| Over the past couple of years, the look-a-like | | | | & greet, dancing, plays games, poses for |
| costumes of your child's favorite character have | | | | photos. |
| become the hottest birthday party entertainment. | | | | -or- |
| The popular look-a-likes of Dora, Elmo, Diego, | | | | 2) Party leader and character are 2 separate |
| Backyardigans, Spongebob, etc. have captured a | | | | performers and they do a combination of meet |
| large portion of the parties. That is why in every | | | | & greet, dancing/singing to theme music, games, |
| major city you see a growth in the number of | | | | posing for photos, and possibly slicing the cake. |
| performers carrying the costumes. In most cases, | | | | Under both scenarios, most parties are usually one |
| the demand for the costumes out-weigh the supply. | | | | hour. |
| Why is this such a phenomena? | | | | Usually, the characters do not speak, especially they |
| My guess is with the growth of all the accessories | | | | are accompanied by a party leader. |
| involving the purchase of everything from pillows to | | | | There is an an exception to this rule, most superhero |
| key chains, this was the next logical step. You can | | | | character impersonators of Spiderman, Batman, Darth |
| already find the plates, napkins, cups, tablecloths of | | | | Vader, Power Rangers, etc. speak and sometimes |
| your child's favorite character at your local party | | | | perform activities such as magic, balloon twisting, |
| store. | | | | karate demos, and much more. The upper age range |
| Also, this is a little kid's driven industry. The average | | | | for these parties average around 8 or 9 years old. |
| range of 2-5 years is the majority of kids at most | | | | Prices for this type of entertainment vary from $75 |
| costumed character parties. | | | | to $300 or more per hour. |
| While clowns and magicians still make up a large part | | | | The question I usually receive is, "Why can't I find |
| of the party entertainment, their numbers have | | | | the characters in my city?". The reason is the above |
| dwindle a bit for the little kids party scene. Clowns | | | | mentioned characters and most of the costumed |
| sometimes are very scary to young kids even adults. | | | | performers you see on television are copyrighted |
| Most magic shows unless it's silly magic, tend to hold | | | | characters. There are various copyright infringement |
| the attention of kids older than five. | | | | laws protect the rights of the license holder. |
| Let's understand that a 6 foot big-headed character | | | | Most characters for birthday parties are look-a-likes |
| walking through your door with loud music can be | | | | or impersonators of the characters you see on tv. |
| very frightening as well. Usually kids 3 years old or | | | | The performers can be seen at birthday parties in |
| less have this issue. The 4 and 5 year old kids tend | | | | gyms, homes, recreation centers, party rooms, |
| to have requested the characters who perform at | | | | outdoor parks, etc. Just about anywhere you can |
| their parties. | | | | have a party. They are now more prevalent at grand |
| The programs offered usually come in varying forms, | | | | openings, open houses, and festival and fairs. |
| but these are the two most popular: | | | | In some cases, finding these performers takes much |
| 1) A clown or "party leader/helper" starts off with | | | | effort and determination. |
| some face painting or balloon twisting. Usually, after | | | | You may need contact a company with a huge |
| 30-40 minutes, the party leader leaves, comes back | | | | database of performers in your area and nationally. |
| in the costume to theme music and performs a meet | | | | |