Hi!! Im new here and I have some questions!
I was an ICP 5 years ago and I want to apply for the CRP to go back for a year! Im from Mexico so I have to work at the pavilion, but my dream is to be a princess and I´ve heard is not an option to be a character look alike, i dont know why. Do u know anyone from another country who has been a character look alike?
I can also impersonate many different voices and can sing most ranges, been stage-acting for 13 years, as well as dance in a fan-based dance group for fun. would this help?
This is the post for you. Specifically the question that starts with “Also, I’m pigeon-toed…”
What happens if you have to take a leak of lay a turd while “on stage”?
You wait until a break and then go to the bathroom, just like with any other job.
Whats one of the worst things about being a Character Performer?
I always hated dealing with families whose parents, in all fairness, should have been sterilized. Five kids, all running around screaming, climbing on things, grabbing my costume, parents making no effort to control them. I dig the idea of letting kids learn from their own mistakes, but I also dig the idea of not letting obnoxious shitheads ruin other people’s days.
Did you sustain any injuries while on duty or off duty?
Nope. I heard stories of people passing out or getting bitten by critters while in costume, but nothing like that ever happened to me. I bruised my shoulder pretty badly while wrestling with my roommate, but I don’t think that really counts as an “injury”.
Do u know anyone from another country who has been a character look alike?
Yes. I don’t know who told you that it’s not possible, or that you need to work at EPCOT, because both of those are untrue. I met an Indonesian guy who was in Transportation, and I met a Chinese girl who was a Character Performer.
Did they have people in the breakroom to assist you with getting your costume back on?
If you had the choice to pick any character to perform what would would it be?
From start to finish what would be your normal workday?
Thanks for answering my last questions so quickly 
Did they have people in the breakroom to assist you with getting your costume back on?
Yes, there would usually be a character attendant backstage to help us get into costume. Sometimes we would have to help each other.
If you had the choice to pick any character to perform what would would it be?
I would have loved to try Buzz Lightyear. I went in for a costume fitting, but was disapproved. Sadness! I think I would have also enjoyed stiltwalking. I don’t think that would ever get old.
From start to finish what would be your normal workday?
Wake up. Eat cereal. Pack a lunch. Get on the bus. Clock in. Pack my costume and basics. Go to the break room. Get dressed. Go outside. Have fun, bounce around, sweat like crazy. Go inside. Get undressed. Change basics. Repeat until lunch time. Eat lunch. Get dressed. Go outside. Have fun, bounce around, sweat like crazy. Go inside. Get undressed. Change basics. Repeat until done. Return costume and basics. Clock out. Get on the bus. Eat ravioli.
Sounds like fun
The question that has been eating at me for years now: Do fur performers smile for pictures in their costume?! Or do they just keep a straight face?
Hi,
U should see this video right here: - YouTube
So, the question is, what would most probably have happened to that lady in the Minnie Mouse costume and have you seen anything like this happening before or even happened to you? **
Another question is, are all the character performers (those in costumes) attractive?**
Thx
The question that has been eating at me for years now: Do fur performers smile for pictures in their costume?! Or do they just keep a straight face?
I can’t speak for other performers, but I would usually keep a straight face. Sometimes I would find myself smiling if I was posing with a particularly fun family.
What would most probably have happened to that lady in the Minnie Mouse costume?
Whenever there’s a costume problem like that, an attendant will bring the performer backstage to fix it. The fact that Minnie didn’t quickly reappear suggests that they couldn’t find a way to solve the problem, possibly due to a missing/broken costume piece, or the performer forgetting to bring a hair tie. Worst case scenario, she may have been talked to by a manager about it, but probably nothing more severe than that.
have you seen anything like this happening before or even happened to you?
I never saw someone’s hair come out, but I did have my Tigger tail come loose once at Crystal Palace. I signaled to the nearest attendant, she brought me backstage to fix it, and I was back in action.
Weirdly enough, I have dreamt about this sort of wardrobe malfunction on multiple occasions, both during and after my college program. It’s like a weird variant on the classic “naked but nobody notices” dream.
To start off, thanks for being kind enough to answer everyone’s questions! I have a few of my own that I hope I didn’t miss you answer when I read through everything.
[ul]
[li]In the CP, you said you took a leave of your school for a while. I’m afraid my scholarships will be null and void if I take a leave of school, but I also think they might “go bad” if I try and do the CP at all. Would you recommend I just stay with my regular schooling or give it up for the program?[/li][li]I’m kind of a shy girl and I really don’t want to deal with a bunch of mindless fornication. How many people on average would you say are like that? Are they easy to avoid?[/li][li]In the auditions, I know you said there are literally tons of girls. I would assume they’re all mostly there to try out to be a princess. I know I’m not suited for a princess, so would there be an easy way to skip past that consideration, or does it start with fur and then considerations for face?[/li][li]Going back to being a bit shy, I have a little bit of stage fright when it comes to audibly performing (i.e. playing an instrument or singing). I have the mind of a 5 year old so I have no problem being big and stupid in front of people. Would you recommend taking a theater class or something anyway so I can get experience in front of a judging crowd? Do I need to look into getting better at audible performance?[/li][/ul]
Hey there, bhinne!
