November 30, 2008
Wear it like you mean it.
So, on my way home from interning, I saw a guy in front of Little Caesars wearing a Little Caesars’ mascot costume. It was actually a pretty good costume. He even had a spear prop with a little pizza stuck on it. But still, it was kind of weird to see.
This begs the important question, “What the fuck?” Then, it begs the more interesting question, “why would they pay someone to wear that?”
I mean, has a mascot costume like that ever convinced ANYONE to go somewhere? My immediate reaction when I see someone in such a costume is “Wow, they’re actually paying someone to do that? Crazy.” It just doesn’t seem like a good idea. Then again, what was that number in my press class? That the average person needs to notice a brand or a product about 14 times before they consider buying it? These sort of costumes certainly draw the eye and make you notice them, I guess. And I mean, if it works, more power to them. Keep paying that guy.
Still, the whole idea doesn’t sit easy with me. Maybe it’s the furry in me, but I really feel like if you’re going to wear a costume, you have to have an affinity for it, whether it be a fursuit, where you’re bringing out the inner you, or something like cosplay, when you’re doing it for an extreme love of what that costume represents. I mean, I’m a huge fan of Little Caesar’s Pizza (Well, mostly of the cost to quantity of food ratio. There are countless better pizza places about, but none with such convenience or price.) but I would never be able to be excited about being in that costume. And you know the person in there isn’t excited, either. It just seems so wrong. There’s no way it could work out.
I mean, I remember an article I read about a guy who was working at Disney World as someone in a Jack Sparrow costume, and talking about how excited he was to take the job, and how extremely rigorous the rules and application process for such a job was, to be sure that they got people who walked around in costume that were excited about it. That’s the way to do it, you know? That’s what makes costumes, and being around people in costumes, fun. That’s how you gotta do it.
I am likely thinking way, way too much about a stupid little thing, however.
I feel sorry for the poor bastard outside the tax place near me dancing around in a Statue of Liberty costume. That can’t be fun.
As for the issue of affinity, I don’t know. I did drama in high school, and I rarely had any particular affinity for the roles I was playing. It was just my “job”. I wanted to do it well because it was my job, but not because I was upholding an ideal or anything.
Then again, dressing up as a cowgirl for a production of “Girl Crazy” wasn’t quite like dressing up as the Little Caesar, I suppose.
I wager most of these people just view it as a crappy job and they’re desperate for money (I guess they’re cheaper than Giant Inflatable Gorillas). Of course, that’s your issue with this, isn’t it?
Comment by Cris — November 30, 2008 @ 10:55 pm