You have been hired as a mascot for an important event. You have your routine down pat and cannot wait to put on the costume and get to work. However, before you get started a lot of thought needs to go into the costume you wear. Having an appropriate costume will ensure you can do your job comfortably and safely. To confirm that you have the right costume for the job, you may need to look at its design first. The following are tips to consider to ensure your mascot gig goes off without a hitch.

1. Ensure it is cool

On hot days, it can become extremely uncomfortable inside of a mascot costume. Even if temperatures are cooler as you start to move around and continue with any routines you have, it can become hot. As a result, you need to make sure you can keep cool in your costume.

Many people that wear mascot costumes ensure it is big enough to accommodate a cooling vest. This is an apparatus that people wear that cools the body’s temperature so exhaustion and heat stroke do not occur. Some costumes have cooling fans built in that circulate cool air, keeping the person wearing the costume comfortable. If your costume does not have a fan, consider fitting it with one.

2. Guarantee eyesight

Events that have mascots in attendance are fun with people present usually having fun. However situations can and do occur where you would have to leave the premises quickly. Being able to see has a lot to do with being able to do this.

Before attending the event where you will be the mascot, try the head of the costume on. Guarantee that you have direct lines of vision and your peripheral eyesight is not blocked. Having perfect eyesight will not only allow you to successfully interact with everyone present, but be aware of anything that could cause injury to you. It will also allow you to leave the area in the event of an emergency.

3. Be able to move

As a mascot you need to be lively and entertain people with your actions. You also need to be able to remove yourself from any dangerous situations. Therefore, you need to confirm that you are able to move comfortably and quickly in your mascot costume.

Similar to determining your eyesight, trying on the costume will also confirm whether you can move in it or not. Make sure it is not too heavy when you move in it. Too much weight will mean you will not be able to move quickly if you need to and perform moves and actions that make up your routine to entertain people. It is also recommended that you practice your routine with the costume on. This will tell you whether you can do it with relative ease or if it is difficult and will result in you tiring quickly.

4. Be identifiable

Your main roles as a mascot are to be lively, entertain, and get noticed. You need to significantly stand out above the crowd or else you will get lost in it. One way to do so is being easily identifiable.

Depending on the nature of the event, make sure your costume coincides and is appropriate. For example, for a child’s birthday party, make sure it is obvious that the costume is portraying the character you were hired to be, such as a superhero, princess, or cartoon character. If you are attending a school event, make sure your costume is that of the school’s mascot and wearing school colours. This will ensure that people know your role and what you need to do.