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