Happy Holidays from Hogtown Mascots!

No matter where, how or with whom you are celebrating this season, make it count. Take some time to be with the ones you love. Maybe share a meal, grab a coffee or just pick up the phone and call someone to say hi. Even great distances can't keep people apart during the holidays. And it's a good reminder about what - and who - should be important at any time of the year!

 

From all of us at Hogtown Mascots, we wish you health, happiness, peace and prosperity for 2015 and beyond!

What You Should Know About the Mascot Design Process

Advertising whizzes acknowledge that mascots can be a highly effective tool when it comes to promoting your business.  With continuing exposure, mascots naturally remind customers of a company or team, and leave a lasting impression - which is the ultimate goal of having a mascot.  Mascot design and construction vary, and during the design process, you will have to make some important decisions that will impact the appearance of your character.  Following are some helpful tips on what you should know about the mascot design process before you buy a mascot costume. 

Design Concept

Mascot design begins with your vision.  Many mascots are inspired by a toy, cartoon, food, animal, person, or, even an object.  When making this decision, you must first consider how the mascot will be used, whether it will be standing still, handing out literature, or waving, jumping, and running or all of the above.  The communication process is important at this stage as professional mascot designers begin to sketch your character and help you choose colors, body shapes, and facial expressions.  The designers at Hogtown Mascots, for example, use digital software that allows them to make rapid changes to the design while communicating with you. 

Comfort

Performer comfort needs to be a priority in the design of a mascot outfit.  The material used must be strong enough to endure the mascot’s movements, while not causing the performer to be uncomfortable during the show/appearance.  The best mascot designers are actual performers who have experience wearing mascot apparel for extended periods of time.  All mascot costumes can be hot, but using lightweight and breathable materials can make a huge difference.

Hogtown Mascots uses different types of lightweight, breathable foam with varying degrees of density, rigidity, and flexibility.  If you are considering buying a mascot costume, you should avoid any designer who uses fiberglass, upholstery foam, or compressed paper products.  These materials result in substandard costumes that will either not last or will be too heavy to wear.  Fiberglass is heavy, inflexible and likely to crack.  Upholstery foam is elastic and will droop after use. Upholstery foam is also not very breathable and loves to hold moisture and bacteria.   

Construction

Mascots may have different types of helmets used inside the head.  For comfort, support, and flexibility, the best helmets are custom-fitted and adjustable.  Padding should be included and removable for adaptability and cleaning.  Chin straps may be integrated with the helmet for particularly energetic, or gymnastic mascot maneuverers.  The designers at Hogtown Mascots focus first on every mascot’s comfort and safety during their performances.  For this reason, more often than not, the mascot’s head is not fastened to the body by fasteners or straps that prohibit its hasty removal.  This head independence also allows the performer a much greater range of movement.

The structure and shape of the mascot body define its character.  Avoid designers who use wire, paper maché, or other material that does not retain its shape after being hugged by children and adults.  The finest mascot designers utilize lightweight foam between layers of breathable sports mesh to construct a mascot inner body that allows heat and moisture to escape.  Strong metal rings can then be attached to the inner body to hold flexible tubing which allows the mascot to be repeatedly hugged without losing its shape.  The inner body design provides a space around the performer’s body which increases the airflow. 

Mascot design is serious business at Hogtown Mascots.  If you are looking for a professional mascot to represent your business or school, call the mascot professionals at Hogtown today.

What Are Mascots Made Of?

Mascots can be made of many different materials; it really depends on the costume and the manufacturer. Different materials are used for different looks, different levels of wear and tear, different weather environments, etc. Most of our mascots are made from a combination of fabric and foam. While different detail components of the mascot like eyes, tongues, etc. are usually made from a special type of plastic or rubber.

Foam

The foam we use for our mascots ranges from very rigid (usually used for feet and heads) to very flexible (used for things like the bodysuit). All of our foams are breathable and lightweight while not trapping moisture—discouraging the growth of bacteria and mould.

