MASCOUCHE – About thirty years ago, Jean-Claude Tremblay was faced with a challenge: take the Montreal Expos’ iconic mascot Youppi! and improve the design.
What followed became a career that put a piece of Quebec all over the world.
“I never thought this would become a career,” he said.
“I just found I had a passion.”
When Tremblay repaired Youppi, he shaved a pound off the weight of the costume using a technology then known as Velcro.
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One of the main improvements to the costume was making it lighter – something other teams wanted to get on board with.
Now, Tremblay’s company Creations JCT makes mascots for professional sports teams all over the world out of its two-storey factory in Mascouche.
The company has produced hundreds of them.
Tremblay said one of his proudest moments was watching one of his creations, the Indianapolis Colts’ Blue, during the Super Bowl.
Tremblay splits his time between Orlando and Mascouche and his son Dominic takes an active hand in the business.
“Our job now is getting the character exact,” he said.
“The technology available now is amazing.”
Other mascots designed or reinvented by Creations JCT include Montreal Impact‘s Tac-Tik, Montreal Alouettes‘ Touché, Vancouver White Caps‘ Spike and Houston Astros‘ Orbit.
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