Aug 29 2005

Category: Misc
Aug. 29, 2005
I got to dress up as Elmo™, of Sesame Street fame. That was a blast.
I’ve decided that parents can be some of the biggest jerks. The reason I was Elmo™ was because WTTW, the public broadcasting station in Chicago, had a fun walk. I’ve worked for the events company that was running it so the production manager asked me to be one of the characters. It’s $200.00 cash, nothing to sneeze at. And the kids are a lot of fun. It’s like being a rock star, your fans just happen to be less than four feet tall. I didn’t even mind the heat or the stuffy costume. How can anyone resist being hugged and kissed by hundreds of kids? Not me.


It's me and Cookie Monster!

Incase you were wondering there are three types of reactions when a child meets a five foot tall Muppet.

1. Ecstatic Glee – This is when a child runs into your arms, gives you a great big hug and shows and is so mesmerized by meeting you that the parent can’t get a good picture.( The picure above is an example of Ecstatic Glee)


2. Terror – This is when a child gets within two feet of you and breaks out into tears and clings to Mommy or Daddy.


3. Ecstatic Glee followed by Terror- This is when the child is so very excited to meet you they can hardly stand the wait, then when it’s their turn they cling desperately to Mommy or Daddy. This usually includes tears.

Warning the following image may be disturbing to children or adults who are childlike.

Elmo with my head!!!
That's right ladies and gentlemen I am dressed as Elmo!


I find all of the reactions terribly entertaining. Of course the best is the Glee. I think my biological clock sped up ever time that some kid told me that he loved me. Of course it wasn’t me it was Elmo™, but still it does a heart good.
The real downer can be the parents. I think some parents are so intent on giving their kid a good experience that they forgot about a little think called manners. As I mentioned before that costume can get real stuffy. Luckily it wasn’t super hot on Sunday because I may not have made it. Basically the costume is a body suit covered in red fur like material and a helmet with the head of a Muppet. In order to see you have the look through the mouth, which is covered in a black mesh like material. That’s also what you breathe through. So after a while it can get a little stuffy to say the least. In fact after my 45 minutes in the suit I had sweat dripping into m eyes, and I was breathing like I had just run a marathon. Also you start to get a little claustrophobic in there all by yourself. Oh one more thing you can’t say a word. That’s because I am not the licensed voice of the character.
When I started out it was all good. Give hugs, blow kisses, take pictures, and try to remember not to smile, after all they can’t see my face. But towards the end of my shift I was getting worn down. The sweat was stinging my eyes, and I couldn’t get a nice clean breath. I have to admit I was getting a little worried that I was going to freak out. Now that’s where the “handlers” come in. They’re the ones that direct traffic, calm the masses and make sure that I don’t get punched in the stomach or kicked. The way you have to signal is by tapping our nose. I’m sorry I mean the characters nose. Which in case your wondering is on top of my head. Let me just tell you how odd it is to have to connect tapping your nose with reaching up. For a while after it was over when I was talking about it I would reach up and tap my forehead. All in all it was a great experience and if I'm aksed to do it again I will jump at the chance.