The most common varieties of foams that we used are EVA, Etha, Esther and Reticulated. EVA foam is generally used for the heads and feet of our mascots. This foam is very dense and durable and doesn’t absorb moisture, which means it can easily be wiped clean after use. Etha foam is dense but more porous, and is used for creating intricate details on mascots—usually on their heads. Esther foam is used in areas that require a softness, like cheeks. We make them squishable! Reticulated foam is used when we have to “build out” our mascots, like a big belly or chest. We sandwich this lightweight foam between layers of sports mesh to ensure the costume is still breathable for the wearer. This foam does not absorb moisture to allow for comfort, but it can be put in the washing machine and dries very quickly since water passes right through it!

Fabric

When it comes to fabrics, we also try to use lightweight breathable materials, keeping in mind the comfort of the person wearing the costume. The different types of fabrics we use range from faux fur/fleece, antron (muppet) fleece, Bur-fab (Veltrex), poly/cotton twills and heavy-duty spandex. We’ll use any type of fabric that will give us the look you want—but we’ll never sacrifice on the quality.

Are there materials that shouldn’t be used on mascots?

At Hogtown, we never use upholstery foam, fibreglass or any compressed paper product when making our mascots. These materials are either too heavy, too flimsy, too toxic, or they are not moisture resistant, therefore making them excellent breeding grounds for bacteria. These materials are also not built to withstand the wear and tear of mascots.

To learn more about how our mascots are made and the types of materials we use, visit our Birth of a Mascot page. You can even check out the video to see mascots actually being made! We can also be reached at 1-877-622-8422, or contacted through our website.

Our Top Mascot Performer Tips

Being a mascot performer goes far beyond simply putting on a costume — you need to create a personality for your character and interact with your audience to make a lasting impression. You can’t just stand there like a statue but you also can’t just be overly rambunctious either unless of course your character calls for that in their personality. At Hogtown Mascots, we have compiled this list of tips to help new mascot performers get started and veteran performers improve their act.

Communicating

The combination of the oversized costume and the fact that you never speak means one thing: you must be over the top in all your gestures and movements. There are several standard gestures you should master including laughing, waving, blowing kisses, “aww, shucks!” (kicking out one foot), and shaking your knees (to show that you are afraid). In addition to these, you may like to create some movements of your own to develop your character’s specific personality traits.

Interacting with the Audience

How you interact with your audience will depend on the type of event in which you are performing. If you are making contact with individuals, you can engage with people by hugging, shaking hands, and blowing kisses. Always ensure that the person is happy to engage with your character to avoid a confrontation.

At events with large crowds, such as sporting events and shows, you have a very different role as a mascot performer — your job is to encourage audience participation and add to the overall entertainment. If a dance squad is present, you may be able to join in their routine and make the audience laugh with your clumsy antics. Just make sure it is obviously intentional if you decide to fall in order to maintain a sense of professionalism.

In other cases, you may need to motion to the audience to have them cheer on cue, or you may be required to throw freebies into the crowd. In either case, add to the act by exaggerating all your movements.

Another situation you may be in as a mascot performer is a parade. If music will be playing, plan a dance that mainly involves your arms. When music is not playing, or if you prefer not to dance, keep moving all the time by waving to the crowd, shaking hands, or using other gestures that fit with your character’s personality.

Interacting with Children

A giant mascot may seem intimidating or even a little frightening to children. Keep your distance and wave, allowing kids to approach you to ask for hugs and photos. Your movements should also be slower and less dramatic than when performing in front of a large crowd. As much as possible, try to get down to the child’s level – shrink to their size so that you don’t seem too overwhelming.

Contact us at Hogtown Mascots to find out about our performer training, tips and tricks  or to purchase a custom mascot costume.

 

Top 5 Uses for Custom Mascots

Top 5 Uses for Custom Mascots

A company or team mascot can be great for morale, and can help get attention when you need it most. Whether you're trying to stir up publicity for a promotion, awareness of your brand, charity event or big game, a fun, colorful and friendly mascot can make a huge difference. 

Why have a mascot?