In the CP, you said you took a leave of your school for a while. I’m afraid my scholarships will be null and void if I take a leave of school, but I also think they might “go bad” if I try and do the CP at all. Would you recommend I just stay with my regular schooling or give it up for the program?
My recommendation: do not assume, do not guess, do not be afraid. Set up a meeting with your school’s registrar office, or financial aid office, or whoever you think would be able to give you a definitive answer. If it ends up being the case that taking a leave of absence would nullify your scholarships, my vote is stick with the scholarship.
I’m kind of a shy girl and I really don’t want to deal with a bunch of mindless fornication. How many people on average would you say are like that? Are they easy to avoid?
How many people are like that? Plenty. The two women I was most fond of during my CP were both virgins, for two very different reasons. One of my suitemates was engaged when he arrived, and got married shortly after the program ended. You would not be the only person there who has her mind on other things besides mindless fornication.
How easy to avoid mindless fornicators? Seemed like it would be pretty easy to me. If someone asks you on a date and you’re not interested, or if you are invited to a party you’d rather not go to, just say no. At one point I started getting calls from a female costumer that seemed to be interested in me, but I suspected she was a pathological liar, so I just didn’t answer her calls.
In the auditions, I know you said there are literally tons of girls. I would assume they’re all mostly there to try out to be a princess. I know I’m not suited for a princess, so would there be an easy way to skip past that consideration, or does it start with fur and then considerations for face?
The latter is correct: Everyone is considered for fur first, then people are considered for face. If you’re not interested in face, then don’t worry about it, just go have fun. If you weren’t interested in fur, I would suggest reconsidering the audition altogether.
Going back to being a bit shy, I have a little bit of stage fright when it comes to audibly performing (i.e. playing an instrument or singing). I have the mind of a 5 year old so I have no problem being big and stupid in front of people. Would you recommend taking a theater class or something anyway so I can get experience in front of a judging crowd? Do I need to look into getting better at audible performance?
The entire audition performance is silent. Dancing and pantomime, no singing or talking required. A willingness to be big and stupid will serve you well. Would a theater class help? Maybe. I don’t see how it could hurt. But I also don’t believe it would be strictly necessary. Fur characters never make noise and Disney dancing is easy enough that paraplegic lumberjacks could do it.
Thank you for this thread. I am sixteen. After I graduate I plan to go and try out for a fuzzie at Disneyland. This thread gave me so many headers on how to work for the rat and the audition process. Hopefully by the fall of 2015, I can be apart of the Disney magic! 
Thank you!
I’ve loved this thread and have a question if you don’t mind.
What was the “security” on the costumes like? Could any cast member basically go in and look at and touch them? Could you as a character performer touch any costumes besides what you were assigned that day, for example try on a Mickey head for the pure coolness of it. Finally, what positions besides character performer had the most hands on time with the costumes?
Sorry if this sounds weird, but I just really love designing and making costumes and Disney’s have fascinated me ever since I was a little girl. I want to sign up for the college program now that I’ve finished sophomore year and am not sure if I could get in as a character performer so was wondering what positions help the performers or stuff like that.
Hey there, ThunderGirl92! To start off, no, none of your questions seem weird. Disney is incredibly detail-oriented when it comes to their costumes, so it is not at all surprising that the costumes would spark the imaginations of people such as yourself. Anywho:
What was the “security” on the costumes like? Could any cast member basically go in and look at and touch them? Could you as a character performer touch any costumes besides what you were assigned that day, for example try on a Mickey head for the pure coolness of it?
You know, I never really thought much about it at the time, but there didn’t seem to be any mechanism to prevent non-performers from fiddling with costume pieces. I would just walk into the costuming area in my street clothes and grab what I needed for my shift. You wouldn’t be able to leave with a costume piece unless you scanned it out, but there wasn’t anything to stop employees from going in there.
Could I have tried on costume pieces that I wasn’t assigned? Probably, but I never had even the slightest interest in doing so. I would attribute this to two main reasons: First, costumes are complicated. To try on a Mickey head, for example, I would have had to grab a headband, size it for my head, grab a chinstrap, snap the headband into the head, snap the chinstrap into the head, put the head on, take it off, unsnap the chinstrap, unsnap the headband, and hang the Mickey head back up. A lot of fiddling around with bits and pieces for a very minimal payoff, which brings me to my second point:
After just a few weeks of working at WDW, you come to view the costumes as nothing more than pieces of equipment needed to perform a task. When I worked in a scene shop, did I secretly want to go into the tool cage and play with the portabands that I had seen people using? No, because they’re just big noisy contraptions that are used in specific circumstances, just like all the other big noisy contraptions. As magical as Disney costumes may seem to an outsider, that’s how the costume pieces begin to appear after a while: tools for tasks.
Finally, what positions besides character performer had the most hands on time with the costumes?
Two positions: Wardrobe (or maybe Costuming? something like that), who are in charge of cleaning, repairing, and organizing the costume pieces; and Character Attendants, who assist performers in and out of costumes (among other important responsibilities).
