Base Party - Character Meet & Greet:

          Host and character arrive and stay for pictures and to interact with kids.  They bring a variety of hands on games they can play and will do as much as the time you have scheduled them for allows.  In this package we can include special requests such as games or activities & we can also do client provided games like a piñata or dance if client has music.  WE do not provide music on this package!  At the end we will sing around the birthday cake or as a group (if it is not cake time) and take a Polaroid with the birthday child. 

Next:

From this starting point you can add on a variety of activities based on your preferences & the number of children you have present. The two most popular are Face Painting & Animal Balloons. We recommend you budget 15 minutes of meet and greet for the initial time to get in the door combined with our celebration around the birthday cake/singing.  Anything additional can be used for activities and a show if you add it.  With the exception of the show all activities added on to your package are not timed they will be over and above the time you have for the meet and greet. 

Examples:  30 minutes meet and greet with Face painting for 10 kids – expect a 45 minute+ event

                  45 minute meet and greet with show and face painting and balloons for 10 kids – expect about 1 hour and 15 minutes to 1 hour and a half

Favorite addition - Character Show: (20 – 30 minutes)

          Host and character* arrive with music and activities for up to ½ hours worth of interactive time. During the show time they will do a combination of songs, game like activities/dancing (think head shoulders knees and toes...), and some simple magic tricks (not a magic show! for that see magicians).  These activities will be varied according to the age and size of the group.  There is a great deal of audience participation within the pre-recorded music/show time so children should begin as a seated group and very young children will do best with adults to assist. The show is best with groups between 2 and 6 years of age. Older children appreciate shows more along the lines of our variety entertainers.  Any extra time you have ordered in your meet and greet party package will be used for pictures and other activities the family may have planned.  The show package must be combined with a minimum of a 15 minutes meet and greet in order for the pricing to be valid. If you want a show only and no pictures or cake ( like for a day care) please call us for the appropriate pricing.  

Other Activities:

There are a variety of other activities you can add on to your Character meet and greet.  These are optional and you can add as many as you would like.  The time for the additional activities comes after the initial character visit.  So if you order a 30 minute meet and greet plus balloons you will get 30 minutes with the character and then the host will begin balloons. The character leaves after their initial time and the host stays to complete the party activities. Often the character will change into their uniform and will join the host to assist.  See further down for a step by step party example.

* We offer two types of characters Mascot style (big heads) and those that walk and talk (Like Princesses & Superheroes).  A host is always provided with mascot style characters as they are the ones who speak our mascots will pantomime and interact but the do not speak.  Characters that can walk and talk do not always have a host in addition to themselves.

For your event we will bring specially printed name tags and at the end we count how many were used.  Children with name tags will get to participate.  Children without will have to get a name tag or wait until we are finished.  We ask that the parent fill out the name tags during the show portion or meet and greet portion of the party.  If not filled out when we are finished we will place a blank tag on each child for tracking purposes. We will fill out the name tags for you.  If you e mail us a list of your invitees anytime prior to the day of your party we will be happy to fill out your tags.  If a mistake is made while filling them out we ask that the tag is left on the sheet so it doesn’t go against your count.  We always bring extra and if you have us fill out them in advance we don’t mind if a few are wasted if it will save time at the event. If you want we can even mail them to you in advance so you can have them ready for us when we get there.  We recommend you do not put a name tag on anyone not participating as it will count in the total count.  So if you have a 15 year old not participating- don't tag them (after all you don't want our hosts trying to make them get a balloon all day).  Once we have finished with main activity (meet and greet or show) all kids should have their name tag on and then the host will start with the “add on” activities. 

·        Host arrives at party

·        Goes to front door to meet with client

      We like to:

o       See where we will be performing in (a little table or chair is needed from client & a plug)

o       Give client nametags (If doing other add on activities like face paint)

o       Set up radio/ equipment (A plug is needed for this)

o       See where character will change (Not where kids can see them)

·        Get character dressed or bring them from car (Sometimes we are dressed to start with)

·        Make entrance with Characters (to music)

o       Pause for pictures/ hugs

·        Do show

o       Show time is 30 minute give or take a few with audience participation

 ·        Move to Cake Celebration & Picture

At this point if we have no additional activities scheduled we will leave OR we will go to this next step this before Cake celebration

·        Take Mascot Character out to Change

(Its great if a party adult can walk them out)

o       Non mascot characters will leave if host is present and they can be recognized out of costume - if it is a non hosted character they may be the ones to do the activities and that’s just a bonus!

o       Characters come back after changing to help with add on activities

      HINT: if you character changes in the bathroom some kids may realize – they never came out…. Have your cover story ready. 

o       We bring large black bags to carry costumes in – they will not be seen.

