All those stories are completely true. I'm an escort for Michigan State's mascot Sparty and all those things mention have happened to him while I was escorting. The costume does smell awful and you leave an event and you smell like sweaty foam and felt. Yuck! The head smells the worse cuz like the article says, you can't clean it. Sparty throws his arms, legs, and hands in the washing machine as often as he can. It doesn't do much good though. Now having done this job since August, I have new respect for anyone who dresses up in a mascot costume or one at WDW.
Here's a picture of the guy I escort with the marching band in the background: