Los Angeles Kids Birthday Party Planning: The Science of Hiring Costumed Character Entertainers for Kids Parties
Los Angeles Kids Birthday Party Planning: The Science of Hiring Costumed Character Entertainers for Kids Parties.
Booking costumed character entertainment for your kids' birthday party can be a daunting task. Yes, there are a million kids’ party entertainers out there, but will the costumed characters you hire show up? Be on time? Will the costumes of your kids’ favorite cartoon characters, video game heroes, and Disney characters look authentic enough to pull it off with all those super-smart kids? Kids’ birthday parties are a lot of work, especially if you're doing it on your own, without an events professional who specializes in kids party planning. If you take a little time to research what's available for kids’ party entertainment, you'll find it gets easier the more you know. Plus, the more children's parties you go to with your own kids, the more easily you'll be able to play birthday event planner yourself. During your kid’s birthday party, you want and depend on the costumed character you hire to entertain the kids and not just stand around and look cute. But, how can you ensure you’re making the right choice before the big day? We’ve been through it all and can share our kids’ party entertainment tips…the key things to look for in a costumed character entertainer:
Get a referral or ask for a photo. A photo is not always available to send, so if that’s not possible, ask for a customer referral instead. Whether you’re looking for the classics like Star Wars' Darth Vader and storm troopers; Superheroes Spiderman, Batman, and Superman; the classic Disney Princesses' Ariel, Belle, and Cinderella; or the more current PJ Masks' Owlette, Catboy, Gekko, Big Hero 6' Baymax, Olaf from Frozen, Elsa, and Anna, the rule is still the same: be sure you are getting quality, even if it means you pay a little more.
Ask about the games and activities that your children’s party entertainer(s) might provide. Do not expect the character entertainer to make animal balloons and do face painting, even though many will offer this. Leave those services to the professional face painters and balloon twisters, because the character should entertain all of the kids. Stopping to face paint one kid at a time leaves the rest of the group doing nothing.
Establish the number of characters you want based on the number of kids. You can't really expect 1 character to keep more than 15 kids under control. If your budget limits you to one costumed character entertainer, but you’re expecting a full house for your kid’s birthday party, make sure your children’s party entertainer has a performance that will charm a room or have additional adults on hand to supervise the group while your costumed character mingles with smaller groups within the party.
Check out the actual costume your kids’ party entertainer(s) will wear, if possible. Copyright laws do dictate that a costume must be somewhat different from the actual character they are portraying, however you do want it close enough to pass with the kids.
Ask about the actor who will wear the costume. Great costumed character entertainment requires not only a great costume, but a great actor/entertainer. High energy and fun are key!
Whether you’re planning a 1st birthday party, a 5th birthday party, or any other childhood milestone event, checking around to learn about options will always benefit the birthday party planner in you.So, stay on your toes and ask the questions!The Los Angeles kids’ party planning team
