Big Mascots & Big Costumes

Mascot Musings Archive

Mascots, the Coronavirus & the Stock Market

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Although It’s Bad, The Sun Will Shine Again

Jazzy Jaguar – IUPUI

Nobody’s buying anything.

Nobody’s going anywhere.

Every place is closed – schools, restaurants, churches, the gym, hair salons.

San Francisco is in lock-down, NYC is worse.

Broadway is closed.

The stock market is headed to the basement.

The coronavirus is on the loose.

Although it’s bad right now, the sun will shine again.

Your Mascot Is Your Most Valuable Asset

Wally Wabash – Wabash College – a strong mascot!

Your mascot cuts through the anxiety and keeps the conversation active between you and your target audience. – probably through social media. In these high anxiety times, your mascot may be your most valuable asset.

Yes, we need to speak frankly about the danger we are facing, we need to be prepared.

We also need to express the love we have for each other and the companies and organizations that lift us up and make our lives better.

That’s the Mascot’s Job

The mascot is the bridge that unites you with the fans, students & customers.

The mascot advocates for the fans and is the most ardent and loyal fan of the team, the school, the organization and the product.

Yes, it feels like everything is closed, but we need to keep joy alive —and that is the mascot’s job.

When schools open, the mascot will greet the students back to the campus. After living through the coronavirus and the stock market crash, students and parents will need to be reassured that the school is liquid enough to provide a great education and a rich campus experience. The mascot needs to look good.

When times are good, the mascot can look a little raggedy because the world looks pretty good.

When times are tough, the mascot is a super-hero, and superheroes look good and put on a brave front.

Making mascots is important work. We don’t take it on lightly. They bring joy to the world.

We’re strong mascot makers. We’re up to the job

Let’s connect and discuss big things!

Say Hello

©Jennifer Smith 2020

9 Reasons to Get a Custom Mascot Costume

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Why get a big bundle of fuzz and foam with a big head? 

1. Mascots are media magnets. No matter how good-looking and socially savvy your marketing people are, they will not get the attention a mascot gets by just showing up.

Rowdie - Veteran's Day

2. You posted a photo of your kid (or your mom, grandma, boyfriend, uncle) dancing with a mascot. You’re probably going to buy the product, go to the game, consider the college, attend the event.

3. You have an amazing, custom-made mascot. Your competition has a brochure. ‘Nuff said.

4. A mascot is a diplomat, your representative at events that matter in the community like parades, charitable runs, festival. You can probably name a dozen event where a mascot’s presence would enhance your brand.

Griff – Griffins Hockey

5. When a mascot shows up, everyone knows they’re gonna have fun.

6. …and there’s mascot merchandising. Get bobbleheads, plushes, hoodies, caps.Mascot Merchandising -bobble heads & plushesMarketing and the revenue pool is much bigger than just the mascot. When people wear your image – or sleep with your mascot —I mean the snuggly, plush toy of your mascot!!!! —-you have made a lasting bond.

7. Mascots are the true, real life, totally interactive social media.

8. Mascots are Brand Awareness Monsters.

9.  Mascots promote goodwill for your brand because they bring people together in a community around the mascot. It’s a kind of accidental Flash Mob community. Mascots are the true warm fuzzies of marketing.

 Join the fun!  Let’s talk about your mascot.

Mascot Makers, Designers, Experts & Know-It-Alls

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From Idea to Mascot & BEYOND!!!

We’re with you from from concept to design to finished mascot. We can also guide you with your mascot strategic plan, mascot training and mascot safety.

There’s a whole world of mascot trainers, advisors, designers and performers who are also part of our world. We consult with them on a variety of projects almost daily.

We’re mascot know-it-alls

Need a custom mascot? Get in touch.

Adorable Crew

We’re a pretty adorable crew. The gaggle of mascot makers at AvantGarb are loaded with talent. That’s Annie at the top of the page. She’s sitting on her favorite high-heeled shoe chair to attach a wheel to a truck mascot. She’s one of the Magnificent Mascot Mavens.

Queen of Fuzz

I head the crew of mascot experts. On my biz cards I’m the Queen of Fuzz. I started Avant Garb in my Berkeley, CA garage in 1986.

Mascots were just inching their way into the culture when Avant Garb started making them. They were so new, I had to invent ways to make them. We’re still inventing.

Master of Mascotology

Annie is the studio manager, and she’s in charge of shoes and accessories. In Mascotland, tails are accessories. She’s also my daughter. She has been hanging around mascots since she was a toddler.

