensy cookie company called. They wanted a cookie mascot. The cookie company’s mascot appeared on the front page of the SF Chronicle when the giant food & dessert trade show rolled into town, That cookie got me hooked on mascots. I changed the business plan. That was in 1986.

The next mascot was Captain HP for Hewlett Packard!

AvantGarb  is one of just a handful of custom mascot-making companies. We’re headquartered in Indianapolis.

Mascot making is an artisanal business. Patterns are drafted, foam is sculpted, ears are placed and eyelids are sewn onto hand painted eyes. If a mascot is a big, muscular guy, those big muscles are created with fabric, and foam and all of it is sewn together.

…and don’t forget the shoes

We’ve made several generations of TiVo mascots  On the outside, TiVo looks the same, but my, oh my has the interior structure changed. From basic PVC pipes to a sleek, light-weight aluminum structure that comes apart for shipping and clicks together when TiVo makes appearances. We call it Mascotology.

Mascots cost $5000 – $25000 each.

This is what some people have said:

“Ten years ago we searched for someone who could produce a high-quality, fun mascot.

The first TiVoGuy was born and 4 generations later, he (and his newer relatives) are stillTiVoWashSqNYCbringing joy to TV fans everywhere.  Nobody does smiles better than AvantGarb!”  Bard Williams, Director, Marketing, TiVo Inc.

Grand Rapids Griff“Jennifer and the rest of her “groovy” staff at AvantGarb have been a pleasure to work with over the years.  The quality, and service that goes with it can’t be matched in the industry.  Much love from Grand Rapids!” Rich Meyers, Director of Game Operations,

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©Jennifer Smith/AvantGarb Inc 2016