making mascots

Wildly Generous Mascots

November 3, 2014Leave a Comment

Be Generous!

Mascots are wildly generous. We have learned a thing or 2 about generosity and charitable giving from mascots!

We make wonderful big mascot heads and bodies. It’s a joyous business. We try to spread the joy by donating to some cool, do-good orgs.

Some cool, do-good orgs we support

We give to the Heifer Project, one of the coolest organizations I know. They give animals to people for whom an animal makes an economic difference. If you’re at a loss for what to give the person who has everything, may I suggest the Heifer Project. You can give a hive of bees, a bunch of chicks and even an ox in their name.

In the interest of promoting the arts and entrepreneurship, we are an ardent supporter of Creative Capital, and organization that promotes innovative and adventuresome artists with funding, counsel and career development.

…and we contribute to Know No Stranger – an Indianapolis artist collective who put on shows that bring a bunch of buzz, bop and WOW! They are a mish-mash of puppets, video, song, dance, animation —and oh yeah, overhead projectors!

We’ve learned a thing or 2 from mascots

You may think mascots are all about promoting the brand be it school, team, product, event or do-good organization.

…and mascot are all about promoting the brand.

They are also about strengthening connections amongst students, fans, consumers and event attenders. Mascots bring strangers together as friends. Mascots show up at public schools for dunk shows, they are front & center at charitable functions, they visit children in hospitals. They encourage runners in marathons.

Mascot promote the brand in the most personal, interactive, interspecies (mascot to person) way. Mascots go everywhere. They have no fear and they aren’t snobs, they like to mix it up with everyone.

Mascots have taught us to be wildly generous, because mascots are naturally, wildly generous.

©Jennifer Smith 2014

National Mascot Association

October 14, 20161 Comment

There are a lot of mascots running around, but there’s no central spot where mascot people can check in and come together…

….That is, until now! INTRODUCING

THE NATIONAL MASCOT ASSOCIATION

At AvantGarb, we are big fans of everything mascot. All mascots bring joy and curiosity whether they are totally fabulous, or a teensy bit ragged from age. Mascots create community for all who are near them.

As mascot makers, we like to connect with all of the people in mascotdom:

other mascot makers
mascot performers
designers
trainers – yes, really -get some training for your mascot!
the marketing people who have incredible ideas for characters.
The suppliers of the mascot stuff,
the people who dye the fabric,
the sewing machine guys,
the fabric & fuzz suppliers,
the foam suppliers
…and everyone who fills orders at McMaster-Carr.
the people who know where to get the props, Gameops.com, comes to mind,
the video people who catch the amazing mascot moments,
….and the mascot fans.

Fuzzier Together – Safer Together.

Mascots are fun, but there are serious issues that need to be addressed within the mascot world. The most important issue is safety. The NMA is compiling Mascot Safety Guidelines and Best Practices – for the performers, handlers, organizations, makers and planners.

Charging Ahead!

I hope you join as we bring the Association into being.

In 2018, we will gather, meet, chat, decide some stuff and put on little mascot shows.

…..and, well, it is a mascot organization…so there will be fuzz, foam and hilarity.

Everything changes when a mascot shows up because, when a mascot shows up, you know you’re going to have fun. Welcome to the National Mascot Association!

©Jennifer Smith 2017

Mascot Makers in the Wall Street Journal! Avant Garb Mascots

January 20, 2012Leave a Comment

Mascot Makers make the News!

When the Wall Street Journal calls, it’s great to answer the phone. That happened when the journalist, Sarah E. Needleman rang up to talk about Mascot Makers for a photo essay in the Wall Street Journal.

I was traveling the day this was to be posted. This was a true jet set experience.

Between Indianapolis & Dallas, Sarah and I traded emails and photos. During a quick layover in Dallas, the journalist, Sarah E. Needleman, and I spoke more specifically about mascot making. From Dallas to San Francisco there was more emailing of photos.

We started chatting again when I landed is San Francisco, while I picked up my luggage, and were still talking when I was getting my ticket for BART in San Francisco. The conversation finally ended as I was rumbling under the bay, riding in BART.

The time flew by!

It’s a awful lot of fun being a small biz, mascot-maker on the move.

Here’s the link: Mascot Maker

Racing Beer Can Mascots – Bud Beer Cans on Ice

January 2, 2017Leave a Comment

Budweiser Beer Cans on Ice – Beer Can Mascots

Mmmmm- cold beer on ice —even better, Racing Budweiser Beer cans on ice!

We’ve been making the Bud Beer Cans for the Grand Rapids Griffins Hockey Beer Can Race. They race around the ice, while Griff & Finn, the mascots, do everything they can to stop them from getting to the finish line. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GC5ZcdJlCng&feature=share

Grand Rapids Griffins -Beer on Ice – AvantGarb mascots

Wally Wabash – Updated College Mascot

June 4, 2016Leave a Comment

We got the call awhile ago from Wabash College. They wanted a new, updated, Wally Wabash mascot.

Alumni of Wabash College sport the special Wabash College license plate – and that license plate has a wonderful drawing of Wally.

AvantGarb is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. I’ve been seeing those plates for years and I have wanted AvantGarb to get a shot at the Wally Wabash mascot for a long time…..so, I was delighted when Wabash contacted us.

Our designer had designed Wally several years ago. When a new Wally was needed, we got the job!

Wally was a great mascot to create – muscular, big jawed, red & white striped overalls with kind of Elvis Presley-do….which means, the gang at the Garb got to make the striped fabric. Or more specifically, Wren Witting made the striped, overall fabric.…and we got to make big, muscular arms!