Perfecting your ability as a character mascot will ultimately take practice and spending time inside the mascot suit, but here a couple of quick tips to get you on your way to mascot stardom:
Before the Event !!!
- Hydrate!!! You will sweat---a lot. Be sure to drink plenty of water prior to performing
- Try to develop some signature moves (a walk, a dance move, a cheer), film yourself or ask friends or family to watch and give you feedback
- Practice watching yourself in a mirror, be sure to know exactly where your eyes, ears, nose, and mouth are
- Try to check out the venue before performing, look around for any potential hazards
- Check yourself out - after dressing look in a mirror or have a chaperone make sure you are completely in the character costumes.
During the Event !!!
- Exaggerate – every movement will get drowned out inside the character costumes, be twice as big with everything you do
- Motion – stay in constant motion---never get caught standing still, walk-around, take a fake fall, dance
- Always stay in character – remember: to your fans you are no longer you, but rather a fun-loving mascot
- Never undress in public (this is a fireable offense at Disney), children will be heartbroken to realize that you are actually a human dressed as their favorite character
- Have fun with the kids, if they appear afraid try to get down on one knee or crouch down to make yourself appear smaller and less threatening
- Be sure to take regular breaks, on hot days you can suffer from heat exhaustion and frequent water breaks will be necessary
- Do NOT speak, unless you have a voice modulator on, 99.9% of mascots do not talk, learning effective non-verbal communication is essential, practice acting out various emotions