The good thing about custom mascots is that the sky's really the limit when choosing one. Many companies and teams like to go for an animal, such as a leopard or fuzzy bear, however you could choose a usually inanimate object (like a slice of pizza or a heart) or made-up character that is unique to you and sets you apart from everyone else. 

There are also plenty of other benefits that come from having your own custom mascot, including: 

• Allowing people to see instantly what your company is about
• Helping your brand connect with a younger audience
• Having an ageless spokesperson
• Increasing your brand name recall 

If you're considering investing in a custom mascot, but aren't sure if you'd get much use out of it, then think again. Here are just five great ways you'll be able to put your custom mascot to good use, plus you'll probably find there will probably be plenty of other opportunities that crop unexpectedly too! 

Event promotions

Say you've just launched a new product and are trying to raise awareness. Custom mascots are fantastic when promoting your product to people on the streets or at special targeted events like business fairs or conventions. A convention is a fabulous time to get your mascot out there promoting your brand, and as long as you pick the right mascot, it should only take one look for consumers to know what your business is really about. 

Charity events

If your business is some way involved in charity, why not put on a fundraising event where your mascot can really shine? Otherwise, your mascot could participate in local charity events, or even take part in a charity marathon! People will see your mascot participating and know that your business is involved and cares about the cause, which also sends out a great message about your brand that people will remember. 

Company games

If you have a company football match or baseball game, it's the perfect time to get your mascot out on the field to boost your team's morale! This is especially important if you're competing against another business, but even if you're going with internal teams, it's still a fun way to enhance team games. 

School spirit

Custom mascots are also great for schools, and can in fact represent school spirit at whatever event or games happen to be taking place. Everyone will look forward to school sports days; the kids will love it, and the parents probably will too.

Meet and greets

If your business has formal or informal meet and greet events, and you know there's going to be publicity there, it's a great chance for photo ops, showcase your mascot and further raise your brand awareness. You could be presenting a cheque to charity, or participating in a local event along with other businesses, but whatever the case, you'll be sure to leave a fantastic impression with your colourful, cuddly mascot.

Mascots can make all the difference when it comes to promotions and boosting your company or team's morale, and you can choose your own custom mascots to represent your brand to the world and give your audience a better idea of what your company is about. The only question is, which mascot will you choose? Hogtown Mascots can help your make your custom mascot idea a reality. Call us today at 1-877-622-8422 to find out more.

Convincing Your Boss You Need a Mascot

Convincing your boss that you need a mascot to represent your company might not be the easiest thing to do. Still, once you have some co-workers on your side and once you’ve let your boss moll it over for a bit, there is no way they won’t be able to go for your idea! Mascots are fun, show company pride, engage your customers and really let your business tap into a whole other market while still remaining true to your core brand. 

 

Here are 6 great business points to convince your boss that you need a mascot.

Youth: Being able to tap into the youth demographic which will then grow up with and around your mascot idea is one point to make. Being able to bring in customers for a product or service they may not even know about yet is a great way to build a brand legacy. Kids will love your mascot and they will one day grow up to be the consumers you’ve been hoping for all along.

Trust: If their kids like your mascot then the chances are their parents are going to give your company a chance. Even if yours is a product they didn’t think they had a need for; if their kids like your mascot then you will have built in a level of trust on behalf of the parents. 

Identity: One more reason you need a mascot for your business is so that you can establish and cement your brand identity. How often have you asked yourself what your business stands for? When you have a mascot, you will be able to better channel that brand identity into a great and relatable corporate image. Consider some of the best mascots through time; from sports teams, television shows, and more; now imagine your company with that same level of brand identity. This is the type of recognition you can have with your own mascot. 

Custom: One final point about your business’ need for a mascot is the fact that this will be custom. When you create your own mascot with an excellent design team, your mascot can be literally anything you desire! We can create your mascot from sketches or drawings of your own, or you can work with our design team to create a unique character that we create for you based on the needs of your business.

