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Designing a mascot costume that is unique, original, and functional can sometimes be a challenge. It’s easy to get carried away when creating a mascot. You might want to add accessories, bulky clothing, make the mascot big and fluffy or strong and muscular. The possibilities are endless, but they do have restrictions. At the end of the day, your mascot design is important but if it can’t function as a mascot then it will do you no good. But how do you know what element to prioritize when designing your mascot? How do you balance design and functionality? Don’t worry, in this blog we outlined some things for you to consider when designing your costume to maximize its performance.
Many organizations create their mascot based on a logo or digital character that already exists. Sometimes though transforming a 2D character to 3D isn’t always a seamless process. Your mascot design may not accommodate a performer inside, so features such as arm or legs holes may need to be added. For example, on the right is a 2D image of a logo for the John Hancock building in Chicago. In the logo, the building has no legs and only feet. A mascot design with only feet and no legs would not be functional. To accommodate, we added some leg holes but kept all the other features, including the smile! The final product is very similar to the logo but has a few new features to be a successful mascot.
Little changes like these should not make your brand less recognizable and should only help enhance your mascot. If you’re worried though about the effects of alternations, be sure to reach out and our mascot team will gladly walk through some possible solutions that fit your standards.
It is extremely important that your mascot costume is designed in human proportions. It’s easier for a performer to move and function within a mascot if its proportional to their body size. For instance, if a mascot is designed to have a height range of 5’10” to 6’0” then a performer who is 5’3” will have extreme difficulty performing in that mascot. They will not only be uncomfortable, but they may have trouble with something as simple as walking.
We recommend creating a mascot with a height range that is based off the heights of the people who will be performing in your mascot costume. Ideally, keep the height range within three inches of the performer’s height. If you don’t have a performer in mind when designing your costume, then we would recommend using the height of the average male or female in your country. In the United States for example, the average male height is 5’9” and the average female height is 5’4”.
If you need help with other things to consider when choosing a mascot performer, check out this blog!
You may want your mascot costume to be super tall or wide so that it stands out in a crowd. If your mascot will only perform outside, these features won’t be a problem. If you plan on having your mascot inside, you might need to reconsider the sizing of your mascot.
A standard ceiling is roughly eight feet tall, and standard doorways range anywhere from 18 to 36 inches wide. Consider these measurements when designing your mascot costume, especially if you expect your mascot to perform inside.
If the costume stands too tall, your mascot’s performance will be less effective, or your mascot might not be able to perform at all. If your mascot performer constantly hits the ceiling or is too worried about hitting the ceiling, that will limit the performance. If the costume is too wide, it may not fit through a door and won’t be able to perform in the desired location. If your mascot costume design is tall, make sure that the body suit is easily bendable so the mascot performer can bend down to fit through doors.
Size also plays a role when shipping and storing your costume. If your mascot costume is too large, you may run into problems when trying to transport your costume. Make sure you have adequate storage space and have a transportation plan when designing an oversized mascot costume.
Have you ever tried running a marathon with shoes triple your normal size? Imagine your mascot performer trying to run around and engage with fans and tripping over the feet of your costume. If you want your mascot to be dancing, running, or doing anything active, you should make sure that your costume doesn’t have large, bulky feet. Even if your mascot design shows large shoes or feet, you may need to substitute those for smaller, more functional shoes for your performer.
Hands are just as important as the feet of your mascot costume. Mascot performers always use their hands to interact with people and hold objects, so the gloves of the costume need to accommodate for that. Mobility can improve by having five finger gloves instead of three or four fingers, or you could choose to opt for football or baseball gloves. Extremely active mascots that rely on their hands a lot often use football gloves to maximize mobility.
One of the biggest challenges for a mascot performer is not having a clear line of vision in the costume. If your mascot performer can’t see, they aren’t going to be able to function to their best ability. Depending on how active your mascot will be, the visibility requirements will vary. Where you add vision holes will depend on the size and structure of your mascot costume. You can learn more about mascot heads and vision here.
To keep your mascot performing at its best, make sure to follow these guidelines when creating your mascot costume design. If you have any questions about how to design your mascot, reach out to a mascot professional. To learn more about important design elements, read our previous blog on mascot design tips.
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