Dale Morton working on a mascot head.
Editor’s Note: Dale Morton, owner of Dale Morton Studio Mascot Costumes, presented a session on mascot restoration at the 2019 NCA Conference. In this interview, Dale discusses his business.
Costumer: How did you got involved in mascot design and creation?
Dale Morton: Through most of my youth I was interested in costumes and artwork. Me and my friends would make Star Trek and Star Wars costumes. After high school, we got interested in masks and makeup, and taught ourselves how to do that. The more pieces we would make the better we got at it. I was also involved in theater, doing the make-up prostheses, and I would get my makeup supplies from a costume shop in Huntington called Magic Makers. I would show them pictures of my masks and so forth, and the more I would go in there, the more I got to know them. Eventually they asked to me to come work for them as a mascot sculptor. I worked for them for a couple of years and really taught myself how to do it by experimenting with different materials and molds and things.
Then in the mid 90s I went back to school and did some other things for a while, but in 2000 I decided to make mascot-making a full-time business. I didn’t know how to sew, but Magic Makers put me through a crash course in sewing, and after I opened my own studio in 2001, I taught myself the finer points of sewing. I got better and better at sewing and patterning, and it just took off from there.
Costumer: What’s the most famous mascot you’ve made?
Morton: I’d say the most famous is the mascot of Marshall University, a buffalo named Marco. Marco is very much loved in Huntington. A few years ago they wanted to upgrade Marco, so they called me. We redesigned him, made him look more modern and used better materials. They’ve been using my Marco for the last three years. We made three of them for them.
I’ve also made mascots for Hasbro, the PGA, Stouffer and Proctor and Gamble. For Hasbro we did 10 giant Sorry game pieces. They had them on the street in New York City, and they showed up in the background of the Today Show. But other than that I don’t know what they used them for.
Costumer: Your presentation was about mascot restoration. In your experience, how often do mascots need to be repaired?
Morton: It all depends how well they are treated. With Marco the Buffalo, for instance, we made his head out of fiberglass because Marshall is really tough on him. That’s the only fur-covered head I’ve made out of fiberglass. Every six months or so they send him in for repairs – like to replace a hand, or some seams came apart, or a horn got dinged.
Sometimes I get mascots that were made by other companies that are cheap – the glue fails, the fur is coming off, the paint is flaking. People bring them to me to spruce them up.
Costumer: What skills are required to be in the mascot business?
Morton: Well, there are a lot of odd skills that are good to have. My primary training was as a sculptor. All of our heads start out as clay sculptures. In a lot of cases molds are made out of the sculptures, so you need to know how to mix plaster, lay layers of burlap on it, and the other skills of mold making. Pattern making is another skill. You have to be able to take a three-dimensional form and break it down visually onto a flat pattern. Of course, sewing is important, but you don’t need to know a lot of different stitches. Another skill is applique. That’s taking a logo or image, breaking it down into its constituent parts, tracking it to fabric pieces, laying them on top of each other, and sewing them together to look like a logo. You also need to know painting and air brushing. All of my eyes are hand painted with a brush. Then there’s rubber silicone molding, such as for teeth. And reinforced latex for noses. So when you really break it all down there’s an amazing amount of stuff you need to know!
Costumer: What else should NCA members know about you?
Morton: The most important thing is that I’m available to them. If they have a problem with a mascot, or just need some advice, they can call me. And they can order pieces from me – a head, hands or feet, whatever. They can depend on me!
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