About Us
Some mascots are made in mascot studios, others in mascot factories.
We’re in the studio. We draft the patterns, sculpt the heads, pick out the furs, fabric and foams, then we stitch it all together. That’s what makes us professional mascot makers. We know how to bring all of the parts together to make a dynamic, compelling mascot.
Started in a Garage in Berkeley
AvantGarb began life in 1986 in Jennifer Q Smith’s Berkeley, California garage.
The first mascot we made was a giant Chocolate Chip Cookie for a teensy cookie company in Berkeley. The second mascot we made was an astronaut for Hewlett-Packard. a giant tech company.
We still make mascots for giant, worldwide companies and teensy regional ones.
Out of the Garage
We quickly grew out of the garage and moved to sport-centric Indianapolis.
We now have:
- lots of square feet,
- bunches of sewing machines – one of them a treadle,
- giant work tables on wheels,
- rolls and rolls of fuzz, fabric and foam
- and a gang of brilliant mascot makers, know as the Mascot Mavens
Besides Honorary Degrees in Silliness and Non-Specific Engineering, our creative team blends skills in costume design, theater, cabaret, puppetry, and pattern drafting. And we have master stitchers who courageously stitch thru foam, fur, fabric & fleece
Our raison d’etre at Avant Garb Mascots is the to bring loyalty, joy and goodwill to your brand, school, team and event with magnificent mascots!