A Great Return on Investment: Though a custom mascot means a large, up-front financial commitment, it offers the ultimate return on investment when it comes to spending your advertising dollars. Mascots are long-term investments that allow the initial cost to be amortized over several years, unlike other forms of advertising which can have very limited lifespans. And the number of impressions per dollar spent can far exceed anything you would get with print, online or other.

Skilled craftsmanship, attention to detail and a tenacity which just won’t quit are just some of the reasons why Hogtown Mascots has been creating some of the best mascots for companies around the world. If you need a mascot, or you’d just like to hash out some ideas, visit the Hogtown Mascots website, browse our past mascot designs and then give us a call!

10 School Mascot Ideas from Hogtown Mascots

Choosing a school mascot should be a fun task. However, you do not want just any mascot - you want a great one that truly represents the spirit of your school! This means that you will have to take care when deciding what exactly your mascot will be. 

We are going to help you make your decision a little bit easier with these ten great school mascot ideas:

1. Fierce Spartan warriors

The Spartans were fierce warriors who worked tirelessly to achieve their goals, no matter what the odds. Whether you need him for a basketball game, football game or other competition, your Spartan warrior is sure to motivate your school's athletes. 

2. A cool bear

Bears are huge, ferocious and intimidating; there isn't much you can do to detract from that. However, adding a school varsity jacket and some hip accessories to your bear is a great way to add a fun factor that is sure to get the crowd excited.

3. A bumble bee

Bumble bees are quick, agile and when you mess with them, you are sure to get stung -- and if you bother one bee, the rest are sure to swarm you. This is a great way to infuse a team spirit into your school's athletes.

4. A wolf

Wolves are the ultimate pack animals. They work together and communicate effectively to achieve all of their goals - this is a great thing for your school's athletes to remember.

5. An elephant

Elephants are big, powerful and generally unstoppable beasts. This makes an elephant mascot a great option to remind both your school's athletes and their opponents that your team is a force to be reckoned with.

6. A shark in a home uniform

When a person invades the territory of a shark, the shark usually wins. As such, a shark mascot is ideal for home games when you want to remind the opposing school that they are in your house, and winning against your team won't come easily.

7. A flaming phoenix

Okay, so your phoenix mascot shouldn't really be on fire. But a phoenix mascot with some flame-like effects is a great way to use the symbolism of the legendary bird: no matter how hard things get, we will come back even better than ever.

8. A big headed eagle

Speaking of birds, no list of potential mascots is complete without adding in the eagle. This bird has one simple meaning: victory. The giant head is sure to attract attention and entertain the crowd.

9. A gladiator

Gladiators were known for their intensity and ferocity, so a gladiator mascot is sure to get the crowd excited as soon as he enters the gym or field.

10. Zeus

Zeus is a mighty being who wreaks havoc on those who oppose him. Plus, his lightning bolt would be a great prop to symbolize lightning striking every time your team scored.

Regardless of which animal, human, or object you choose for your school's mascot, make sure that it is completely unique!

For more school mascot ideas...

Whether you are ready to start getting your custom mascot created or you would just like some more school mascot ideas, Hogtown Mascots can help. We are a premier mascot production company, and we can help you through the mascot design process from beginning to end.

The Hogtown Mascots team can be reached via phone at (877) 622-8422 or via our website at hogtownmascots.com.

7 Safety Tips for Your Custom Mascot

Acting as a custom mascot can be a fun and rewarding experience, but can also be a challenging and tiring experience that puts performers at risk of various issues ranging from injuries to heat exhaustion. However, simply by following basic safety precautions, you can protect your performers and allow them to have an enjoyable, comfortable experience while in costume.

1. Make Smart Costume Decisions

You need to think carefully about the actual design of the mascot when designing your custom mascot costume. It is always best to avoid long tails, excessive material and other features which may be trip hazards or make it difficult for the performer to move around. Also, avoid pieces within the costume that could cause injuries should the performer fall.

