Recently, we asked the former children's party entertainers of the BuzzFeed Community to share their wildest stories from working as character performers. Here's what they had to say.
DISCLAIMER: While we can't 100% confirm all of these stories, these people are supposedly speaking from their own experiences as alleged former party entertainers.
Some submissions include topics of sexual assault.
1. "My husband is a very big intimidating man, and he would perform as Darth Vader and Batman. One particularly hot day, he suffered heat exhaustion, and all 6 feet and 6 inches of Darth Vader came crashing to the ground like a tree."
2. "I was an elf at a Christmas party and parked far from the venue so nobody would see me get in or out of my car. After the party, the kids caught up to me as I headed to my car and said, 'Santa left you,' so I told them the car was a reindeer Santa had disguised for me. The kids said, 'No, that’s not yours, that’s robbing.' This went on for a good 20 minutes. I convinced them if I could get in and start it without keys, then it’s mine (I have keyless entry and ignition)."
3. "I was coming from a previous gig as a pirate to a private event in an Indian restaurant to be Spider-Man for three hours. My assistant no-showed, and I ended up half naked in a Spider-Man suit in the kitchen of this restaurant with the head chef trying to zip up the suit for me and the parents bursting in screaming for Spider-Man. I spent three hours unable to see well and dying of embarrassment, being mauled by 40 little kids all demanding balloon animals. "
4. "I was hired to do a 30-minute Shimmer Genie appearance for a little girl's party at a banquet hall. About two minutes after I arrived, the little girl's father was arrested and carted off by multiple police officers."
5. "I was dressed as Anna and was at a party with another girl as Elsa. We were all sitting on the floor while Elsa was singing 'Let It Go.' I had a child sitting on my knee, and what can I say, she let it go...and peed all over me."
6. "I used to dress up as Cinderella for children's birthday parties. We would let the kids dress up, have a fashion show, and then have a tea party. Well, one of the kids choked on something during the tea party and vomited."
7. "I was Belle a few times for kids' birthdays. I stopped because the sheer number of husbands confiding in me about how much they wanted to leave their wives was unbearable."
8. "One time, when I was dressed as Anna, I went to go pick up my Elsa for a birthday party. I parked in front of her house. We were super friendly, and she had texted me to let me know to just come on in when I arrived. I walked up and busted through that front door, loudly announcing that I had arrived. A family eating dinner just stopped and stared at me."
9. "I had to do an hour-long party in a Mickey costume in the middle of summer without any kind of assistance. Well, about 30 minutes into the party, when I was overheating, I stepped into the client's house and vomited in the middle of their kitchen. "
10. "I attended a birthday party at a pub once. It was outdoors in a field near some horses. Let's just say I was wearing a huge blue ballgown and some clear shoes a size too big. When I would bend down, they would slide off! As I bent down to give a child a hug, the shoe slid off, and I felt something move under my foot. I stood up and felt warmth as I adjusted the shoe."
11. "We did a Peter Pan and Tinker Bell party. My Peter Pan performer was a previous theme park cast member, so when he said he doesn’t usually use more than one or two pins to put his wig on, I didn’t argue, even if I disagreed. During story time with Tinker Bell, Peter sat with the children to watch. Slowly, I saw a child creeping up being Peter Pan, snatch his hat, and take off running. Peter’s wig, attached to the hat, went with it."
12. "I worked for a company that did princess home parties. I went as Belle. One time, we were playing a game of 'pass the teacup' with Chip. I was explaining the song we sing, and one kid said, 'Why not instead of that song, we whisper burn, burn and get louder and louder?' The kid then proceeded to demonstrate by whispering and slowing getting louder."
13. "I run a party princess business and assist the girls during parties. We were doing an Ariel event where my actor performed in her mermaid tail for the first half of the party then would get changed into her ball gown for the second half. Princess performers are pretty comfortable around each other, so it isn’t exactly bizarre to sit around in your underwear during a quick break — which is exactly what Ariel was doing when the birthday girl slammed the door open to see Ariel in her KNICKERS."
14. "At a Frozen party, we were doing a special dance to 'Let It Go' when the back of my costume COMPLETELY tore open."
15. "We were at a local theme park on an Alice in Wonderland day, and I was the Queen of Hearts. Now, as a villain I’m pretty used to being booed, having people heckle me, etc. But one day, the kids in the audience picked up some gravel, got right up close to the stage, and started to throw it at my face. "
16. "About five years ago, I was playing Elsa for a 6-year-old's birthday party that was being held in a church basement. My costume was beautiful, but the fabric was very thin, and my shoes were silver, glittery, four-inch high heels. It was snowing that evening (which worked well with the Frozen party theme), and I had to park my car around the corner to avoid having any of the kids see me get out. I walked to the door as slowly and carefully as I could across the ice, even though I was freezing in my costume."
17. "I was hired as the Grinch for a country club’s Christmas party. I would take pictures with families and do arts and crafts with the kids. One woman (probably in her 40s) came up and sat down next to me and ask for a pic. After I agreed, she put her hand at the top of my thigh."
18. "I showed up to a young kiddo's party, and the adults were HAMMERED. A group of dads continuously hit on me and my moderator while attempting to grab me through my dress. We left the party with a fantastic tip, but we blacklisted and warned other companies about every parent we could identify. "
19. "I was scheduled to face paint for a little boy's party at a park. They requested Spider-Man last minute, so my little brother agreed to help. We got there, and there was a jumper and a ton of kids. My brother, being a good sport, went into the jumper because some of the little ones requested it. A few minutes later, a pack of about 10 preteens jumped into the jumper and proceed to gang up on my brother."
20. "A family hired me to be Justin Bieber for their 7-year-old's birthday party. I'm a 6'2" big guy, so I showed up in skinny jeans, a BAD wig, and stunner shades. I had to play guitar and sing 'Baby" to this little girl who CLEARLY knew some random man was impersonating Justin Bieber."
Editor's note: Some submissions have been edited for length and/or/clarity.