Plush gig? Not always -- costume character jobs can pack wallop

During one of my many jobs, I worked for Child World. It was a massive toy store chain and their hero was Peter Panda. Lucky me, I got the "honor" or "horror" depending on the day, for the Saugus MA store. The costume was enormous.

I was looking for a picture online of this but found a video instead.



As you can see, not easy to really move around with. During Christmas, it was terrible to wear it because of ice, snow and not being able to see. I had some wise guy friends playing jokes on me all the time. Kids were not as bad as most parents. They didn't like it if five other kids needed as much attention as their own child. They would swear at me in front of the kids because their little "darling" deserved more attention than the other kids because they spent more money there. As if that made sense. If they were already spending that much money there, they didn't need to see me inside a giant panda suit to do it. The good things are obvious but the bad, people hardly ever think of. This article may be an eye opener if you never thought how hard it is to be in costume.

Plush gig? Not always -- costume character jobs can pack wallop


Anika Myers Palm and Walter Pacheco

Sentinel Staff Writers

September 14, 2009
They get kicked, punched, groped and cursed at during the course of their normal workdays — and that's usually just from the kids.

Workers in character costumes at theme parks, including Walt Disney World, Universal Studios and SeaWorld, and at restaurants in Orlando's tourist corridor, often discount the indignities and injuries associated with their jobs and uncomfortable outfits.

Costumed characters were back in the public eye after prosecutors recently found a Pennsylvania man guilty of groping a Disney employee portraying Minnie Mouse at the Magic Kingdom. He told investigators that he was just having fun and meant no harm.

This was the second time the same employee had been molested by a guest. In 2002, she was playing Mickey Mouse when, authorities say, a mentally ill man who was obsessed with Disney characters put his arm around her and made sexually suggestive movements. The man was found incompetent to stand trial and the charges — battery and lewdness — were eventually dismissed.

Although current costumed employees at area theme parks declined to share their stories, former workers, including some who played chain-saw killers and Chuck E. Cheese, shared the ups and downs behind the disguises.
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Costume character jobs can pack wallop