NBA mascot

What comes next/ Mascots in a Post Pandemic World

July 22, 2020Leave a Comment

Even during the quarantines and the pandemic, the mascots reach out to us with —well—goofy joy. Like us, the mascots have adjusted. They totally get social media. They groove with ZOOM. They easily interact with fans, students and customers no matter what the circumstances.

They are with us in on our screens as we work from home and tiptoe into the office.

When we all come out of our homes to explore the ever-changing new normal, the mascots will be there to greet us.

Stay in touch with each other, wear a mask and connect with your favorite mascots.

xo Queen of Fuzz and the Mascot Makers

https://twitter.com/PierreTPelican/status/1243721675797073928

https://twitter.com/i/status/1243721675797073928

Let’s connect and discuss big things!

Say Hello

©Jennifer Smith/Avant Garb Inc. 2020

ESPN.com – Playbook Salutes the Birthplace of Mascots

January 8, 2016Leave a Comment

ESPN Fandom blog _ AvantGarb - Birthplace of mascots — ESPN – Birthplace of mascots – Fandom Blog -AvantGarb

Espn.com – Playbook salutes the birthplace of mascots.

ESPN called, and we answered. Steve Etheridge wanted to know about how mascots are made. He wanted to understand what went on at AvantGarb – the birthplace of mascots.

“You have to create a creature that will be a team’s most ardent fan,” says Jennifer Q Smith of AvantGarb. “As coaches go and players leave, the mascot will stay on. That’s a great responsibility and a great joy. To create these characters who will stand by the fans through the thick and the thin, it’s exciting.” It’s exciting when mascot makers make it into ESPN!

And that’s something you don’t really think about. Is the face of a franchise the guy who’ll lead a team in victory and defeat so long as no one else comes along offering a bigger paycheck? Or is it someone made of foam, whose unconditional allegiance is vibrantly apparent in every chapter of a team’s legacy?

Check out the rest of the story: Birthplace of Mascots

Steve Etheridge – Fandom Blog – ESPN.com

Choppy – ChopSaver Lip Balm

March 30, 2012Leave a Comment

Choppy1 — 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.

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.

….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:Anne:Harness — 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.