Costume characters are an incredibly powerful tool to use your in your kidmin, but they can also cause problems if not used properly.
They can be unruly: Even as the pastor (especially as the pastor), I often have to keep myself from getting carried away. Goofiness to teach a lesson or make a point is fine. Goofiness for the sake of goofiness is tough to justify.
They can be long-winded: Give yourself an out! I’ve seen these interactions go way longer than they should because the people up front were having too much fun and didn’t know how to stop. Leave the audience wanting more. Nine times out of ten, the most awkward part of a costume character interaction is the ending (that statistic is totally made up and cannot be backed up by empirical evidence, but it is more of an observation based on my personal experiences in kidmin). See what I did there, I just kept going and you really just want me to stop. I’m still going because I didn’t carefully decided how this section would end. Seriously, move to the next point now so I can shut up.
Be careful of offensive stereotypes: I’ve got to get this one out there. I have no problem with over-the-top personalities. Most television shows and sitcoms are based on them. I do, however, have a problem with offensive stereotypes. A good character is so outrageous they don’t fit in reality anyway, but this is one area that you really need to know your audience and be careful. The last thing you want is someone to miss the message because they were offended by the medium. The more over-the-top your character is, the safer you will be in this area.
They can be scary: I have especially seen this with younger kids. Seeing someone they know in a costume really freaks some kids out. Just know this ahead of time and don’t approach a scared child. That will only freak them out more. Oftentimes, characters can be loud or crazy, these things too can be troublesome to younger children, so know your audience and don’t force something that isn’t there.
They can reinforce bad behaviors: A costume character is funny, over-the-top, and often misses the point, but bad behavior is bad behavior and must be corrected. It’s important that a costume character learns good lessons, but doesn’t teach bad ones.
What other drawbacks are there to using a costume character? How have you seen them used improperly?
I have an awesome pirate costume…..I’m often compared to Captain Jack Sparrow when I use him. While most of the kids love him, some of the younger kids have been caught off guard and were scared, so I have to be aware of that and not walk around as much or not be as loud. They are usually fine to sit and watch, but if he gets close to them they start to freak out.
The exit conversation can come from either the character, or whoever the character is talking to. I agree, you dont want it to go too long, but it needs to be long enough to make the point.
Do you have any video of any of your characters? How many leaders have you been able to get to portray characters?
I agree it needs to be long enough to make a point, but I wouldn’t go any longer than that. This is where the trouble usually starts. The point has been made, but by the time the character leaves, the audience has forgotten what it was.
I don’t think I have any videos, but we have three regular characters between myself, my pastor, and one other. I’m hoping to introduce some more soon and think I have two people who are willing.
I have an awesome pirate costume…..I’m often compared to Captain Jack Sparrow when I use him. While most of the kids love him, some of the younger kids have been caught off guard and were scared, so I have to be aware of that and not walk around as much or not be as loud. They are usually fine to sit and watch, but if he gets close to them they start to freak out.
The exit conversation can come from either the character, or whoever the character is talking to. I agree, you dont want it to go too long, but it needs to be long enough to make the point.
Do you have any video of any of your characters? How many leaders have you been able to get to portray characters?
I agree it needs to be long enough to make a point, but I wouldn’t go any longer than that. This is where the trouble usually starts. The point has been made, but by the time the character leaves, the audience has forgotten what it was.
I don’t think I have any videos, but we have three regular characters between myself, my pastor, and one other. I’m hoping to introduce some more soon and think I have two people who are willing.