Who would have thought that you could learn something from being a party mascot?
As a kid, there was a time when we wanted to go to amusement parks just to see our favorite cartoon character come to li fe. It’s the joy of every kid—I mean they get to meet their hero!
As an adult, when we think of mascots, we think of a human incubator. We’ve probably been to enough amusement parks or sport games, seeing mascots doing uninspired and unenthusiastic dance moves to a supposedly hot jam.
Often, these are the mediocre kind of mascots.
Being a mascot is not only about being sweaty or doing dances. It’s more than that. I've been working in this industry for quite a while, and I learned that as a mascot you are powerful. You’ve got the power to inspire, entertain, and resonate with the kids, their parents, and your customers.
After some time transforming myself and others into a child’s favorite cartoon, I learned 4 important lessons:
1. Preparation is Key
Some people thought that being in the mascot is enough. You’d be surprised that the number of things you need to prepare.
Being in a mascot, you will need to know…
- What’s the goal of you being there?
- What is your role in the event?
- Who are the audience?
- Have you thought all about the technicalities involved?
One tip: try your mascot about 2-3 hours before the event starts. That way you will be familiar with the limitations that come with it.
2. You Represent your Brand
You are more than just someone wearing a suit. It would be a major party killer if your mascot head falls off while you are trying to pick up a candy from the table.
This will be a great mood-killer that will impact the children for the rest of their life.
Be Bugs Bunny or Daffy Duck or the Hulk. You don’t need to reveal to the public that you are under the Bugs Bunny suit. Revealing your secret identity would destroy the mascot’s brand identity. No longer would you be Bugs Bunny the mascot, you will be John in the Bugs Bunny mascot.
3. Make one heck of an entrance
Make it grand—with the loud music, confetti showers, huge flags, backflips, etc. Everything about the mascot is huge: the head, the hands, the feet, and the body. So, what better way than to do a huge entrance with it?
Make your audience feel excited and giddy with you around.
4. Respect is required
If you haven’t tried before, then you should know that putting on a mascot suit will give you an extreme adrenaline rush that will make you feel like you are powerful. But remember, with great power comes with great responsibility.
It is important you treat everyone around you with respect. Your company’s brand identity depends on it.
Imagine the look of your customer’s face if you send them someone in a Superman costume who has publicly announced that he is a Batman fan. That would lead customers to frustration because their expectations were not met.
If customers want someone in a Spiderman costume, then they would expect someone to act up to the brand being represented.
