Mission
Making the World a Better Place One Smile at a Time
…through Social Media and Appearances;
as well as Mascot Creation, and professional Mascot Program Consultation.
What is The Mascot Love?
The Mascot Love is an adorable anthropomorphic ambassador for LOVE that expresses herself through non-verbal movements, gestures, and dancing. She touches the lives of people around the world through her YouTube channel and Instagram. She also loves to bring joy, laughter, and smiles to everyone she has the honor of meeting in person. At times she behaves like a human (in pawsitive ways), and at times she behaves like an awesome, fun-loving canine. She was inspired by and created as a hybrid of a beloved rescued greyhound with brindle-patterned fur, named Brook, and a beloved rescued chihuahua mix with holes in his ears, named Eric.
How Love Was Born • Through Visionary Artist, Carolyn Quan – The Back Story
Once Upon a Time…
There was a world that seemed to be falling apart. A world that needed more love than ever before. Then along came an idea that was inspired by all of the challenges and sadness in the world.
My name is Carolyn Quan and I am a multiple-award-winning artist, known for my visionary artwork created over the past 20 years of my fine art career. I have been self-employed for over 40 years with a background in art direction and design in the music and entertainment industries.
Like so many artists, solopreneurs, and small business owners, when the pandemic hit, my means to earn a living were suddenly non-existent.
In the summer of 2024, I decided to seek employment with an employer for the first time in decades. I saw an ad for “Mascot Character – Must be 4’11” to 5’4″” at the world-renowned San Diego Zoo and applied for the part-time job. I had always wondered what it would be like to be a professional mascot. When I was a teen, I got to be our high school moose mascot for a football game or two and the experience was so joyful that it stuck with me throughout my life. So, there it was – “a dream j-o-b” staring me in the face. I couldn’t help but feel excitement and the hope that I had been seeking for so long.
After two auditions and an interview, I was hired! I was now a professional mascot in the entertainment division of the famous San Diego Zoo . Once I began the work, I very quickly realized how much happiness and joy that the zoo mascots bring to both children and adults from around the world. Each day that I work, I witness the positive energy and beauty of working in what I now call the happiness industry. The hugs, high-fives, blown kisses, dances, playfulness, love, gratitude…the smiles on children’s faces, the joy emanating from their precious little hearts…it is like no other feeling. By creating joy for others, we create joy for ourselves.
So, then I thought…
What if I created something that would bring endless smiles, joy, and hope to people everywhere. Besides, creating is my passion. I’ve been an accomplished artist my entire life. That’s when the inspiration to create The Mascot Love came into my vision. So I took the plunge and began to glue and sculpt foam, sew fur, cut rubber, design patterns, paint mesh, and create a lovable, furry mascot named Love.
- Visionary Artist Carolyn Quan
Artist Biography
From Toronto -> New York City -> Lahaina, Maui -> Honolulu, O’ahu -> San Francisco Bay Area -> Palm Springs -> Sedona -> San Diego -> the next destination…
From OCAD -> Art Director and Designer in the Music and Entertainment Industries -> Multiple-Award-Winning Fine Art Photo Collage Artist -> Professional Mascot Maker and Performance Artist.
Carolyn Quan is an accomplished, innovative, professional artist with a unique vision.
Beginning with more than 20 years of professional experience in the commercial art field, Carolyn transitioned seamlessly into fine art after 9/11, winning awards and selling art to collectors around the world for over 20 years. In 2024 she serendipitously and gratefully transitioned into the field of mascot performance art and mascot making.
An artist since childhood, Carolyn Quan grew up in Toronto, Canada and earned a degree in Commercial Design and Photography from the Ontario College of Art and Design. She was the recipient of a full-tuition scholarship for her fourth year of studies awarded to her by City-TV/MuchMusic, Canada’s MTV, along with a summer internship.
After working as a designer in television for 3 years, she moved to New York City to pursue her dream of designing album covers. In NYC, Carolyn was a music industry Art Director and Designer and designed album covers, packaging, and marketing materials for many celebrities, including Barry Manilow, Carly Simon, Aretha Franklin, Yes, and the Grateful Dead, to name just a few. She is the recipient of 4 gold records for her creative achievements in the music industry. In 1992, Carolyn started her own graphic design and marketing company which specialized in the entertainment industry. Clients included PolyGram Video, CBS Radio, Black Entertainment Television, BMG, Sony Music, EMI and Warner Music Int’l, amongst others. Recording artists included INXS, Lionel Ritchie, Sarah Brightman, Placido Domingo, and Kiss, to name just a few.
In 1997, Carolyn diversified her business and launched a glossy multicultural magazine, Urban Mozaik, which promoted cross-cultural understanding and celebrated diversity and was sold on newsstands and in major bookstore chains in Canada and the U.S.
In 2000, Carolyn moved to Maui, Hawaii, where, after the life-altering events of 9/11, she began focusing her creative endeavors on fine art. In 2004, Carolyn opened her first art gallery and studio in Lahaina, Maui. In 2005, it transitioned into The Quan Gallery, a co-op art gallery featuring six local artists, and moved to bustling Front Street in Lahaina.
Serendipitously on September 11, 2007, Carolyn opened The Quan Gallery in Honolulu, on the island of O’ahu, in the heart of Waikiki. The Quan Gallery in Waikiki was her first solo/signature art gallery. The same year, two of her fine art photo collages were added to the permanent collection of art at The Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction founded by world-renowned sex researcher Dr. Alfred Kinsey, in Bloomington, Indiana.
Her artwork has been shown in Rio de Janeiro; New York City; Los Angeles; Taos; La Quinta; Riviera Maya, Mexico; Toronto, Canada; and throughout the Hawaiian islands as well as at art festivals throughout Canada and the U.S. Her art is in private collections around the world including Australia, Germany, Canada, Mexico, the U.S., and Japan.
She has been featured in over 20 publications as well as on radio, television, and in a CBC documentary film. In 2010, she was the recipient of the “Best in Show” award at the Castro Street Fair in San Francisco, which was founded by Harvey Milk in 1994. For 9 years in a row Carolyn was honored with a total of 19 American Art Awards, founded by Tom Bierdz, a fellow artist and daytime television celebrity from the Young and the Restless. In 2015, she was honored with the Award of Merit in the photography category at the 33rd Annual La Quinta Arts Festival, one of the most prestigious art festivals in the U.S. She has also won numerous awards at various fine art festivals including St. George, two in Chicago, and Beverly Hills. In 2020 and 2021 she won two nominations in the prestigious international Fine Art Photography Awards.
Today, she continues to innovate as an artist and looks forward to applying her 40+ years of professional expertise and experiences to create many unique and memorable mascots for the world to enjoy.