Professionally made mascots are very expensive to purchase, but the quality should serve you for many years. RAGE didn't want to spend that kind of money and would have had to custom-order a costume anyway (not too many red bulldogs out there) so we had a local seamstress friend of mine make the costume body this year and I made the head. This is
Sprocket.
I was able to purchase the red fur fabric online through a national retail fabric store chain with a discount coupon (FUR IS VERY EXPENSIVE). I ordered plenty of extra material so that we could make repairs in the future if necessary. The paws are separate pieces and the feet are simply "spats" - covers that slip on over sneakers. It has a strechy nylon fabric liner that the mascot puts on first. The liner has pockets in it where the foam "muscles" are inserted. The liner is great because it can be washed easily! The head was made out of a large block of foam that was glued up for us and donated by a local foam company (foam is VERY EXPENSIVE). I then carved it down to size and shape using an electric carving knife. The foam is very abrasive so don't use a good knife - purchase one for just this purpose since it will quickly become dull! It took a week of solid work on the head to get it to look somewhat like the shape that I wanted. I'd recommend having someone in your school that has carving experience help you with the drawing of the shape and planning for the opening so the mascot can see and breathe. It was a nightmare to do. The inside is hollowed out and a hockey helmet is inserted to give it more stability on the user's head. I then covered the foam with small pieces of fur using a hot glue gun. The eyes, teeth and nose are made of foam sheets I purchased inexpensively at a craft store.
We have 4 team members who are our mascot - we encourage them to rotate out of the costume frequently because it is VERY HOT inside. We are using cooling gel packs in Atlanta to see if that helps. After 20 -30 minutes, that person gets a rest/drink break (drink lots of water to stay hydrated), another person rotates into the costume, one is the guide.