Fear of Costumed Characters?

[EmmersIsTheMommy]

Totally weird question, I know.

Anyone else have this? Not like a real FEAR but..my husband and I BOTH have anxiety when costumed characters come near us. I'm overcoming it (haha) for the kids so they can go meet and greet...and it's not something that will keep us from going near them... But we both feel really dumb about it.

Anyone else have this?

 

[DizMe]

Yes, I do! I have been that way since I was a child. My mom and sister are the same. I am fine with princesses and characters that are wearing makeup, but the ones hidden inside costumes have always given me the creeps! My kids love them, though

 

[Pooh_Friend#1]

I am the exact same way. I rarely pose for pictures with the costumed characters, and if I do get forced to do it I have this scared look on my face in the picture. My mom says I have always been this way. (I was even afraid of the Wonderbread costume guy when I was little!)

 

[EmmersIsTheMommy]

The wonderbread guy sounds horrifying.............

Yeah if they just have makeup on, whatever (DH has a problem with clowns tho)

 

[disneyfaninaz]

When we took DD to DL for the first time, she was 16 months old. I thought she would be afraid of the characters, but she absolutely adored the costumed characters and chased Pooh all over the Plaza Inn. The surprising thing was, she was afraid of the characters that just wore make up.

I guess she could relate to the costumed characters better because she had stuffed ones at home of Pooh, Mickey, etc.

Just remember that they are playing a part and that they will respect your space if that's what you need.

 

[EmmersIsTheMommy]

haha cute!

Yeah you're right. If I walk away quickly and one follows me I'll have a nervous breakdown tho. LOL

 

[Pooh_Friend#1]

(DH has a problem with clowns tho)

I am also terrified of clowns.

If I walk away quickly and one follows me I'll have a nervous breakdown tho. LOL

OMG, me too!!! I would probably cry.

Also the things on stilts, I am absolutely terrified of. I was at the Parade of Homes and they had one of those things there that was walking towards me and I ran and hid behind my ex-boyfriend's mom who was about 7 inches shorter than me.

 

[indiesgirl4ever]

lol i was like that when i was 7 but it was with chuckie cheese im 13 now and ive been over that fear for a while but like sometimes when i go to DLR well i should say one time pooh started CHASING me so freaky i just got ice cream then i see this big bear running right towards me! to get away from him i ran straight into haunted mansion! and then when i got off he was WAITING for me and all he wanted to do was to hug me and wish me happy birthday. so freaky!

 

[EmmersIsTheMommy]

hahaha stilt guys scare me too! Like almost worse than characters!

Dude Indiesgirl...I would've sobbed. Like..on the floor sobbing. 'LEAVE ME AAAALOOOOONE"

ok so one time we were in a restaurant that has cliff divers and a parrot that sometimes walks around costumed. We're eating dinner and all of the sudden my husband stops eating and stares right behind me with wide eyes..all of the sudden the parrot's face is RIGHT next to mine..it's tryign to hug me and I'm like..frozen solid. After the stupid bird left I glared at my husband like HELLO WHERE WERE YOU! "I was terrified!" "HOW ABOUT ME? IT TOUCHED ME!"

 

[amyamya]

When I was in high school Donald chased me down Main St. and I was not loving it. It actually freaked me out. I knew it was a guy, too because I could see men's legs in the orange tights.

That was the same trip my chair got dragged across the room next to some poor kid from Utah and my legs put in his lap during Bill Hill's show. Then they put a boa around my neck. My parents thought it was hilarious but I was really mortified....

 

[Pooh_Friend#1]

ok so one time we were in a restaurant that has cliff divers and a parrot that sometimes walks around costumed. We're eating dinner and all of the sudden my husband stops eating and stares right behind me with wide eyes..all of the sudden the parrot's face is RIGHT next to mine..it's tryign to hug me and I'm like..frozen solid. After the stupid bird left I glared at my husband like HELLO WHERE WERE YOU! "I was terrified!" "HOW ABOUT ME? IT TOUCHED ME!"

