When is it time to recycle your mascot costume? After years of being the happiest chipmunk for your high school sports team or working the stage as a singing slice of grapefruit for the top fruit beverage company in the region, it might be time to retire that character.

Over time, even the best-made mascot costumes become faded, or in a state of disrepair, especially if they’re heavily used.  Or perhaps your employer is rebranding and wishes to adopt a new character to represent the company moving forward. Whatever the case, at some point a mascot costume will reach the end of its life. And you’ll need to consider how to properly dispose of it or recycle it.

We’re here to tell you that the nearest trashcan is no place for a well-loved mascot costume! Instead, embrace one of the three Rs (recycle, reduce, reuse, and close the loop). In doing so, you may even discover that perhaps that big fuzzy suit still has some life to it, saving you the expense of replacing it right away.

Below, we share everything you need to know about mascot recycling:

1. Is Your Costume Fixable?

Here is a question: is your costume fixable? Bring your costume into your local mascot experts for an assessment. There may be a way to improve your original costume’s look and feel without losing any of its charm or appeal. A little bit of sewing, some new buttons, and a good old-fashioned cleaning goes a long way towards breathing life into a tired-looking mascot.  

Plus, even if you decide to swap mascot outfits eventually, you can donate the newly repaired costume or trade it in for an upgraded model (see below).

2. A Deep Cleaning

While you should be cleaning your mascot after every use, thorough, extensive cleaning by a team of mascot-cleaning pros can effectively remove stains and odours. And they will freshen your costume inside and out, make colours appear more vibrant, and fluff the fleece or fur. From drab to fab in only a few hours.

Undoubtedly, your mascot costume gets dirty with frequent use. The misconception is that professional cleaning can be a costly expense. However, a comprehensive cleaning is not only affordable, but it’s a necessity if you want to extend the life of your costume. Even if you’re still wanting to replace your mascot, a thoroughly cleaned costume will give you a higher resale or trade-in value.

3. Repurpose Your Mascot Costume

If your mascot costume is in good shape, you might want to consider repurposing it. Perhaps your company is re-branding and bidding adieu to your signature tiger mascot costume that was used at corporate events. Take the time to do a little research to see if a local sports club, school or organization is also represented by a tiger. The costume could be put to use by a group who may not otherwise have the funds to purchase one of their own.

4. Trade in Your Costume

Trading in your used mascot is an environmentally conscious (and financially sound) way to get rid of a used mascot! Many local mascot companies will offer a trade-in program, and there are two main benefits to taking advantage of this:

• You save money on a new costume. In this economy, every penny counts!
• You can be proud of your green initiative, knowing that you’ve kept an old costume out of a landfill.

5. A Remascot Program for Recycling

Even if you’re concerned that your mascot costume is beyond a state of repair, there is still a great option for disposing of it responsibly. Our Remascot Program takes parts and materials from old costumes, re-using them to create new mascots at reduced costs!

These affordable, refurbished mascots a great option for organizations and non-profits who are strapped for cash. The program also significantly diminishes a mascot’s ‘footprint’ by reclaiming fabric, foam, and plastic that would otherwise be sent to landfill.

The statistics have spoken, and they confirm that a mascot can be even more influential than a celebrity! Indeed, when it comes to branding, a mascot representing your product can have more impact than a paid celebrity endorsement!

This is reason enough to ensure that your mascot costume remains in pristine condition. Who wants to share a multimedia message or take a picture with a dilapidated character whose better days are behind him or her?

Give your mascot the TLC it deserves by treating it to the repairs and deep cleaning it needs while in use. And once your time together is done, consider repurposing or trading it in, to allow it to keep spreading smiles for years to come.