Big Heads & Big Hearts

 Sir CC is a really handsome, buff Cavalier - we created the big, handsome guy last year for the Cleveland Cavaliers and have been watching him flourish -  moving about the basketball court and into the community

He's been in a dance-off on the city streets and a middle school's summer basketball camp in Cleveland.

Mascots get out & mix it up with youth and fans.

Sir CC is a sterling example of mascot magnanimity.

Mascot have big heads and big hearts.

Mascot Mapping

Before we even make a cut into fuzz or fabric, we make patterns. Worktables are covered with kraft paper, rulers, a tailors curve, pattern weights, markers and tape. 

We look carefully at the mascot design and decide how big the waist will be - how much padding to put on the shoulders  and whether to make a curve in the arm to allow for a big bicep. 

The kraft paper patterns is how we are able to map the body curves of the mascot. Once we know how the body is engineered, we also know how big to make mascot shirts, pants, shorts - how to attach tails.

It all starts with kraft paper, tape & rulers.

Signature Mascots

AvantGarb designs & creates Signature Mascots. Mascots that represent a team, event, product ---even an idea.

We're a tiny company of artists, designers and craft people. Our raison d'etre, our training and our experience is in custom creations. There are companies that make many, many copies of the same mascot, and they do a good, efficient job. That's not us.

We do, however make a few duplicates of the same mascot because...

• Mascots have a very busy social calendar.
• The same mascot must be on the east & west coast at the same time.
• A mascot is making several appearances with multiple performers
• Each region needs it's own mascot for all of the appearances and fabulous events that mascots get to go to ----this gets back to the busy social calendar

Sometimes we make 3 more or less duplicate mascots.

Racing beer cans - Portland Beavers Baseball

sometimes to 5 of the same

and occasionally to 10.

J.J. Jumper - the official mascot of the NCAA @ mascot training

Our Mascot Mission is to be the physical marketing component for your marketing strategy.  We strive to deliver countless hi-fives, hugs, laughs and “ooohs!” We resolve to be energetic, rambunctious and effervescent!

Mascot DNA

We have been riffling through patterns labeled: 

• Rex/1998 nose - CF   
• Rex/2003 & 2007 side head  - cut 2 
• Rex/2003 front leg - really short
• Rex 1998, 2003, 2007, 2011 eyelid 

This is mascot DNA. 

We have been creating and re-creating and re-imagining Rex, the mascot for the Children's Museum of Indianapolis since the early 1990's. We can trace the evolution of Rex through the patterns. 

What has changed on Rex over the years?  

The size of the head has changed, the size and curve of the tail, the color of the tongue, the placement of the nostrils, Many of the changes have been for the comfort of the performer. Some have just happened.

The 3 toed foot looks the same from year to year, but the inner mechanism of the shoe have changed considerably. 

As in all things - it's not just what you see on the outside. The inner engineering and workings of a mascot are just as important as the outside appearance.

Pattern pieces migrate, and don't always get back to where they belong. So we may have a Dinosaur sleeve from 1998 that looks wrong for a mascot is 2011, yet none of the sleeves after 1998 can be found.

Through all of the changes and manipulations in patterns & engineering, the essence of Rex remains the same. Rex is a big, rainbow bellied & tailed, loving, welcoming Dinosaur with a lovely Dino smile.

H.K. Nugget - Pretzel Man

 H.K.Nugget had a day touring in D.C. He had a full day.

Gotta love the nugget.

He's handsome, athletic & tasty!

National Pretzel day is April 26th.

Celebrate by munching on some H.K. Anderson Pretzel Nuggets w/ peanutbutter or chocolate filling!


Yum! Yum! Yum!

Bud Beer on Ice - Grand Rapids Griffins

Bud Beer can in process @AvantGarb

Beer races on ice - GENIUS!!!!

We made the beer cans for the Grand Rapids Griffins. The success of something like a wearable beer can is in the details. A beer can has a slight indentation on the top and bottom of the can. Without that indentation, its a soup can.

....and then there is the poptop. That really makes the beer cans lovable.I love the poptops on these cans.

....oh yeah, and get a look at Griff, that handsome, silver-winged mascot w/ a big beak. He makes my heart pitter patter - swoon!

Here's the link to the video:

http://vimeo.com/21990438

Bud on ice - Grand Rapids Griffins

A love song to a mascot