How do the characters stand out in the heat?

[DJ Disney Kid]

Im assuming there out there for 20 minutes at a time, but thats still alot to be in Florida heat in a furry costume. Are these cast members just very strong willed people and able to fight off heat exhaustion?

 

[kimmikayb]

I wonder this too! It was hot for me last week....I can't imagine the middle of July. How do they do it? They get high praises from me!

 

[AdventureGuru]

on 2 feet...*JK*
they have the option of wearing an ice vest but most of them dont b/c they melt quickly and become extra weight. They are just strong willed

 

[DizziDezi2]

Disney is number 2 (I think) in the most desirable companies to work for list. They probably get paid a pretty penny.

 

[kimmikayb]

Disney is number 2 (I think) in the most desirable companies to work for list. They probably get paid a pretty penny.

It is my understanding that the pay isn't that great, which also adds to the mystery.

 

[DJ Disney Kid]

You know, I can't imagine that Disney is a horrible paying job. Theres no way that you could just get lucky and hire 50,000 people ( or whatever the amount is ) that are all smiles and willing to work for peanuts. Even if it IS Disneyworld. To keep the cast members at a Disney standard level, they have to be giving them some decent wages and benefits.

 

[DisneyWorldWisher]

Pay? What are you talking about?

You're right though, I imagine poor Pooh Bear gets hot with all that fur, but no hotter than any other animals.

 

[pongoperdigirl]

They really don't pay them that much.
THere some threads around here with information about the pay scale.
It really isn't that good.
I think it is minimum wage or maybe a little higher.
I think it is the great benefits that help out.

 

[RoyalCanadian]

Not so long ago the wages for Disney CMs were posted here on the Disboards. There was no reason to believe that these stated wages were not accurate -- there wasn't much above $8.00/hr. IIRC, and costumed characters were paid less than $7/hr., as I recall.

 

[mdhkitten]

I used to work for a shopping mall company in Chicago called Westfield (maybe some of you are familiar with it), and it's an Australian company who's mascot is a kangaroo. They were having a tenant meeting to introduce the store managers to the new company and needed the old mascot, known as Westie, to attend. I'm the one that was chosen for the job. I figured, hey this will be neat! Mind you that I was indoors and underneath had on short and a tank top. I could barely stay in there 5 minutes without having to go and take the head off. I was just absolutely SOAKED in sweat. I probably only had to wear it a total of 30 minutes, but afterwards had to take a shower in the maintenance guys locker rooms! LOL I didn't have a cooling device, but have heard that it really doesn't help that much anyway. The guy that I knew that did Bearamy for Build-A-Bear was perfect because he has some sort of condition where he doesn't sweat, so he was always able to do costumed character without a problem.

 

[civileng68]

It is my understanding that the pay isn't that great, which also adds to the mystery.

They actually do not pay that well for some positions. I know some think they must pay very well. However, you must realize, money is not all that makes a job desirable.

First off, Disney treats their employees very well. They get paid the normal rates (in lower positions) than any other company would pay.

However, they have a VERY impressive benefits package. Employees working at Disney at the lower levels have better benefits than most all of us have, no matter what level we are at.

 

[mitros]

They are all young, and in decent physical shape. The 20 minute limit makes a huge difference as well. You have to love what you are doing to work for Disney. The pay is not great, but it's like being in "show biz" for a lot of these folks. Of course, the one plus is that you are well insulated in the colder months, especially after dark, and when it is windy.

 

[civileng68]

Not so long ago the wages for Disney CMs were posted here on the Disboards. There was no reason to believe that these stated wages were not accurate -- there wasn't much above $8.00/hr. IIRC, and costumed characters were paid less than $7/hr., as I recall.

Right, it's not that much to you and I but, to that employee it means so much more. Why you ask? Because WDW has an incredibly large college program that is not so easy to get into.

I know a girl that used to play Pluto. She was in one of my college classes here in SW Fla. She actually was in an arts program and was majoring in some type of theatre. She was hoping to dance and perform on Broadway one day.

She wanted to be a character in a show (which she accomplished with Pluto) as it was extremely impressive on a resume. So while she got paid very little money, she has something on her resume that nearly nobody else has, and in a very competitive business on Broadway, that position could pay off more in the future than any dollar figure could have then.

 

[dpic]

What would gross me out is climbing into a suit that so many others had sweated in all day. Who wants to wear someone else's sweaty clothers? Yuck!

