The Three Elements to a great mascot program:

1.  A Good Costume:  Is your costume larger than life?  Easily seen 
in a crowd of people?  Provide ample viewing for the performer 
inside?  Easily washed and mended?  Provide the maximum amount 
of movement for the performer?  Is able to meet the physical range 
of your performer's measurements?  Do your spectators see a 
costume or a character? 

2.  A Good Performer:  Does your performer understand the rules 
of the event?  Does he/she find new ways every performance to 
make a new joke or skit?  Does he/she practice new stunts and 
physical skills to develop the character's personality?  Is the 
personality the performer portrays aligned with your organization's 
philosophy?  Do your spectators see a costume or character?

3. A Good Promoter:  Is your staff coming up with new ways to 
promote the character?  Do you speak often about the mascot's 
role in everyday business?  Are you receiving and offering critiques 
on a regular basis?  Are you integrating your character in as many 
areas of your organization as possible?  Do your spectators see a 
costume or a character?

A good mascot program is just like a good marketing program.  With 
the best materials, the best resources and the best people to execute 
the initiative your mascot can be one of the best parts of your image.

Think about how your character is promoted.  Is your staff coming up 
with marketing stunts to get word out about your team, school, or 
organization? 
Does your mascot have a personal goal  to what he/she does in the 
community?  Have you used your mascot in commercials or 
advertising?

Develop a story line for your mascot, and show the drama (comedy, 
fun, action) of their adventures to getting to the goal.

Create a line of merchandise that turns on kids and adults to
extending the brand of your mascot and all it stands for.

Come up with fun ways for the mascot to correspond with fans 
(e-mail, stationery, web pages, kids club newsletters).

Make the character a part of the team and promote the recognition
that the mascot has a defined and positive role in theoperations of
the organization.

Design a community tour which exposes the public to what the 
mascot is promoting.

Game Operations for Mascots