For how long are you on duty, and how do you stay perky for that long? No matter how much I was paid, I could take it for maybe three minutes before I’d have to go off in a corner and Get The Hell Away From People.
I’ve never heard about this before. What do they do other than keep an eye on you for a panic signal? Not intercept obnoxious and violent kids, obviously. Do they go undercover in the crowd, or what? Their whole job is just to watch you?
No I’ve never read it but I’ll add it to my list of books to read.
Hey Bro - yeah I was wondering why you were asking… then I saw your note.
In any case for those of you who don’t know. Sets are maxed out at 30 minutes, if the heat index is below 90 then sets are 30 minutes. Heat index comprising temperature and humidity. As soon as the HI hits 90 we go on 20 minute sets. Disney is different, they’re a lot rougher on the characters. 95 is their HI mark.
So break time is dependant on set length since we have set times, ours usually run every hour for three hours, then approx an hour for lunch and then every hour after lunch. For example it might be, 10am, 11am, 12pm and then 1:45pm, 2:45 and 3:45…
But because of health risks for heat stroke and such we aren’t allowed outside for more than 30 minutes without super highups wanting it and then we have to agree to it.
By “set” I mean time out on “set.” I personally don’t do the shows, they just started new shows in both Univ Studios and Islands of Adventure but Shrek is in neither of them.
Shrek has two different “set” locations. One is with a face Fiona (meaning she is just in costume, not in a full body suit or anything, and she talks to guests), and we take photos outside one of the stores. The other is a photo shoot outside the new Shrek 4d attraction.
But in truth it is a show of sorts, I don’t have a script or anything, but I’m portraying the character at all times. So, while I don’t sing I do dance on set, and while I don’t follow a skit I have set routines I do to play with guests.
My shifts normally run 8:30 to 5:30, with an hour lunch time scheduled. And 6 sets during that shift. It will either be 3 sets, lunch, 3 sets or 4 sets, lunch and 2 sets.
As for being perky. I know it sounds dumb, but I love playing with the guests. I truly do. Granted guests will drive me up the wall, and I can begin to get an attitude with them. Being Shrek we have a bit of leeway, Shrek is an ogre, we can be gross and disgusting. So I’ll start farting on guests or whiping ear wax on them.
If a kid wears a Mickey Mouse hat I’ll usually take it off his head and then toss it a few feet away. My escorts are usually aware enough to make some comment about “Weed Rat Stew” or “He doesn’t like that rat.” Etc…
But I haven’t really answered your question. I stay perky because I know that there are kids out there who come screaming down the street to see me, or the kids who are in a wheel chair and come to the park to enjoy some of their last days, and I can brighten their day. Knowing I made one kid’s day is enough to satisfy me for the day.
If you go read my blog Ronincyberpunk.com I have a category called “Shrek” devoted to stories from work and you can read some of the stories of kids who I remember from my day.
Being Shrek is also a good bit of physical comedy, I take autograph books and rub them on my butt. I pick my wedgie, I fart, I dance, and so before every set I get my blood flowing and heart pumping so I’m now lethargic.
Wow. I think I’ll copy and paste that answer onto the blog since it was so long. Thanks for the question Eve!
No no, they’re dressed in a uniform of sorts, tan golf shirt and cargo khaki pants/shorts. They carry a radio, and in my case, a Stamp.
Shrek’s hands are too big to sign so they stamp the books for the kids.
Their duties include watching the line and the crowd trying to keep order as people come and try to get a photo with their character.
They watch the weather and make calls whether to go in or not.
They are also our mouths, since we can’t talk they will often interpret our actions and tell the guests what we’re saying.
Also, they’re there to watch our time and cut the line off for us or take the heat for having us leave people without photos or autographs. Good escorts will announce every five minutes how much time is remaining and explain that I will be leaving set soon, that everyone won’t get a photo blah blah blah.
Also for me they help dress me, I get 65% of it done on my own but the suit is physically impossible to do completely on your own. So they help get me in and get me out of costume.
Do your friends give you an endless rash of shit about your job? I was a “restaurant clown” for a brief period. My friends came to the restaurant and teased me to no end.
Restaurant clown pays pretty good, if anyone’s interested.
No, surprisingly they all think it’s pretty cool. I think Orlando is different because any teen can get a job at the parks, the key is where you get hired. Entertainment (the canopy dept for Animated) is the better paying job section of jobs for people my age.
My best friends think it’s cool though they worried for my sanity while I watched Shrek many times and even watched it muted.
Well it sounds like a great job and it’s clear that you take it very seriously. And also clear that other people notice your performance and think well of you for it. Congrats on having such a cool job.
Now, that sounds like fun. I’m calling “21” and The Four Seasons and applying!
Thanks White Lightning, I love the job.
One thing I forgot to mention about the characters being perky.
We’re trained to be perky. Girls are trained to be manly. And guys are trained to be feminine. It’s an interesting fact but usually girls make better guy characters, and vice versa. The theory being when you’re in costume and you’re a guy playing Popeye, then you think, “Hey, I’m a guy, he’s a guy - I can just be me.” But when you’re a girl in Popeye you go, “Alright, can’t stand like that, gotta keep legs from crossing, can’t flirt with the guys.” So you’re forced to think about your actions and don’t just fall into the “let’s be me.”
Any more questions? I’m more than happy to answer them.
Here’s a crass one, how much do you make?
Do you plan to stay at this job very long?
Well I only make around $8 an hour, but while I’m paid for 8 hours of work I’m only on set for at most 3 of those hours. The rest are off set, but may be that I’m putting the costume together or getting dressed.
Well I’m doing this as a Summer job while in school, I plan to finish out the summer, this winter and possibly spring. I don’t plan to be in Orlando next Summer.
