… and Chóśi zips through the Lausitz Arena on a scooter

A huge head on his shoulders and very limited visibility—but the mascot Chóśi still manages to create an amazing atmosphere in the Lausitz Arena. He speeds around the interior on a scooter without causing any accidents. Miles Tobias explains how this works. Chóśi was created in the workshops of his company, Milestone Mascots, in Berlin.

It all started with his own experience: when he was inside a mascot costume himself, Miles Tobias was dissatisfied with its design. So, in 2018, he founded his own company. Today, he employs ten people responsible for developing, sewing, and producing the costumes, as well as cleaning, repairing, storing them, and, of course, performing as the mascots. And what makes his mascots different? “We’ve created a better field of vision, the shoes fit more securely, and we don’t make full-body suits. Individual parts are much easier to put on and replace if something breaks,” says Miles Tobias. It takes 90 to 200 hours to complete a costume.

The idea for Chóśi was developed together with the Cottbus City Sports Association. The mascot had to fit the region. It quickly became clear: it had to be an otter. The person inside the costume can wear it for 30 to 40 minutes before needing a break—“depending on how much action you’re doing,” says the company founder. And how does the scooter-riding work? “You should first practice without the costume and be confident on the scooter. Then it’s important that as few people as possible are in the path because you can’t see much.”

Milestone Mascots has been performing with Berlino for many years. Berlino was born at the 2009 World Athletics Championships in Berlin, performs annually at Germany’s biggest athletics meeting, ISTAF, and has often visited the Lausitz Arena. Gfreidi, the mascot of the 2022 European Athletics Championships in Munich, was also created in the Berlin workshops.