Page 71 - Words

Personal Growth Shum Kam Yuk, Joanna 6F (2016-2017)

I believe everyone is supposed to be a kid once and that the many
Disneyland manufactured cartoon characters and figures, either heroes
or villains, ranging from Snow White, Mickey Mouse, and Cinderella to
the wicked Queen, are no surprising wonders to most children and adults
alike. It is nearly a unanimous truth well-acknowledged by many that the
characters we witness in the theme park are nothing short of fun. But have
you ever pictured what it literally feels like when one switches the role from
a spectator to a costumed character performer ─ to step into the outfit for
portrayal?

Most people might tend to think it is easy being a costumed character
performer, which is much akin to merely a piece of cake, as it is more
than often perceived as a simple task carrying the daily mundane chores
of walking and loitering around, taking photos, shaking hands and the-
nothing-better-than-fumbling kind of stuff. But my summer job experience
as a cartoon character offered me a different insight against my otherwise
dull impression of the job itself.

During my previous summer vacation, I took up the role as Dale
in Hong Kong Disneyland. It all seemed very pleasant and easy in the
beginning, yet to both my surprise and dismay, I felt really uneasy about
the physical constraints of the bulky costume itself, which was oh-so-
scorching hot and confining once stepped inside. It was so heavy that the
burden weighed against my body. It was nearly suffocating but mercifully
I didn’t suffer from heat stroke. Together with a limited range of peripheral
vision and the blurry eyesight stemming from rolling beads of sweat, I

With Pride, We Stride 71