mascot design

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.

Mascot Fabulousness – Bucky the Buccaneer

October 1, 2018Leave a Comment

There is a moment, when sculpting a big mascot head, or designing hugely, fabulous mascot clothes when I feel the mascot coming to life. For Bucky the Buccaneer, a mascot we made for Barry University, it was when we were making his fabulous, Buccaneer coat.

Bringing a mascot to life is magic. Bucky’s coat has a kind of magic woven into the fabric. For me, the coat gave Bucky his swagger. The coat was the magic moment.

Bucky had a well planned start. All mascots start with a rendering, a drawing of the mascot. Turkel Brands, an agency in Miami, Florida, provided a brilliant mascot design. We knew a lot about Bucky before we made the first paper patterns, before we started sculpting his head and before we engineered his tail structure.

Mascot Fabulousness

Bucky is a mascot that is filled with Mascot Fabulousness. When we sent him off for his grand debut, we knew we were sending off a great mascot.

Bucky has a big, expressive beak, a big, bird tail and a pirate coat with swagger! He has belts and buckles, a sword and a periscope and…oh yeah… a grand, flamboyant hat with a big, red feather.

Here’s a video of Bucky’s debut at Barry University

©JenniferSmith 2015

A Guide to Getting a Custom Mascot – Mascots Basics

August 14, 20182 Comments

It’s far from a common purchase. It’s so uncommon, people don’t have the language for ordering a custom mascot costume. If you’re thinking about a mascot, but don’t know where to start, AvantGarb’s Mascot Basics is for you. Think of it as your mascot guide.

It has answers to many questions like:

Getting a mascot design. We will make a dynamic, compelling design.Our mascot designs are made to fit a performer. The designs also have graphic integrity for print, signage, clothing, on the web, etc.
Understanding mascot costs for a custom mascot.
How to order a custom mascot.

There is also a quick explanation of something we call, mascotology, mascot marketing strategy and the importance of craftsmanship.
You may have ordered custom mascots before, but feel like you could use a little refresher course because:

You got a mascot several years ago but can’t quite remember how you did it.
You want a new mascot that looks like the old mascot – only better looking!
You want to add to your current mascot population.

Check out Mascots 101.

©Jennifer Smith 2023

A Thoroughly Modern Library Mascot

August 9, 2018Leave a Comment

A New Book Mascot for the Indianapolis Library

The Indy Library wanted to update the mascot. They wanted the big book to be a bit smaller so it could be more easily transported —and they wanted a few other changes.

The Library had a book mascot, named Booker, for about 20 years – it had been remade and duplicated a few times over those 20 years. Booker was always a popular mascot.

We designed a thoroughly modern book.

New Colors for Booker the Book

The original Booker was made from the primary colors, red, yellow and blue. The Library wanted this one to use some of the other colors now used in the Library’s logo.

They opted for spring green, aqua and orange.

Booker is a very jazzy book!

Booker has some pretty swell shoes and a nice hairdo, as well!

What do you think of the new library mascot?

Playing “runway” w/ the book cover

The Mascot Studio – Mascot Makers in the Old Car Factory

July 25, 2018Leave a Comment

The Mascot Studio – Location, location, location!

AvantGarb is in the coolest building in the United States. Way back in the day, it was a car factory. Now we make mascots here in our mascot studio.

We’re the only ones who make mascots here, however, we have a plethora of neighbors – artist, techies ad agencies and a restaurant. Since we’re in Indianapolis, the epicenter of car racing, we have race car maintenance here, as well!

There is also a street that goes through the building.

The Stutz Business & Arts Center is an old car factory. Stutz Bearcats used to be made here—in our studio, you can see fragments of the old factory workings –lotsa pipes and wheels controlling the steam heat. The building is warm in the winter and it’s cool in the summer —well, the building is always cool is the coolest sense.

Like Where You Work

It’s good for the soul, and really good for business to like the place you work in…..and we like the where we work. The location, and, of course, the work!!!
Shipping & Receiving Hub

We ship mascots all over the country and all over the world. AvantGarb is in Indianapolis, a shipping hub. With a 24/7 loading dock, shipping & receiving is efficient & hassle-free.

Race Cars, Tech, Art & Mascots

The building is still filled with cars. The building was designed to be a place where real,

The Car Room has a very cool collection of cars. Sometimes We, at Avant Garb, meet with clients, strategize mascot strategies and gaze at beautiful cars

tangible objects are made. It was also designed to be a place that holds ideas and innovation.

Originally, Stutz Bearcat cars were made here. Now there are tech companies, artists and a mascot making studio. Innovation continues everyday.

Whenever we meet with client at our studio, we also show them around the building to look at the old Stutz cars and the newer Lamborghinis and Corvettes.

Rather than cars going up and down the large, freight elevators it’s mascot being shipped out into the world.

Need a mascot to represent your brand? Get in touch.

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

« Previous Page