mascots

Fuzz, Foam & Fleece – Mascot Haute Couture

August 1, 2017Leave a Comment

Yes, the mascot studio is like a haute-couture atelier.

Rather than fine silks & wool, our materials are fuzz, fur, foam & fleece. Patterns are drafted, fur fabric is cut, foam is sculpted, ears are placed and eyelids are sewn onto hand painted eyes. If a mascot is a big, muscular guy, those big muscles are created with fabric, and foam and all of it is sewn together.

The original plan was to design costumes for avant garde theater, thus the name, AvantGarb. Making mascots wasn’t part of the plan until a teensy cookie company called.

The teensy cookie company’s mascot appeared on the front page of the SF Chronicle when the giant food & dessert trade show rolled into town,

That cookie got me hooked on mascots. I changed the business plan. That was in 1986.

The second mascot was for Hewlett Packard. 30 years later, we got another call for an HP mascot – this time a really fabulous Knight.

…and don’t forget the shoes.

We’ve made several generations of TiVo mascots On the outside, TiVo looks the same, but my, oh my has the interior structure changed. From basic PVC pipes to a sleek, light-weight aluminum structure that comes apart for shipping and clicks together when TiVo makes appearances. We call it mascotology.

AvantGarb is one of just a handful of custom mascot-making companies. We’re headquartered in Indianapolis.

This is what some people have said:

“Ten years ago we searched for someone who could produce a high-quality, fun mascot. The first TiVoGuy was born and 4 generations later, he (and his newer relatives) are still bringing joy to TV fans everywhere. Nobody does smiles better than AvantGarb!” Bard Williams, Director, Marketing, TiVo Inc.

“Jennifer and the rest of her “groovy” staff at AvantGarb have been a pleasure to work with over the years. The quality, and service that goes with it can’t be matched in the industry. Much love from Grand Rapids!” Rich Meyers, Director of Game Operations,

Grand Rapids Griffins (AHL)

©Jennifer Smith 2017

Mascot Eyes

May 19, 2014Leave a Comment

We spend a lot of time focusing mascot eyes, so this article in the New York Times about eye contact with characters caught my eye. Here’s a quote from it:

“There’s the notion that your relationship with a brand should be like a relationship you have with a person,” said David Aaker, author of “Aaker on Branding” and vice chairman of Prophet, a global brand consultancy based in San Francisco. “A real friend looks you in the eye.”

At AvantGarb, we make mascots for big, big universities and teensy, weensy school districts. We meet with with professional teams and minor, minor minor league teams. We work with giant, worldwide, humungous corporations and very small start-ups. They all have one common characteristic. The love what they are a part of; be it a huge communications company, a small school or a little lip-balm start up.

They all truly want to connect. They want to be part of the community. Of course, they want you to join their team, become a fan, purchase their product. In my experience, when a there is a pretty neat mascot in front of you, it’s worthwhile checking out the product, the team, the school, the event. They want to make eye contact.

Connect with the Mascot Mavens at AvantGarb

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!

©Jennifer Smith 2017

Defying Gravity in Mascotdom

March 27, 2011Leave a Comment

Many parents have told me that their children beg to go to the museum so that they can wave a flag on the Rex parade…..and be led out of the museum.

The daily Rex Parade is the gentle way to lead children and adults through the Children’s Museum and out the door at closing time.

We are the ones who make the big, rainbow bellied Dinosaur.

Rex is a mascot engineering miracle.

The law of gravity is a law that usually wins. Rex’s tail defies gravity. It takes a lot of engineering to defy gravity.

Gotta love where you work – the Mascot Studio

September 9, 2010Leave a Comment

The Mascot Studio – Location, location, location!

AvantGarb is in the coolest building in the United States.

Our 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, if ya know what I mean!

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!!!!

Cars, Tech, Art & Mascots

The building was designed to be a place where real, tangible objects are made. It was also designed to be a place that holds ideas and innovation.

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

Biz, blessings & a martini

November 23, 2009Leave a Comment

AvantGarb has been a growing, productive business for a really long time.

I started AvantGarb in my Berkeley, California garage when my youngest daughter was about 3 months old.

Month after month AvantGarb has made a profit and those dollars have increased through the years.

AvantGarb is a real, ongoing operation.

Even though we get grow each and every year, get more marvelous clients, are able to hire extraordinary people, and have moved to jazzy new digs. Even though I’ve been paying my mortgage, clothing my children, going on vacations, buying shoes, getting my hair done and my eyebrows tamed, I still think, it could be over tomorrow.

This is crazy thinking.

When I am sitting with a curved needle, stitching yellow muppet fleece to green fur, I have taken to counting my blessing.

Here are some of them:

I have a really grand family. They keep me involved and interested in their lives. My husband is funny, handsome and sexy. My daughters are gorgeous and glorious
I love my biz – making fuzzy critters that add a great dollop of fun to the landscape.
I’ve traveled everywhere–okay, not everywhere, but a lot of places – Kenya, India, China, Mexico, Mexico, Mexico, Taiwan, Egypt, and oh yeah, Europe. I feel fluent in the world. I like to be places where I can’t speak the language.
… however, I can speak Spanish, stutter through French and be polite in Swahili
Every Monday I look forward to the week ahead.
I interact with a wide and varied creative community of mascot people, art people, writers and imagineers.
Every Friday I come home to a really good martini.
I love going to church on Sundays, singing hymns w/ the congregation, listening to the sermon and being blessed for the coming week with the benediction.
I love reading the New York Times and napping on couch on Sunday afternoons.
I have gotten bit of fame for doing what I do.
…and I have magnificent friends. Some I’ve had for most of my life, some I’ve only just met

I am truly blessed. I have imagined my life, and it became real.

I suspect the story of other small biz people is similar.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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