 

[mitros]

What would gross me out is climbing into a suit that so many others had sweated in all day. Who wants to wear someone else's sweaty clothers? Yuck!

There was some info on another web site regarding exactly that point about a year ago. There were complaints from the costumed CMs regard the frequenceys of cleaning these costumes. The union got into the fray, but for the life of me I cannot recall what the result of the complaints were. I beleive they wanted the costumes cleaned after each use, {they have spares of each one, so there would be time, I guess, to get the others cleaned} apparentley, at one time they simply switched costumes from one CM to the next without cleaning them. There has got to be someone else out there on these boards that would recall this incident.

 

[makinorlando]

They actually do not pay that well for some positions. I know some think they must pay very well. However, you must realize, money is not all that makes a job desirable.

First off, Disney treats their employees very well. They get paid the normal rates (in lower positions) than any other company would pay.

However, they have a VERY impressive benefits package. Employees working at Disney at the lower levels have better benefits than most all of us have, no matter what level we are at.

A friend of ours (his mother is my sister's traveling buddy for their yearly trip to WDW) was "a friend of" Tigger in the college program about 4 years ago (he was finished by the time I moved to FL in 2003), he decided to relocate here and continued to work hoping to get into the set desgin area, etc - however, he wound up having to leave as at one point they were cutting the part hours and he needed more money to live, but could not be guaranteed set part time hours where he could work around a full time job. He LOVED his job! It is sad that he was not able to continue, as he has a gift of silliness which was just perfect for the role!!! Now he just gets to come and "play" with us when his mom and my sister visit at Thanksgiving each year!

 

[civileng68]

A friend of ours (his mother is my sister's traveling buddy for their yearly trip to WDW) was "a friend of" Tigger in the college program about 4 years ago (he was finished by the time I moved to FL in 2003), he decided to relocate here and continued to work hoping to get into the set desgin area, etc - however, he wound up having to leave as at one point they were cutting the part hours and he needed more money to live, but could not be guaranteed set part time hours where he could work around a full time job. He LOVED his job! It is sad that he was not able to continue, as he has a gift of silliness which was just perfect for the role!!! Now he just gets to come and "play" with us when his mom and my sister visit at Thanksgiving each year!

I agree, that's a shame. Unfortunately, I remember around 2003 they were not hiring anymore full time employees (hiring freeze). I know WDW was having tourism problem (so they say, but the parks were still full). I think while Eisner really did MANY great things for Disney, that was the last straw for me personally (aside from the Roy issue).

I spent my honeymoon in 2003 at WDW, during the beginning of PEAK season. The parks were very crowded and yet, parks like the Magic Kingdom were closing nightly at 8:00 pm, and FITS did not even take place on many nights as Wishes does every night now.

 

[writersblock42]

Ha, ha, there was a Roseanne episode once about the boy who lived with them for a while (you have to excuse me I don't watch the show much at all). Anyway, he went to work for this amusement company (which was supposed to be making fun of Disney) and he had to wear the rabbit suit. But the whole reason he put up with it was because they promised him a job in the animation department. This is actually true in real life, many employees work low paying jobs for the chance to work there way up. They may also be getting so many credit hours or something. We ran into a woman in the conservation station at AK that was earning credits plus some money exchange for working in the conservation station. So there are many motives for working these type of jobs.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Im assuming there out there for 20 minutes at a time, but thats still alot to be in Florida heat in a furry costume. Are these cast members just very strong willed people and able to fight off heat exhaustion?

That's what DS would like to know! He was fortunate enough to get to try it once as part of his summer with Disney. Everyone in the internship program he was in got to be a "friend" for 1/2 hour. He had to wear a skull cap-type thing over his head to keep the sweat from his hair getting into his eyes. The whole time he was out there all he could think about was how hot he was and "When will this be over so I can get into the air conditioning?" However, he wouldn't have traded that experience for the world. He came away with the utmost of respect for those fur characters. They not only tolerate that heat, but often you'll see them out there skipping, waving, dancing. "Whatever they're paid, it's not enough."

 

[makinorlando]

It is a shame that some folks don't realize this, and when it is break time for these characters that it is important for them to go on break. So many times you see families (parents) get upset. None of us like spending our park time standing in any line - especially when it is hot, but it's nothing like it is for the characters who through whatever discomfort they might feel still bring some magic to our lives!!!

I applaud them all!