We awarded her a special, Mascot of Mascotology degree

Puppets, Video & the Over-head Projector

Mike’s background is puppets, video & the over-head projector – yes, really! In his hands, the over-head projector is an art form & it’s hilarious! Turns out those are great skills to have in the mascot studio

Fuzz Whiz

Tonie was on the Phantom of the Opera Costume Road Crew for a year. She also grew up in costume shops. Her mother was a designer. She knows how to put all the foam, fuzz & fabric together.

Lucky us! Tonie also works backstage on many of the big shows that come through town so we sometimes get great stories of stars backstage.

Robotics, Sound and Lights

David is our lights, robotics & sound guy. If the mascot needs some sort of battery & sequential lights or some moving part that needs to be manipulated remotely, David knows how to do it. He is, indeed, a wizard!

Let’s connect and discuss big things!

Say Hello

©Jennifer Smith 2018

With Mascots it’s ROI and ROL (Return on Loyalty)

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We are all looking for the Return on Investment (ROI). There are ways to measure ROI, Mascot are rarely understood as a factor in ROI. The mascot falls into that great unknown category called, “other”.

Think about a mascot as ROL – Return on Loyalty

Rather than having museum guards shoo children out of the Children’s Museum at closing time, the children joyfully skip out of the museum.

At 4:45, every afternoon, starting from the top floor of the museum, Rex leads a parade of children with flags and noise-makers down a circular ramp and out the front door of the museum.

There are many children who beg to go to the museum just for the Rex Parade. There have been numerous memberships purchased because of that 15 minutes at the end of the day.

It’s loyalty to the mascot that keeps the children coming back for the parade. ROL=ROI

A bank has it’s mascot at a community baseball game. The place is filled with families. The parents take a photo of their children hugging the mascot. Where will that family go when they are looking for a mortgage?

We were told the mascot we made for a bank made double their money back within the first 45 minutes it was introduced. ROI=ROL

Big Al – Allison Transmission

A company wants to connect with their community. They have a mascot. The mascot heads out to festivals, games, fairs and holiday events. The mascot mimes, wiggles and high fives through the crowd. The mascot symbolizes goodwill toward the community. With a mascot present, the company or organization becomes part of the life of the community. ROL

Babies are given stuffed animals of the mascot from the parent’s alma mater. ROL + ROI

ROL – the mascot Returns on Loyalty over and over again

LowesChicken
Cooper – Lowes Foods

A grocery store has a very visible mascot. it is at stores and at every community event. the mascot is around so-o-o-o much, the families and children love seeing the mascot and mascot performer is terrific – of course they buy their groceries from the store that has the mascot.

Get a custom mascot and punch up your ROL!

Let’s connect!!!

 ©Jennifer Smith 2017

Racing Presidents – Not Just for the Ballpark

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Racing President - George Mason University

Racing Presidents

Racing Presidents aren’t just for the ballpark. A racing president is a way to celebrate new leadership, bring characters in history to life in a BIG BIG way and strengthen a sponsorship message.

Dr. Angel CabrerraThe planners of festivities welcoming Dr. Angel Cabrerra as president of George Mason angel drawing colored in 2University, asked AvantGarb to create a big-headed racing president in Cabrerra’s likeness.

Here’s the video

 Have some BIG FUN!

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Mascot Muscles

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Sir C.C.Tattoo - Cleveland Cavs

Pumped up mascots!

SirCC w/ TattooFirst Sir CC, the mascot for the Cleveland Cavaliers, got the really fabulous muscles. Then he got the really cool tattoo.

Making Mascot Muscles is an art. It takes astounding pattern drafting skills, super-hero sewing skills, a bunch of the right kind of foam – foam that can be washed in a washing machine and keep it’s shape.

At AvantGarb, we lo-o-o-o-ve making muscles and we love modeling our work, too

Here’s a huge muscle mascot arm & Wally Wabash, the mascot we made the arms for!

Wally Wabash Muscles/Laura

Wally#1

…and then there is Viktor the Viking for Niles Schools, a very handsome mascot.

IMG_1835

….and an awfully strong bear named Brutus, for Bellevue University – his eyes light up.Brutus

Check out the video! https://youtu.be/k10a7hhScXY

…and here’s a strong dog, LEO the Lab for Law Enforcement Against Drugs in NJ.

IMG_1959 Do you need a big, strong mascot, a mascot with muscles? for your school? organization? team? event? product? video game? We know how to make mascots with muscles!

Thinking about getting a mascot?

What comes next/ Mascots in a Post Pandemic World

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Even during the quarantines and the pandemic, the mascots reach out to us with —well—goofy joy. Like us, the mascots have adjusted. They are totally get social media. They grooved with ZOOM. They easily interact with fans, students and customers no matter what the circumstances.