2. Perform with an Escort

Mascots have significantly restricted vision and mobility, making even the simplest tasks, such as climbing stairs and walking near traffic, dangerous. The best solution is for mascots to always be accompanied by an escort, who should be responsible for explaining what is happening outside of the mascot’s field of vision, guiding the mascot, and protecting the performer from overly enthusiastic fans. The escort will also act as the character’s voice, and will respond verbally to the character’s gestures as they interact with the audience.

3. Practice Before the Performance

The mascot should run through the routine first out of costume and then in costume before the event. Difficult movements like walking on stairs with the mascot feet on should also be practiced well ahead of time. At this time, it is also very important to rehearse signals that will enable the mascot to communicate with their escort.

4. Avoid Overheating

Including features such as a fan or cooling vest inside your custom mascot can help performers stay cooler, provided that this equipment does not add too much additional weight to the costume. Performers can also keep cool by wearing light, loose-fitting clothes. We recommend that the performer wear a t-shirt or tank top, a bandana or headband to keep hair back, and shorts or tights. Avoid sweatpants, trousers, long sleeved shirts or any other bulky clothing. The escort should always be on the lookout for signs that the mascot is suffering from any discomfort inside the costume.

5. Take Regular Breaks

The performer should typically spend 30 minutes, and never more than one hour, in costume before taking a break for anywhere between 15 minutes to half an hour. In hot temperatures, reduce performance times further and increase the length of breaks. Remember to drink plenty of water during break times to stay hydrated.

6. Keep the Costume Clean

Performers become hot and sweaty inside the mascot. To avoid the spread of bacteria and mold, air dry the costume completely before you store it or wash the costume. If you see mold within your mascot costume, do not wear it and contact your mascot costume manufacturer.

7. Choose the Right Performer

If you are looking to hire a new performer to be a mascot, you must bear in mind that not just anyone is suitable for this type of work. When considering someone who has never worked as a mascot before, you should be willing to have a trial run before the event. If the performer is not completely comfortable being in the costume, you need to find someone else. In addition to being comfortable as a mascot, your performer absolutely must have the right energy to perform effectively. This includes being able to make big gestures, convey emotions through the costume, and interact well with children. Remember, performers can be coached to improve their mascot acting skills!

One of the best ways to stay safe is by designing your own custom mascot costume based around the needs of your performer. Contact us at Hogtown Mascots to find out more about how we can help you create the perfect custom mascot.

5 Things to Consider When It Comes to Custom Mascot Design

A mascot is a great solution to increase the recognition of your brand, better identify with your consumers and help people remember who you are. Plus, a really good mascot just looks plain cool!

Before you can start using a mascot to help enhance your brand, however, you need to have it designed. This design process is not one that should be approached haphazardly either. You need to keep in mind the important elements of custom mascot design, and a professional mascot designer can help you create the perfect character. Here are five factors that you absolutely must consider when creating your mascot:

1. Your organization's values

When designing a mascot, what your organization is all about matters more than anything else. This is for the same reasons that your core values are reflected in your slogan, your logo and the way that you train your team members: you want to let the world know what your organization is all about.

Since your organization's mascot is all about reflecting what your team is all about, make sure that your core values are reflected in the design of your mascot.

2. Your organization's colors

When people see your mascot, they should immediately be thinking about your organization's brand. A great way to make this happen is to keep your organization's colors in mind when designing your mascot.

If you do not already have a specific color scheme that reflects your brand, now is the time to create one, because people are better able to identify you if you have an organizational color scheme. If your color scheme is good enough and your mascot wears it well, people may even begin to identify that color scheme with your brand specifically, no matter who uses it (think Laker purple)!

3. What you want your mascot to be

Generally speaking, there are three types of mascots: human, inanimate objects and animals. Here is how each category can alter the perception of your mascot:

Human

A human mascot can help your organization provide a very relatable and friendly image to your audience. For example, a police officer mascot would be great for a pest control company, as it implies that they will get rid of the bad guys (the pests).

Inanimate objects

This is a great option if you would like to inject the vibrancy of your product into your mascot. For example, a company that makes deodorant could create a deodorant stick mascot with muscular appendages to imply the strength of the deodorant's protection.