I had an incident like that at Red Robin. To this day everytime we go to eat at a Red Robin my dad will always say, "should we ask for the bird to come visit."

 

[NostalgicDad]

Let me just say that I'm glad the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man is not a Disney character!!!

 

[scooter15]

My oldest used to be scared of them until we told him that a real person was inside pretending, kinda like costumes during halloween. It seemed to work with him as he's not scared anymore. My cousins DD is totally afraid of characters too except the ones that dont have masks. She was in Chip N Dals's treehouse playing and Goofy came to meet with kids and the crowd sorta surrounded the treehouse. She came down the stairs and saw him and screamed at the top of her lungs. Everyone thought she was being abducted until they saw she was pointing at Goofy telling him to go away. I have to say that the guide was laughing at her and didn't have the brains to move Goofy away from the treehouse entrance. Poor girl was pretty much paralyzed and guests around Goofy wouldn't move away so we could get her. Her dad had to push and I mean push his way through to get her. Guests thought he was cutting in so he really didn't care who he hurt. I told Goofy's guide to move him as she was really scared. I don't blame the person in costume for not moving. A friend of mine used to play Goofy years ago and he said it is hard to see around him at times.

 

[bonita_babe232]

I don't mind charecters but when i was younger a family friend of ours was scared to death of chuckie chesse...... EVERY year she would have her birthday there but once it would be time for everyone to scream and the costume guys to be there she would hide up in the tower.... Our familys arn't that close anymore so i don't know if she is still scared, but she went to disneyland paris a few weeks ago and i didn't see any pictures with mickey so???

 

[EmmersIsTheMommy]

oh man..marshmallow guy *cry*

and what the heck, poor little girl! She was petrified and they just sat there.

 

[bumbershoot]

...a family friend of ours was scared to death of chuckie chesse...... EVERY year she would have her birthday there

Yeek, way to go, parents!


I didn't like characters as a kid, and I can do without them now, but hubby and son adore them. Hubby hates having his picture taken, but he actually purposely got into a pic with Kenai and DS on our last trip (cute pic).

I too am afraid of clowns, and I blame my skittish nature as a child and then reading Stephen King's IT.

But if you want to talk about irrational fears...


Hubby is mortally terrified of sunflowers, and I dread looking at butterflies.


(guess who got married outside near a garden with both? )

 

[EmmersIsTheMommy]

LOL I really can't say much if I'm afraid of a cuddely stuffed animal that I KNOW has a human inside of it..and I'm going to Disneyland..which is crammed full of them

Tho..yeah a garden wedding with those fears..sounds terrifying..I mean you're already stressed out! haha

 

[prettyprincessbelle]

I used to be TERRIFIED of the Country Bears. Its the same thing at the costumed characters, but there's no one inside, and they move, and sing, and play the banjo... Those things creep me out. Even looking at the big heads hung up in the Pooh ride scare me.. Ewww..

 

[DoomBugger]

I remember being slightly intimidated as a kid, simply because they are so big and they come up and start touching you and hugging you.

I sought counseling and therapy for years and now I'm OK. j/k

I wonder if Kramer would be terrified of DL characters in the parks like he was of clowns... No soup for you!

 

[Cali_Sparrow]

I have a vague memory of when I was really little and went to DL with my grandparents and cousin, he was younger than me and still in a stroller. Goofy came over to see us, grabbed the stroller and started running all over Main Street with my cousin. I'm sure they don't allow that sort of stuff anymore, but it was pretty traumatic for a 5 year old, even though my cousin apparently had a good time.
I have a photo of a pretty scared looking me from that same trip with Minnie Mouse and Gadget from Rescue Rangers. I was a fan of the lady mouses, but the costumes were scary in person!

Now I'm okay with all the characters except for maybe the Beast - he's a bit scary still! I won't get a photo with Tweedle Dee or Tweedle Dum either, they just bother me somehow.