Hey so quick questions. I am going to propose to my girl at disneyland and wanted some character to like come out and dance around her, so do u know anyways I can get that done???
In regards to character performing, I understand it can be very hot inside and, I imagine, very difficult to breath. Is this a position that you would discourage somebody with minor asthma from applying for?
Jafar has really cool hands. Are they gloves that you can maneuver or are they hard? Also where do you see out of?
I just saw this article from 2009. Would you say the author’s experience is typical?
Hey guys, apologies for the delay here. My computer died. I’ve got a new laptop now, and life is good again!
**In regards to character performing, I understand it can be very hot inside and, I imagine, very difficult to breath. Is this a position that you would discourage somebody with minor asthma from applying for? **
Very hot? Yes. You’ll be sweating profusely within minutes. Difficult to breathe? Not for me. I imagine it might vary between costumes, but with the characters I played, I never found it difficult to breathe. I say go for it. If you get the job and the asthma prevents you from doing it well, talk to a manager and figure it out from there. As I like to say, the worst case scenario is always a funny story in retrospect.
**Jafar has really cool hands. Are they gloves that you can maneuver or are they hard? Also where do you see out of? **
I never played Jafar, so I don’t know the answer to either of these. I do know that gloves and non-articulated plastic hands are both used in costumes. I believe Mike Wazowski, for example, uses the hard plastic hands.
I just saw this article from 2009. Would you say the author’s experience is typical?
Let’s run through it point by point.
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“Along with the paperwork, Disney had delivered a book.” This was not the case for me. Disney is very strict about acceptable appearances, as the author mentions, but I never received a book about it. I can’t imagine why Disney would actually consider such an expensive method of educating incoming cast members.
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“Disney housing was expensive, and although living there was mandatory for those in the Internship Program, Disney did not pick up the tab. In fact, as an added convenience, they took rent right out of our paychecks.” Yes, the rent is subtracted directly from the paycheck. Having lived in Boston, I would never described Disney housing as expensive. Spacious, comfortable apartments with cable, internet, utilities, a community pool, a gym, and transportation to/from work for under $350 per month. The author and I must have very different notions of what “expensive housing” means.
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Regarding terminations: Yes, you can and will be fired for just about anything. Disney people make that clear early and often. I didn’t have the same dramatic introduction that the author did, but it doesn’t seem unrealistic.
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Regarding money: It’s not clear what point the author is trying to make here, but yes, Disney does run a bank for cast members.
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“I once took a single day off to visit a friend, and my net paycheck for that 2-week pay period was $5.” Either a fabrication, an exaggeration, or the author is just an idiot. You’re not going to be making much money, but you’ll definitely have enough for groceries.
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“The training program was called, “Traditions,” and it lasted 3 days.” Traditions lasts a few hours, not a few days. Yes, it does kind of feel like brainwashing. I don’t remember ever hearing the word “synergy”.
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“You can’t eat or spend money while working. If you need a fix that badly, you’re allowed to go backstage, change into street clothes, buy the nuts, scarf them down, and then change back. So much for your 15 minute break.” Pack a lunch. Problem solved.
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“Arms were to be at one’s side or behind the back at all times. One cast member at my post was caught with his hands in his pockets. Terminated.” 100% true.
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“I’d neglected a key section of fine print on my contract. Guests were not allowed to stay with employees” True, overnight guests are not allowed, but it’s not fine print. This rule is made very clear very early on.
So, yes, some of the author’s experiences are typical, but he also comes across as a dumbass who doesn’t know how rules work.
Hello! Ive really enjoyed reading your (very patient) answers to questions, its been really interesting. it is also very possible that you have hugged me… haha
I was wondering what the costume room looked like? Do they have all the princess dresses, cast member outfits for different lands, and such? I know you just mentioned the furry characters.
Please excuse my very girly question 
Also, are there random obscure disney character costumes hanging backstage that make you wonder what the heck is that? or who is that?
thanks!!!
Hey there, herecomesthesun! I’m glad you’re enjoying the thread.
I was wondering what the costume room looked like? Do they have all the princess dresses, cast member outfits for different lands, and such? I know you just mentioned the furry characters.
At each of the parks, there are two costume rooms: one for entertainment, and one for all other cast members. The layout of the entertainment costume rooms varied from park to park, but they were basically organized the same way: racks for specific character parts, such as bodies and heads, and shelves for generic items, such as “basics”, headgear, and laundry bags. They were always clean, well organized, and fairly easy to navigate.
I only visited the non-entertainment costume areas a few times during my tour of duty, so I don’t remember much about them, other than the fact that they were also meticulously organized.
Also, are there random obscure disney character costumes hanging backstage that make you wonder what the heck is that? or who is that?
Oh yeah, that happened plenty of times, particularly during my first couple of weeks. I thought I was pretty well-versed when it came to Disney characters, but there were some costumes that left me scratching my head. I would ask people what they were, but that usually wasn’t much help. “Oh, that thing? That’s Flipsy from Herb Jerker and the Lurking Gerkins.” ???