Wilburs of Famous Dave鈥檚 BBQ are created by Sugars Mascot Costumes. They create up to 400 mascots a year for school sports teams and corporations out of its Geary Ave. studio.
Wilburs of Famous Dave鈥檚 BBQ are created by Sugars Mascot Costumes. They create up to 400 mascots a year for school sports teams and corporations out of its Geary Ave. studio.
Halloween is the only time of the year when most of us dress up in character. But at Sugars Mascot Costumes in 色色啦鈥檚 west end, whimsical characters are a way of life. Here, a dozen-odd staff design, form and sew up to 400 mascots a year for school sports teams, municipal departments (fire halls, police stations) and corporate clients from as far as Ireland and Japan.
The mascots range in price from $4,500 to $6,000 each and if cared for properly will last decades. Sugars is behind some notable local characters including the Blue Jays鈥 Ace and Carlton the Bear from the Maple Leafs. But a peek at is a glimpse into the range of possibility that a mascot can take: a smiling trilobite for a nature centre known for its fossilized specimens, a syrup-soaked flapjack for the Elmira Maple Syrup Festival (complete with a square patty of butter on its back) and even a forlorn portable toilet commissioned by a pharmaceutical company to promote a drug treating overactive bladders.
鈥淚t just seemed like we were only doing bears, bears, bears and now people are coming to us with more original ideas,鈥 says account co-ordinator Lucie Whitehead, who works with clients and the production team to bring a character to life.
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A mascot takes about 140 hours to complete over 10 to 12 weeks in the Geary Ave. studio. First, designer Debra Pugh sketches a figure based on the client鈥檚 requests. Often she adapts from an existing design (Sugars has been making mascots since 1984). But on a recent Thursday afternoon, Pugh is working on sketches for a Sugars first 鈥 an earwig for a private boarding school in the United States.
鈥淭he pincers are looking too lobstery,鈥 Whitehead remarks as she peers over Pugh鈥檚 computer screen, suggesting they take on more of a half-moon shape. At this stage, Whitehead and Pugh must also consider what motions and actions the mascot will be doing. 鈥淒ebra just did a shark that鈥檚 going to be tumbling,鈥 Whitehead says. While the fin could have sat on top of the mascot鈥檚 head, Pugh placed it on its back. 鈥淚t鈥檚 so that when he鈥檚 flipping upside down, he鈥檚 not hitting the fin on the ground.鈥
Pugh and Whitehead also factor in whether the mascots will be giving hugs (large, protruding stomachs are not conducive to this display of affection) and have developed characters that skate on ice and even ski downhill. 鈥淲e鈥檙e really conscious about the balance,鈥 says Whitehead of these active characters. 鈥淚t has to be balanced front-to-back and side-to-side really well.鈥
Given a mascot鈥檚 lofty stature (the costume can add a foot or more to height) Whitehead and Pugh use panels of mesh at a mascot鈥檚 nose and mouth to allow the wearer to see. 鈥淒ownward vision is crucial if there鈥檚 going to be young kids coming up to you,鈥 says Whitehead. 鈥淵ou need to see what鈥檚 right around your feet.鈥
In the studio鈥檚 main production area, several hands are on deck to get a zebra mascot out the door for a conference happening in just a few weeks. Its head has already been formed from foam, which was shaped by sculptors using simple tools like a box cutter. Now it鈥檚 onto the wardrobe department, where soft plush material is stitched together, much of it by hand, to form around the zebra鈥檚 head perfectly.
Meanwhile, another sewer is working on the zebra鈥檚 body, using thin plastic hoops sewn into a vestlike bodice to create the mascot鈥檚 comical, larger-than-life shape once a furry exterior is pulled on over top. For some mascots, details such as eyes and logo are hand-painted onto the fabric to ensure accuracy and vibrancy.
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Once a mascot is complete, it鈥檚 up to animators to bring a character to life. Kevin Moe, an independent contractor hired by companies looking for mascot animators, has been pulling on mascot costumes for nearly two decades. He is the man behind the Energizer Bunny and Scotiabank鈥檚 dog mascot and often comes in studio for fittings.
His challenge is to give a personality to these larger-than-life beings at summer festivals, parades and events he attends.
鈥淵ou鈥檇 love to be able to just put on a silly voice and talk, but a general rule of all mascots is that you don鈥檛 speak,鈥 Moe says. 鈥淥ver the years, you really develop non-verbal communication with high fives, a fist bump or just cocking your head to the side to look a little confused, like the family dog would do. That makes people laugh.鈥
Navigation is a concern, especially when Moe gains additional height 鈥 such as from the Energizer Bunny鈥檚 ears. For these costumes he has the help of a spotter to avoid obstacles or advise of small children approaching. But still up to Moe to pace himself and take frequent breaks 鈥 every 20 or 30 minutes 鈥 to prevent overheating. It鈥檚 a lesson he learned after suffering from heatstroke during a hot summer event.
An internal fan built into the head of his mascots helps to circulate air around the costume. Special vests accommodate ice pack-like inserts to keep the wearer鈥檚 core temperature down. But for those donning furry, thick costumes for Halloween, especially indoors, Moe will take breaks and even rigging up a cool-pack vest for extra hefty outfits. Even so, 鈥淵ou鈥檒l still be dripping with sweat when you come out of a costume,鈥 he says.
Moe鈥檚 advice for revellers planning to dress up in a mascot-like costume this Halloween.
鈥淟et people come to you,鈥 he says. 鈥淲hen an eight-foot rabbit comes at you, it can definitely be intimidating. Some little kids are frightened by a large, imposing character. But sometimes I can win them over. I鈥檒l just pretend that I鈥檓 more afraid than they are.鈥
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