They are with us in on our screens, our homes.

When we all come out of our homes to explore the ever-changing new normal, the mascots will be there to greet us.

Stay in touch with each other, wear a mask and connect with your favorite mascots.

xo Queen of Fuzz and the Mascot Makers

https://twitter.com/i/status/1243721675797073928

Let’s connect and discuss big things!

Say Hello

©Jennifer Smith/Avant Garb Inc. 2020

Mascots Are Brand Awareness Monsters!

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They are BIG, somewhat unmanageable, but also fun and exciting. They are MASCOTS! Mascots are also Brand Awareness Monsters.

Think of mascots as enthusiastic community liaisons who represent your brand in very public places.

Lives change in the presence of a mascot:

Victor E Bull the mascot for U. Buffalo
  • Say you’re looking at a couple of schools. Both are terrific schools. At one school, the mascot shows up to greet the potential students. You take a selfie with the mascot and go to the bookstore to pick up a plush of the mascot. You’re already invested in the school culture.
  • Or you’re at a sporting event and turn to the person next to you and say “Holy cow! I love that mascot!”  and that comment leads to a new romance or a lifelong friendship.

Both scenarios are monster events. Something BIG happened because a mascot was present.

BIG, Somewhat Unmanageable & Fun

You’ve probably seen the Geico Gecko. The mascot is a Brand Awareness Monster for GEICO. The Geico Gecko has brought big, somewhat unmanageable attention to their brand and it’s been really fun and exciting, too.

Many have switched to the brand because they like the mascot.

We all know, Disney uses mascots brilliantly. Who doesn’t recognize Mickey, Minnie, Pluto and Donald. They have lead million to Disney parks, theater, movies and products.

Mascots are powerful. They represent the brand’s true desire interact with their community.

Mascots are Enthusiastic, Community Liasons

Community is formed around mascots. That’s good for the brand, the team, the school and the world.

Thinking about getting a Brand Awareness Mascot?

We’ve been making mascots since before they were a “thing”. We will work with you on design and bring the mascot to life in our mascot studio,

Let’s connect!


A Truck Mascot with Blinking Lights!

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https://youtu.be/fgzNUQx0d9Y

An “Ooooh & Aah” Truck Video Video 

We made a Truck mascot named, Safety Sammy, for Trucking Moves America Forward (TMAF). It has lights that turn on & they blink! The video above is one of our “ooh & aah” studio videos.

We worked closely with the visioneers at Story Partners on this mascot. First, our designer made several, custom, character designs. With an approved design we moved onto mascot creation – bringing the Safety Sammy the Truck, to life.

Standing Around a Work Table & Making Plans

There are lots of parts and plans that had to come together to make a big, big mascot like this one. We stood around a worktable in the mascot studio, talking through the process. To clarify our ideas, we made lo tech, simple, pencil sketches. 

We knew what the truck would look like because we had the character design. We had to figure out what the interior structure would look like and what it needed to do.

The Truck has an intense inner structure, that we designed, engineered & built  just as dazzling as the truck’s exterior.

That inner structure is lightweight. It includes:

  • An intuitive harness so the performer can move safely through venues.
  •  Interior handles so the performer can give the mascot personality with signature moves.
  • Visible & simple controls for the the light features.
  • Terrific vision for the performer.

This mascot was an exciting challenge.

We were up to the challenge, because we are always up to the challenge.

We have high, high standards and the knowledge, talent and vision to grab hold of the fabric, fur, fuzz and foam. We sculpt, sew, engineer and wire in the technology.

Need a mascot with razzle dazzle – We know how to do it!

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Flocks, Herds, Multitudes of Mascots – The Queen Of Fuzz Talks Mascots

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Jennifer Smith interview  – for Indiana’s Got Talent blog

JQSmith- Queen of Fuzz - AvantGarb Mascot Makers

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.Quote button

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.

David Boyer interview with Jennifer Smith 

How did Avant Garb first come into being?

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’?
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”.

There must be so much meticulous detail in creating one of your mascots. How long does it usually take to complete one? Or does that depend on the character involved?

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.

Is there a lot more involved in one of these costumes than meets the eye? I mean, are there certain safety and health requirements that have to be met?

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.

Have you found that just as many adults enjoy your work as kids?

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.

On the subject of mascots, what was “Barf-boy” used to promote? I’m sorry, with a name like that, I just had to ask. LOL

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?!

Any exciting news about Avant Garb to let us in on before you go?

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!

I believe you!
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