There’s a new mascot in the world of promo.

When ASI launched its new business management platform ESP+ at the ASI Show Orlando last month, the team also unveiled a new character: “Plus.” The mascot made appearances in both Orlando and Fort Worth and now joins “Promo,” a longtime presence at ASI trade shows.

From left: ASI’s new mascot “Plus” with Vice Chairman Matthew Cohn, President & CEO Tim Andrews, and “Promo” at the ASI Show Orlando in January.

To bring “Plus” to life, ASI worked with Toronto-based Hogtown Mascots (named after an old moniker for the city, which used to be a hub for meat processing at the turn of the 20^th century). In business since 2006, the company now designs and assembles an average of two mascots a week. Last year, in addition to Plus, the team of artists and manufacturers also completed costumes like a Pepto Bismol bottle and a jar of Tostitos Salsa Con Queso co-branded with the Green Bay Packers logo.

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“The costumes have to be comfortable and functional while maintaining the integrity of the character,” says George Civello, co-owner of Hogtown Mascots.

He calls fellow co-owner John Kernaghan “a total mascot geek.” After Kernaghan took a family vacation to Disney World when he was about 10 years old, he’s been interested in the oversized characters.

“He became enamored with them after that trip,” says Civello. “He went to school for theater, got experience as a mascot performer and started building costumes on his own. He spent time at Paramount Parks in Charlotte, NC, and also worked on stop-motion animation for TV show JoJo’s Circus.”

Kernaghan opened Hogtown Mascots in 2006 and Civello joined three years later. Since then, they’ve built a robust in-house design and production team and now offer related services like costume cleaning and repair, storage, recycling and even performance training.

“You can’t just jump into a costume,” says Civello. “There’s a lot to consider safety-wise as a performer and minder [someone who accompanies and assists mascots at events]. Performers also need to know the appropriate gestures and how to walk in those shoes.”

Popular industries for mascots include schools, pep rallies, trade shows, product launches, marketing pushes (Old Spice will unveil its first mascot “Swaggy Spice” during the Super Bowl this coming weekend) and community events like parades, says Civello. Their clients are mostly in the U.S.; mascots aren’t as popular in Canada, though that’s beginning to change.

“Whatever they are and wherever they’re used, they get attention,” says Civello. “People are drawn to them.”

Here, Civello shares an inside look at the making of a mascot, and how Hogtown Mascots and ASI brought Plus to life. 

Step 1

The Idea

ASI’s Executive Creative Director & Video Director Jake Krolick and Executive Art Director Steve Oswald provided Hogtown with this rendering of Plus.

Clients bring an idea for a character, and the designers at Hogtown put together a rendering that would work for a costume. “Cartoons aren’t anatomically correct,” says Civello. “We have to figure out the proper measurements for the limbs and neck, like we did with Plus.”

Step 2

The Assembly

Here’s a look at Plus being assembled at Hogtown Mascots.

Once the rendering is approved, Hogtown sources appropriate fabrics, color-matches them to brand specifications, carves the structured foam and upholsters it. “We do all assembly in house,” says Civello. “We have a team of sculptors, tailors and upholsterers. The carved foam is covered in fabric, facial features are printed, and the customer approves each stage.”

Step 3

The Delivery

Plus arrives at ASI headquarters – pictured with Executive Director of Distributor Marketing Abby Koss (left), and Erica Brown, fulfillment center leader.

Once it’s finished, the costume is carefully packaged for delivery to the customer. It usually takes about eight to 10 weeks from idea to arrival, says Civello. “If we start at 8 a.m. and work on just one mascot, it could be just a few days to one week,” he says. “We’ve done projects like that, where the shoot day is booked and we need to get it finished.”