·        Begin Add on Activities like balloons and face painting

·        When we are finished with the add on activities we do a count of you nametags.  If you have the right number attending as what was told to us upon reservation then we will then collect the balance due.  If not then we will reference the attendee chart to calculate what overage/underage will run and collect the proper amount. 

Meet & Greet Party without a show:

·        Arrive at Party

·        Go to front door w/ Character

o       Give client nametags (If doing other add on activities)

o       Find out if they have any special activities they would like to have done

·        Stay for the time of the Telegram they have scheduled and intract with children

·        Move to Cake Celebration & Picture

At this point if we have no additional activities scheduled we will leave OR we will do this:

·        Take Mascot Character out to Change (Its great if a party adult can walk them out)

o       Non mascot characters will leave if host is present and they can be recognized out of costume - if it is a non hosted character they may be the ones to do the activities and that’s just a bonus!

o       Characters come back after changing to help with add on activities

       HINT: if you character changes in the bathroom some kids may realize – they never came out…. Have your cover story ready. 

o       We bring large black bags to carry costumes in – they will not be seen.

·        Begin Add on Activities like face painting & balloons

·        When we are finished with the add on activities we do a count of you nametags.  If you have the right number attending as what was told to us upon reservation then we will then collect the balance due.  If not then we will reference the attemdee chart to calculate what overage/underage will run and collect the proper amount. 

Mascot style Characters will leave party after show or telegram is complete to change.  We will need to change in a private room where kids can not see us (a garage is good because they can say good bye and head out). They will then return as a person to assist with activities scheduled UNLESS extra character time is specifically ordered to run concurrently with add on activities (special pricing). It is great if we don’t change in a location that the kids would suspect.  Going upstairs to a bedroom to change is nice for our people but little ones are smart… and they may wonder where “Friendly Monkey” went and never came back from.  We wouldn’t want them to think he was hiding in a closet somewhere for years to come.  Beside big heads/feet and stairs don’t mix.

We like to come dressed when possible but in foul weather we cannot walk through snow and rain in character shoes.  At those times we will be putting the shoes on outside the front door or asking you for a changing area to get dressed in.  Costumes are always bagged so kids will not see. 

We will need an area indoors when over 75 degrees outside.  If it is an outdoor party and we are unable to perform indoors in air conditioning there is a $25.00 fee for ice packs and we can not do longer than ½ hour/ 45 minutes as the character outside over 75°.

Mascot Character DO NOT talk.  It’s like Six Flags or Disney where they have escorts and pantomime. Non mascot Characters do talk and of course interact with the kids.

Our packages are designed so you can have the most flexibility in planning your party as possible.  The times for add on activities are approximate and the people will stay to complete their activities according to what we have scheduled for you.  However, please do not schedule over activities with other things that will draw the children away.  If we have to spend an inordinate amount of time chasing the children down to perform the activities we can not be responsible if one or two get missed.    Example – do not schedule a magic show when balloons are supposed to be being made – the magician and the balloonist will compete for the kids’ attention. If uncertain – call us – we’re happy to help.

All of our arrival times on our contracts state “within 30 minutes of_______ insert requested time here”.  This is mostly for extreme circumstances (traffic delays/accidents/getting lost) and you will be called if something comes up.  However, that being said if you are in a hall or room and you have limited availability for them to do the show make sure to let us know this so we can account for all of the contingencies.

Because of Trademark and Copyright issues we do not have officially licensed character for rent nor can we provide any music that is not public domain.  We can not tell you that we represent ourselves to be any particular licensed character or play music that would lead you to believe we were that particular individual.  We hope you understand.  We do have a great number of children’s favorite characters and we are happy to come and visit at special events.  If you are unsure if we offer their favorite friend since sometimes the description we provide on our web pages leave you guessing – just ask!  We offer over 65 different costumes and add more all of the time. If you have a special request we will do our best to help and if you personally have a tape or music you would like to hear then you can always ask our hostesses to play that during their show. 

We do our best to provide fun and exciting character visits.  Sometimes it can be very difficult to see in our costumes so please bear with us if we have to find our way around in a new environment or don’t see that little one standing behind us because our eyes are the size of a dime.  In changing our shows in 2008 we hope to better focus on character time and spend less time being policeman for the “tuggers and pullers”.  This is why we don’t do the “add on” activities with the character present.  It makes it better for our characters and hopefully more fun for the kids since the character can focus all their attentions on playing and not have to be on the “lookout” for the next tail pull.

Ok – we think we have said it all……You can call or e mail us with all the burning questions now.

 630.922.6100  (Just in case) e mail - partysaver@aol.com