Well with the Tigger in the news thred, I’m going to bump this thread and see if anyone has any new questions.
So let me know!
What do you wear under the costume? Swimsuit? Shorts and T? Is there a special undercostume?
How often do the costumes get cleaned? My daughter used to have to don an outfit at the roller rink and she said it was vile and smelly.
Are you still planning on leaving the park?
And now that you’ve been there longer, share some horror stories!
As Shrek we were required to wear a t-shirt and shorts, all cotton and as light as they could make them. When the costume first game in the clothing was much stricter because they thought the sweat would have more of an effect on the costume. So we wore tights and work gloves as well.
Other costumes have different under costumes. Scooby guys have to wear a dog suit to give their chest a closer resemblance to a dog rib cage, and that is also where the tail attaches. In addition to that they are also wearing black face masks to make sure you can’t see them through Scooby’s mouth or nose.
Many of us wear sweat bands or caps to keep hair out of our face and try to keep sweat out of our eyes since we obviously can’t whipe our faces. But those aren’t required.
As to cleaning. There is a very large staff at Universal which handles costuming so our costumes are almost always cleaned before we use them. Though for Shrek it was as simple as using an alcohol spray and whipe down the suit with it. They washed all our underclothes nightly. And if they didn’t we let our managers know and hell was raised.
Thanks for the question 
Well I’ve gotten an internship here for the summer. I may pick up a week here or there during the summer and will probably go work with them over Winter break (if they’ll still have me.) But I doubt I’ll be moving back to Orlando for any length of time.
Horror stories…
Well let me reiterate the lack of vision some of us have. Since Shrek is a tall character and our vision is very limited (take your pointers and thumbs and put them pressing the opposite finger, thumb to thumb and pointer to pointer, and look through it - that’s what we see.) And when it’s time for us to go we’re instructed to get out of guest view as quickly as possible for our own health because of the heat, and so when my handler says Go, I begin to march. Sometimes, if there is a big crowd we’ll say “Shrek has to go use the Crapper.” And we’ll do a very unShrek like thing and do the cliche hands in between our legs and run. Well people think that we can see perfectly and that if they get in our way we have no choice but to stop. And that simply isn’t the truth. If you shove your kid right in front of me, out of my line of sight I may very well run him over - and I have knocked kids over before. Usually they’re alright. I just wish people understood that point.
As a character there isn’t anything worse than having your head fall off while in the park. Shrek doesn’t have to worry about this, his head is attached to the torso so I have no neck movement in character. But there are other heads which are basically big helmets (The rugrats for example) and if the chin strap comes unstrapped their heads are prone to fall off. So that is a horrible horror for us.
Shrek used to take breaks in an upstairs room, accessible by elevator but clearly marked as not for guests. And we’re not shy about going up to our room and stripping to our skivvies and changing out of sweaty clothes. But on one such occasion I was just finished re-dressing (Shrek wasn’t hidden, he was out in the open, lying with his stomach exposed) and a father and son come up the elevator. Right into our area and ask to take a photo with Shrek. I know that most kids don’t really believe we’re the characters, but regardless - we value our anonymity and there are kids who DO believe in the magic of it all. I was astounded at this guy and was polite to him as I said No and asked him to go back downstairs. I don’t think he even came back when we were on set.
Another major fear with characters is double exposure, meaning Shrek is leaving set only to meet himself on his way back out. We rotate off, so the Shrek you see leaving probably isn’t the one coming right back out. But we work hard to make it seem that way. Unfortunately stuff happens and suddenly Shrek is facing Shrek, usually the handlers have witty lines on hand to try and cover it up like “Oh no Shrek! It’s your evil twin! Get him!” And then the “good” Shrek chases the “bad” Shrek. But if your handler is tongue-tied then you just get an awkward few moments until someone takes control and tries to cover it up.
Oh and for the Disney legend of there only being one Mickey anywhere in Disney, I can almost guarantee that’s a lie. Only one in any park, I can believe it, but not in all of Disney property. He’s too popular to only make one appearance at a time.
Are you assigned only as Shrek, or do you sometimes ‘visit’ IOA as other characters (Hulk, Dr. Doom [although I think he is on hiatus]), etc.)?
And why the orange socks? Or is that IOA only?
This is so cool.
You know, Brad Pitt use to dress in a chicken outfit for some restaurant. He use to have a car named Run Around Sue, too.)
Maybe this is your big break.
I’m heading to Mickey Mouse World in June with the kiddies and inlaws.
If I walk up to a Shrek at Universal, what secret code word should I use to see which Shrek I am speaking too?
Ah! Someone who is acquainted with the park! The mythical, historical, endless orange socks.
Well before I worked in animated, I worked at IOA in Poseidon’s Fury and I noticed that the actors who played “Taylor” the bumbling hero of the show wore orange socks and I thought it was hilarious. But when I got into Animated I found we had orange socks as well. It’s all in theory that people won’t steal the orange socks. That’s the theory at least.
As for other characters, I did get hired for the Hulk, but as it turns out I was too big for the costume. Not height wise, but my girth was too much for his triangular torso and when they tried to zip me into the suit the zipper snapped. I’ve worked at IOA as a handler many times, mostly with Hulk because guests get more physical with him than any others and he’s the least mobile or able to defend himself. Thankfully that costume has been retired.
Thanks for asking
There isn’t any secret word for Shreks, the crew rotates since many of us are college students and in school. Just remember that if the character has to go right before you get to the front, PLEASE don’t give them hell for it. The guy in the suit, especially in June, is dying of heat - even if he is in the shade.
June is busy season so Shrek should be out there with Fiona, the Fionas are wonderful and they are actual face characters meaning they aren’t in a suit, they’re in costume. Those are the best photos.
Have fun