custom mascot

Beverage Can Mascots – It’s all in the Details

January 11, 2025Leave a Comment

It’s the Pop-top that makes the beverage can mascots over-the-top adorable!

They are a kind of “Pop-Art” , an art that raises the ordinary into the extraordinary.

That is what the mascoteers at Avant Garb do. We bring an ordinary sized container into an extraordinary size of, well…..REALLY, REALLY BIG!

The Beverage Can mascots are social media stars. They give people the gift of story and the story is backed up with photos on their phone.

People take photos of friends and family w/ the GIANT cans —and because the photos of the cans are on their phones they become part of the family of friends. It becomes a personal, serendipitous, word of mouth marketing, social media event.

Mascots are experiential marketing at it’s best. The give the gift of story.

Labels for the cans are printed on heavy duty, athletic fabric – a process called dye sublimation. The colors bond with the fabric. The labels don’t fade with wear.

With an enthusiastic performer, the beverage mascot cans move, groove and interact with their enthusiastic fans.

There are many beverage choices. People who interact with the Beverage Can mascots will tell their friends and family about the can mascots. Interacting with or watching the “Pop-Top Can” mascots makes them friends. We’re not getting maudlin about this. It’s true!

When a company spends significant time and money getting an original, custom mascot to entertain and interact w/ current and future consumers, they are sending them a love letter. The company is saying. “We want to be friends “

Thinking about a mascot? Get in touch – [email protected] 317-523-6267

School Mascots – Your Students Will Love Them

January 13, 2023Leave a Comment

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.

As a college, university or high school, when you add a mascot to your program, you get more than a mascot to show up for your school’s sports programs, you also get a representative at events that matter in your community like parades, charitable runs and festivals. You can probably name a dozen of local events where your mascot’s presence would enhance your brand. Your mascot will interact with students, their families and create media opportunities.

How do I choose a school mascot?

You might already have made the decision to get a custom mascot for your school, and now you wonder where to go from here. We will guide you. we will be with you from the teensiet germ of and idea until the completion of a wonderful mascot that will walk with you, in front of you and tickle your fancy

Avant Garb can help guide you through the process. Starting from just the school name, logo or team name, or maybe you already have a sketch of what you would want your mascot to look like.
Send us your ideas, and we’ll work with you to create a professional mascot design and bring the mascot design to life as a full-sized mascot.

©Jennifer Smith 2023

9 Reasons to Get a Custom Mascot Costume

February 12, 20203 Comments

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.

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.

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

6. …and there’s mascot merchandising. Get bobbleheads, plushes, hoodies, caps.Marketing 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.

The Best Mascot Company

August 8, 2017Leave a Comment

Are we the best mascot company?

We’re awfully good at what we do. We have to be. We’re not a mascot factory. We are a mascot studio. What we do is custom, custom, custom, custom. We make sure all of the unique parts of your mascot come together. If the tail has a bit of a curve, we give it the curve.

If you want a pancreas , a muscle and a couple of cholesterols, we design them, dye the fabric and bring them to life!

When Heinz needs a mascot (Sergeant Squeeze) in camo & mascot sized, desert storm boots, we’re there!

If you’re Oyster Recovery, we’ll make you a cute, endearing, dare I say, “stylish” Oyster.

When the Cav’s mascots want tattoos, we make it happen.

Need some big, big muscles?

And if you are Kona the Penguin and you have a favorite print on your Hawaiian shirt, we will have that print made, as well as make the lei and some really swell flip-flops.

Each mascot is an original designed, sculpted, stitched and engineered in our studio. All the fabrics, furs, and foams are hand selected for each mascot. Often the fabrics, and sometimes even the furs, are custom dyed to match corporate colors.

A Mascots is the real live, Relationship Building, Marketing Magnet & Brand Awareness Monster. It had better look good.

Is AvantGarb the Best? We think so.

Let’s connect and discuss big things!

Say Hello

Mascotland on TV

April 8, 2016Leave a Comment

We’re colorful, buoyant and a bit show-y off-y

…and when a stylish, lively interviewer with a TV camera comes into the studio it brings it all up to a new level. It’s MascotLand on TV!

Lauren Casey, from WRTV6 came by the other day. She is a one woman band.

She took out a tripod, put an ipad on the tripod, attached a camera lens, and away we went. Lauren does it all. She is fearless. She even tried on Simon the Soybean’s gloves, and later doffed the Loudmouth Fish.

Here ya go!

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!