Big Mascots & Big Costumes

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Bringing BetXi Bear to Life – The Alpha Xi Delta mascot

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Bringing BetXi Bear to Life – The Alpha Xi Delta mascot

According the Alpha Xi Delta, AvantGarb is the”Glam Squad” for BetXi Bear. Her belt matches her shoes. of course! – and her shoes are yellow, patent-leather BetXi is ready for any occasion. Quote button

Lauren Fisher, wrote an article about making BetXi Bear, Bringing BetXi to Life – in Quill, the sorority’s quarterly publication.

Details, details, details

Getting the details right is what AvantGarb does best.

Making BetXi’s dress

We matched the fabric to theAlpha Xi Delta’s colors.

There is no fabric that is durable enough and has polka dots big enough for a socially active mascot like BetXi.

The artisans at AvantGarb cut out polka dots and stitched them onto blue fabric. We added light blueBetXi - Dress in process trim to the bottom of the dress and made that giant bow!

BetXi’s first appearance was at the Autism Speaks Walk in Indianapolis. BetXi travels from campus to campus promoting Alpha Xi Delta and their good works.

BetXi is classy, stylish and she has a big, big heart.Quote button

Alpha Xi Delta’s BetXi Bear

Mascot Engineers – Mascot Design & Collaboration

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We live in a world of fuzz, fluff, foam and googlie eyes at AvantGarb. Here in MascotLand, the mood of the studio and ease of collaboration rules. That’s the only way we can get to good mascot design – to be the best mascoteer engineers we can be!

When designing and producing a new mascot, we gather together to ponder a seam, contemplate a collar, engineer and re-imagine the interior structure. We are mascoteer engineers. It’s called, Mascotology.

IMG_1022Making a big belly requires a some foam that is covered in athletic mesh and stabilized with hoops – they look like hula-hoops, but are custom made to match the contours of the belly.

The mascoteers at AvantGarb work together on all aspects of the mascot. The body needs to work with the  head. The legs need to fit into the shoes….and don’t even get me started on the hats! We’re big on Big Millinery!

Rocket science accuracy is sometimes part of the engineering.It turns out, putting on and taking off (for easier shipping) a couple of Really Large Antenna, on TiVo, is a very complex bit of engineering.

We are, after all, great character builders – Mascoteer Engineers.TiVo mascot - inner structureTiVo in Greenwich Village - NYC

Choppy – ChopSaver Lip Balm

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Choppy CorSaver Lip Balm - For People w/ Lips

A week before Super Bowl 2012 festivities started in Indianapolis, the ChopSaver people- Dan and Noelle Golsling came to visit. They wanted a mascot for their ChopSaver Lip Balm – For People with Lips. If your a small biz w/ a great product, you have to pay attention to the SuperBowl’s outreach possibilities.

ChopSaver Lip Balm - For People with Lips

AvantGarb was swamped. We didn’t have a spare second to make a right-this-very-minute-new mascot. There were 3 Kangaroos, a Horse, a Soybean, a Grizzlie and the Griff waiting to be made. However, ChopSavers came with a referrral from a close friend, Carol Frohlich.

….and Dan & Noelle are ardent entrepreneurs and they have THE MOST LUSCIOUS LOOKING LIPS!

Of course we said yes.

Making  “Choppy”  was like driving the Indy 500. The sewing machines raced and whirred for 3 days.

Choppy ChopSaver Lip Balm Mascot on the treadle machine….and sometimes we used our big, old, powerful cobbler machine. Rather than turn the fabric, foam, patent-leather-vinyl, the walking foot turns to change the stitching direction (sewing machine info for sewing nerds).

Whenever the ChopSaver folks show up, the excitement & entusiasm level rises. Annie & Mike ( a couple of Garb Ganger) finished the last stitches and wriggled the ChopSaver mascot onto the interior structure while with help from the ChopSaver gang.

Choppy-Annie securing interior harness

Everyone in the GarbGang has luscious lips now because we use Chopsaver Lip Balm. Plus, it was a blast working w/ Dan & Noelle.

Choppy w/ Mike, Jennifer & Annie