Big Mascots & Big Costumes
What have we been doing recently at Avant Garb Mascots? Well —- We just finished making the Dukes Mayonnaise mascot, Tubby.
If you watched the Dukes Classic, you saw Tubby movin’ & groovin’ across the field
Tubby was a hugely satisfying mascot to make. We were delighted that the marketing & design team that conceived Tubby chose Avant Garb to bring their idea to life —and, of course Duke’s Mayonnaise has an innovative marketing team.
All in all, it was a great ride!
The mascot adventure usually begins with and email. Hancock Health had a sweet drawing of an orange frog and they wanted a Hank the Frog mascot.
Here at Avant Garb Mascots, we got busy designing the mascot.
We picked out some nice, soft, durable fabrics for Hank. We started making patterns for Hank’s frog’s body, sculpting the head and forming the feet.
…and, after attending to all of the details —-and its all details, Hancock Health has a mascot for events, health initiatives and sponsorship opportunities —and mascot they can be proud of that represents care, integrity and—well— fun!
©jennifer Smith/AvantGarb Inc 2021
Nobody thinks about soybean videos – we do! – Click below the pics.
We’ve made a few Soybean mascots. The very 1st was Bennie the Bean for Indiana Soybean growers. Bennie has shown up at the Indiana State Fair, as well as Indiana Soybean events for over 20 years. He’s even made a few music video!
A few years after we made Bennie, we designed and made Simon the Soybean for Missouri Soybean Growers. Simon hangs out at Busch Stadium where the Cardinals play. He runs a race with corn & a pig at every home game.
Our most recent Soybean is Suzie Soybean for North Dakota Soy Bean Growers. Suzie represents Soybean Growers at events throughout North Dakota. She was even featuresd on the cover of N.D Soybean Magazine!
The mascot makers at Avant Garb know a lot about soy beans.
Jennifer Q Smith is the Queen of Fuzz at Avant Garb, a company that designs and builds mascots for teams, universities and corporations throughout the country. She has been making, wearing and analyzing costumes, wearable art, street wear and mascots all of her life. Even as a 4 year old, she donned her cowgirl outfit, strapped on her holster and hopped on her stick horse to patrol the neighborhood. She was part of the wearable art movement in the 70’s with Friends of the Rag in Seattle.
She wore her site-specific costumes on NYC streets. Her wearable art pieces have been shown at the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian, at MoMA exhibitions and at PS1, where she was a Studio Artist. Jennifer Q has been married forever and has 2 always fascinating daughters.
I had been designing and making costumes for art performances and for theater in Seattle, NYC and San Francisco. When I started Avant Garb, my plan was to design costumes for avant garde theater.
However, a small, chocolate chip cookie company in Berkeley asked me to make a giant cookie for them. Making the cookie changed my outlook, and I altered my plan. The day after it was finished the Chocolate Chip Cookie mascot, was on the front page of the S.F. Chronicle. I thought that was pretty exciting. That was the beginning of Avant Garb – Mascot Makers.
What was your first “mascot’? |
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Several years before the Chocolate Chip Cookie, I was with a costume and performance group in Seattle named, “Friends of the Rag”. We were commissioned to create costumes and a performance for the opening of the opening of the Seattle Aquarium in 1977. I designed and wore a costume called, the “Sexy Salmon” It was a big hit. That was it for me! |
Following the Sexy Salmon, I made a black velvet “Formal Clarinet” for the Seattle Symphony. Joan Mondale, the Vice President’s wife came to Seattle to see a Friends of the Rag performance. I was wearing the Clarinet. I later met Joan Mondale in DC, at another Friends of the Rag production. I told her that last time we had met, I was a clarinet. She said, “I remember”.
It takes a million hours to make a mascot. We sculpt the head and cover it with fabric and fur, make the patterns for the body, the muscles, big belly, giant head, legs, arms, tails that boing and really big mascot shoes. Yikes! Yes, there are detail, details, details – like eyebrows, painting the eyes, making sure there is plenty of vision ( which needs to be hidden) and ventilation ( also hidden)…. and claws and clothing and logos. Yup, it takes a million hours.
The performer’s safety is always at the front of my mind. We work hard to give performers good, stable vision. That means, there is an athletic helmet that is secured inside the mascot head. Sometimes the hardest part about making the head is placing the helmet so that the performer has good, stable vision. We also put air vents in the head. Air needs to circulate so the performer can breathe. We have engineered mascot shoes so that the performer’s own shoes are secured into the mascot shoe. Nobody likes to wear someone else’s sweaty shoes. Mascot performers shouldn’t have to either. We send each mascot out with its own Mascot Manual so clients know how to care for their mascot.
Mascots are a public spectacle. They are for children and adults. When a mascot shows up, we all know we’re going to have fun. Mascots create community. Strangers connect when a mascot is present. Mascots are for everyone.
Everybody asks about Barf-Boy. He was a mascot for a children’s biology exhibit named, “Grossology.” Grossology was about everything that is disgusting about the human body – like well…barf.
We made 5 Barf-Boys for exhibits in Children’s Science Museums all around the country. He’s pretty great, isn’t he?!
The exciting news about Avant Garb is that we are a company in the United States that makes things by hand. We make it by hand, people can touch it, interact with it, have their picture taken with it. Yet, mascots are of the moment. They interact with us in our physical world and they are present in our digital world.
And the mascots become part of the fabric of all of our lives. Everyone has hugged a mascot, had their picture taken with a mascot, laughed at a mascot’s antics or turned to that stranger and talked about the mascot. The mascot and the team, product, event they represent has become part of the story that connects all of us.
I kinda believe mascots could bring world peace. It would be a goofy world peace, but what the heck!
I love making mascots – flocks of mascots, herds of mascots, multitudes of mascots!
A Grocery Bag MascotThe Kroger Grocery Bag Mascot was a delicious project! The Bag is named, “Big K”. He’s a bounitiful Bag w/ a nice bowtie & a bevy of glorious groceries.
We designed the Kroger products to have an animated look with simple graphics and the Kroger logo.
All of the Kroger logos are placed at the top of the grocery boxes, cans, bags, bottles and jars. It to appear as a kind of “crown” of Kroger products.
Produce!Figuring out the patterns for celery and bananas was a challenge and we were up to it.
The celery and bananas are an added visual delight to an already awesome mascot!
Big K, the Kroger grocery bag mascot, is a diplomat, Kroger’s representative at events that matter in the community like parades, charitable runs, festival. there are dozens of event where Big K, the Grocery Bag presence enhances the brand.
Thinking about getting a mascot for your brand? Get in touch
In the world of branded mascots, when the mascots stand together, they should appear as an enduring, united force.
Kellogg’s does it well with Tony the Tiger, Toucan Sam & Snap Crackle & Pop mascots, They even got together to speak out against bullying.
We make mascots for IUPUI (Indiana University,Purdue University in Indianapolis) mascots when they stand together, they have force of personality. When all the IU mascots stand together, they should appear as that united, enduring force.
We also make Rufus, the mascot for IUEast, part of the Indiana University system of schools. When Rufus stands with the IUPUI mascots, they they all look equally strong
A mascot is an important marketing tool for schools. It is how people identify themselves, maintain school spirit.
The mascots in the IU system of schools look formidable. They send the same message of great education and strength. They are a force.
Branded mascots represent their specific school, cereal, restaurant, gizmo or gadget. When banded together they are a force of mascots, a troupe, a united front for the brand.
Strengthen your brand with mascots. Get in touch with the Mascot Mavens at AvantGarb.
Wanna talk mascots? Give a call: 317-423-2276
©Jennifer Smith 2017
