Quick, Easy and Cheap Ways to Enhance any Mascot Program

Thanks to a post by MiLB Blogger, Ben Hill, http://bensbiz.mlblogs.com/ I've had quite a spike in traffic on the blog and would like to thank those who took the time to check it out with some information that I think is valuable to any team with a mascot program.  Let's face it, most teams and most mascot programs are always looking for ways to do things on the cheap.  While there are always drawbacks to cutting corners, I present some solutions to teams looking to spruce up the mascot and the program a couple months before the season starts.

1.  Clean your mascot shoes.  Shoes are one of the dirtiest things on any mascot costume.  Replace the soles on the shoes.  Any decent shoe repair place should be able to do this for around $30.  Get new shoelaces while you're there too.

2.  Fix the character hands.  Hands, along with mascot shoes are the dirtiest parts of any mascot costume.  Steam clean them, take them to a seamstress to get holes sewn up, find a matching color sharpie and "hide" any worn out fur.  Just think about how many times your mascots hands will be interacting with your fan base, whether it's giving high fives, signing autographs or doing promotions.  Fans notice sloppiness, you should too.

3.  Take a good look at the helmet or strapping system used to keep your mascots head on.  Try it on yourself.  If it wobbles a lot, fix it.  Mascots losing their heads can be solved by upgrading your chin strap system at any sporting goods store for under $40.

4.  Come up with 5 new skits.  Encourage your performer to come up with these ideas.  Pay him or her for a couple hours of brainstorming with your marketing team if you have a part-time performer.  Focus on skits that will enhance your game presentation, (example - doing a hula skit on a hawaiian theme night).  Provide resources and practice time to your performer, at the least.

5.  Have your characters outfit professionally cleaned.  Check with your mascot manufacturer and see if they have a service that does this.  (Many do.)

6.  Pick a theme song for your character.  There is no cost at all for this. Having a theme song for your character creates a sense of anticipation for your fans and breeds familiarity.

7.  Take $50 to the Dollar Store and get some new props.  You don't need expensive props to be funny, you just need props that can be used in game and crowd situations.

8.  Every mascot does at least one thing very well.  It could be a certain type of dance, a great communicator with kids, an acrobat or improv, whatever.  Recognize that skill and exploit it to your teams benefit.  If your performer is a dancer, put them in situations where the dancing will entertain your fans.  If your performer is great at dealing with kids, encourage them to do more crowd work and win fans over slowly but surely.  If your performer is a gymnast, allow them a safe spot and time to work that into a game.  Utilize your performers strengths.

9.  Establish relationships with all the other costumed characters in your market.  Call them and have them help on mascot birthdays, promos, etc...  Many times there are thousands of dollars of untapped sponsorship that can be attained through companies and helping them use their mascot to drive their brand.  Most company/corporate mascots are woefully underused.  Allowing them a performance showcase, helps your brand and theirs.  Just make sure you are getting proper value for it.

10.  If you're the boss of a mascot, have fun, smile and encourage the same from your performer.  Trust me, this is one of the most important things you can do to help create that elusive "truly fun" atmosphere.

While this is an old image of "Sherman the Shorebird", you can clearly see how something as small as fixing the hands, makes a big difference.