Animals

An animal mascot tends to project a family friendliness (this is why sports teams and toy manufacturers use them so often). This is an excellent choice for brands that deal with children.

Not sure which style is best? Browse our gallery to get inspired! Of course, our expert custom mascot designers can advise you on the best type of mascot for your purposes.

4. Concept design

Mascot design doesn’t always happen overnight. Don't be afraid to inject any fun ideas that you have into a mascot design. At Hogtown Mascots, we typically like to create at least two contrasting mascot design concepts to show you so that you can make the right decision for your brand.

5. Your mascot needs to stand out in a crowd

If your mascot looks like someone else's, it won’t be clearly identifiable as belonging to your brand. Instead, they are likely to mistake your mascot for that of another company. In order to avoid this mishap, take the time to make sure that your mascot design is completely unique.

For more information about custom mascot design...

To learn more or to get the process for your custom mascot design started today, contact Hogtown Mascots custom mascot design company. We design and create some of the best custom mascots for companies like yours all around the world. The Hogtown Mascots team can be reached via phone at (877) 622-8422 or via our website at hogtownmascots.com.

How To Take Care Of Your Mascot

Just like a piece of clothing, a mascot has to be cleaned every so often. But you can’t just throw everything in the laundry and wash it with your jeans, and we highly recommend against dry cleaning because the chemicals can damage the material.

Mascot care isn’t very complicated, but we do recommend you consult your manufacturer first so you know you’re doing it right. At Hogtown Mascots we offer complete mascot care services, but if you’re a DIY-type person that’s fine too. Here is what you need to know about cleaning your mascot.

The Tools of The Trade

You’ll first need to have a few things on hand.

·        Wet-Dry Vac – This is by far the most useful tool to have when cleaning your mascot. It will allow you to hand wash the head and feet and remove the water and dirt quickly and easily.

·        Wire and soft bristle pet brushes – These are used to brush or re-fluff fur material, and they can also be used to clear any debris from Velcro fasteners.

·        Alcohol wipes – These are used to remove smudges and smears from the plastic pieces on the suit.

·        Two spray bottles – These are used for cleaning the head and feet. Fill one with room temperature or cold water, and the other with cold water and a teaspoon of mild detergent.

Cleaning The Head

First remove any inner padding and the fan, if it's removable. The padding can go into the washing machine, but the rest of the head requires special care.

For the outside of the head, take your spray bottle with soap solution and apply a few sprays to dampen an area that is dirty or stained. Gently brush with your soft bristle brush, and then remove the soapy water with the vacuum. Spray the area with the cold water bottle. Next, use the wet-dry vac to suck up the water until it feels dry. Repeat this process as many times as needed to remove all moisture and soapy residue.

For the inside of the head, spray with soapy water and wipe gently with a clean cloth. We use closed cell foam because it won’t absorb your breath and sweat, but if your mascot head has open cell foam you will need to spray and wipe several times to be thorough.

Cleaning The Feet

Some feet have removable foot covers. If this is the case with your mascot, you might be able to simply put them in the washing machine. However, if the foot covers have any plastic or metal pieces it will be better to wash them by hand. For cleaning the feet, use the same technique that you used with the head.

Cleaning The Body

Remove any clothing pieces and turn the jumpsuit inside out. Then remove any tubing from the inner body. The jumpsuit, clothing and inner body can all go into the washing machine in COLD water. Be sure to wash any colorful pieces separately, in cold water. Once those items have been washed, hang them up to dry. Do not put them in the dryer as the heat and tumbling action will ruin the fabric. Alternatively, these pieces can all be washed by hand, in cold water.

Cleaning The Plastic Pieces

If you mascot has any plastic parts like eyes, teeth, or buttons, use your alcohol wipes to give them a good polish. Avoid any painted areas as the alcohol can remove the paint. If you aren’t sure if it’s safe to use the wipes, just use your soapy water solution applied to a clean cloth instead

Keeping the Fleece Soft

We make some of our mascots with Antron fleece, or “Muppet fleece”. After a while, it can start to lose its fluffiness. A good way to bring back that soft, furry look is to take a piece of male Velcro and gently stick and pull it away from any matted parts to refluff the material. This is an inexpensive and simple trick that all mascot owners should know about. Do not brush this fabric as it will fluff it too much and tear away some of the material.

