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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

Tagged With: Avant Garb, College mascot, custom mascot, custom mascot design, High school mascot, mascot design, mascot designers, mascot maker, mascots, school mascot

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.

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.

Tagged With: custom mascot, mascot design, mascot maker

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

March 6, 2019Leave a Comment

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

Tagged With: Introducing the mascotmakers, mascot maker, mascot mavens, queen of fuzz

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.Quote button

Booker is a very jazzy book!

Mascot shoesBooker 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

Tagged With: book mascot, Indianapolis, Indy Library, Library, Library mascot, mascot costume, mascot design, mascot maker, reading program

Getting Selfies with Mascots

June 1, 2018Leave a Comment

We all take selfies

We take selfie w/ friends and selfies with family. We take selfies with iconic places like the Statue of Liberty and the Eiffel Tower.

…and we take selfies with branded, custom mascots.

We take selfies with people, places & things that we like. Our selfies become part of the family & friends memory. They get momentum in the the social media universe.

When we take selfies with mascots, that’s a pretty compelling form of marketing. The mascot becomes part of the the lore people share with family and friends.

Taking selfie with mascots is, indeed, a thing. It’s one of the many reasons mascots are such fabulous marketing ambassadors.Quote button

Selfies with mascots is a unique coming together of customer & brand. The mascots have become part of the family. One of the friends.

Send us your selfies w/ a mascot!

©Jennifer Smith/AvantGarb Inc. 2018

Tagged With: branded mascots, custom mascots, Larry Bird, mascot maker, selfies with mascots

Bringing BetXi Bear to Life – The Alpha Xi Delta mascot

August 20, 20192 Comments

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

Tagged With: Alpha Xi Delta, Avant Garb, AvantGarb, bear mascot, BetXi, BetXi Bear, custom mascot, custom mascots, fraternity, Indianapolis, mascot design, mascot maker, sorority

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Avant Garb • Indianapolis, Indiana • 317-523-6267 • © 2025

  • Home
  • Mascot Basics
    • How Much Does a Mascot Cost?
    • Mascot Design
    • Ordering Your Custom Mascot Costume
  • Services
    • Mascot Consulting & Presentation
    • Mascot Performer Training
  • Mascot Musings
  • Mascot Archive
  • About Us
  • Connect With Us