Being a mascot can be a fun job. You get to have fun and entertain people who are already in an enjoyable environment and in jovial moods. No matter how great the event is where you will be offering your mascot services, situations can go wrong very fast and you need to ensure that you are able to respond accordingly when wearing your costume.
Below are tips to follow when you are wearing your mascot costume.
1. Stay cool in a mascot costume
Your mascot costume may feel comfortable and you may think that you will be able to maintain an acceptable temperature while wearing it at first. However, as you have it on for an extended period and you start to move around, it will likely get very hot in the interior. Therefore, you need to take steps to stay cool or you will get overheated and suffer from exhaustion or heat stroke.
How to stay cool in a mascot costume, you ask? Some ways to stay cool in a mascot costume include:
- Keep hydrated by drinking plenty of water and take lots of breaks.
- Wear lighter clothing that will allow air to reach your skin. Clothes such as jeans will not only draw heat but may restrict your ability to perform.
- On especially hot days, consider wearing a cooling vest. These vests are able to hold cooling packs and you can switch them out when they start to thaw out.
2. Have a guide
You do your best to be cautious and aware of your surroundings when you are in your mascot costume. However emergencies do occur and sometimes you may need assistance while performing your duties such as climbing stairs and walking near fire, water, or traffic.
To ensure you are safe while acting as a mascot, you definitely need to have a guide. This person can escort you around the premises and keep you away from things that will harm you. A guide can respond to pre-determined hand gestures from you and can also keep overzealous fans from doing something that will cause you injury.
3. Have a perfect line of sight
While your guide will be able to lead you around the premises and keep you safe, you still need to be able to maintain a perfect line of sight through your costumes. This will aid you in being able to remove yourself safely from any emergency situations that may arise.
Before attending the event, try on the head of your costume and make sure you can see perfectly. If there are any obstructions to your line of vision, consider getting the head altered. If this is not possible, you may want to reconsider wearing the costume altogether. An inability to see without anything blocking your vision puts you at risk of injury or even death.
4. Practice
You definitely do not want to put the costume on shortly before the event and determine that it is too hot, too heavy, unclean, or you are unable to safely see out of it.
To confirm that the costume will work for you, put it on well before the event. This will allow you to determine whether it is light enough to perform your duties and if you can see and breath out of it adequately. Trying the costume out and practicing your performance will also allow you to see whether it will be cool enough for you. In doing so, you will also be able to see if the costume is clean enough. If you discover that it smells of sweat or is growing mold, reconsider wearing the costume as this could cause health issues for you.