Keeping The Velcro Sticky

The Velcro fastening in a mascot eventually becomes gummed up with debris. When this happens it won’t stick as well. To clean the male side of the Velcro, brush it with a wire brush to pull out all the stuff caught in the tiny hooks.

Post Cleaning Inspection

When the clothing and inner body are hanging up to dry it’s a good time to take a look at all the seams to check for holes and tears. If there are any open seams it’s important to stitch them back up as soon as possible because it will only get worse over time.

Goo Gone and Spot Remover

It can be a good idea to have a bottle of Goo Gone in case you get any chewing gum stuck on the bottom of your mascot feet. Spot remover can be handy as well to quickly remove any small stains that might appear. Be careful with these chemicals, though. To make sure they are safe to use, test them on the inside of a seam or somewhere else where it will not be visible if it damages the material.

How To Store Your Mascot

After every use, it’s a good idea to give your mascot a quick wipe with a damp cloth to keep it clean in between professional cleanings and make sure it is completely dry before putting it away. When storing your mascot, hang it up somewhere it has ample space to breathe. Don’t keep it stuffed in a small space like the trunk of a car or a small closet as this won’t be good for the smell and shape of your mascot suit.

How to Choose the Right Mascot

Choosing a mascot is one of the most important decisions your company will make because it will become the face of your company. A good one can draw a lot of attention and make your company stand out in people’s minds. A bad one, on the other hand, can leave people confused or make life miserable for the performer inside it. So, here is what to think about when choosing a mascot for your company.

Keep It Practical

Any manufacturer will tell you they use all the best materials and techniques. This is all well and good, but think about how the suit is constructed. The makers should use hand stitching to bind fabrics in place rather than hot glue. Stitching is much stronger, and hot glue will eventually lose its stickiness over time as the effects of weather and heat wear it down.

The suit should be designed for easy cleaning as well. If the mascot becomes dirty and smells like a gym sock, no one is going to like being your performer. At Hogtown Mascots, we put removable padding inserts into the head. The padding absorbs sweat, and you can simply take it out, wash it, and put it back so it doesn’t stink. Sending it away to be cleaned is expensive since you have to ship the suit, and pay for the cleaning as well.

They are meant to be fun and interactive, so when choosing a mascot keep in mind that it should be designed for maneuverability. It won’t be fun if it can’t move around and interact with people. The arms and legs should move freely and allow the performer to walk around and interact easily.

Choose Something People Recognize

You’ve probably noticed that a lot of mascot costumes are animals. That’s because people quickly identify what they are, and it’s easy to make these look cute.

As a starting point, you might want to choose something that is locally recognizable. For example, here in Toronto racoons are everywhere. The little nocturnal critters rummage through garbage bins across the city and can be spotted in just about every neighbourhood. If the City of Toronto were choosing a mascot for itself, a racoon could be a good choice because it would be easy to make a mascot character that people would relate to. After all, they are pretty cute to begin with.

Of course you don’t have to limit yourself to animals. Anything that people will be able to recognize and that suits your company image could potentially make a good choice.

Some Things to Avoid

You will need to employ some creativity in choosing a mascot, and we encourage you to let your imagination run wild. But try to stay away from personal things that the average person might not understand. For example, maybe your company president has a pet Chihuahua and wants it to be the company mascot. This could be confusing for people on the outside who can’t draw a connection between the dog and the company.

Stay away from logos too. While a company logo is essential for your brand image, it is not always suitable for a mascot because it will not be engaging or relatable. Dig down and think of something that you want to be the face of your company, and keep the logos on your business cards and websites.

Mascots bring personality and inject a sense of fun into your company’s image. The perfect one will stand out in people’s minds and make them remember your brand. Choosing a mascot is a significant cash investment, so consider these tips and whatever you choose will be a smash hit.