A week ago I ventured down to the states, New York City that
is, and my, what a trip that was. It truly is the city that never sleeps and
being in a hotel directly around the corner from Times Square I too got little
to no sleep during my stay.
One thing stood out to me as I roamed the streets of Times
Square and that was all the costumed characters. I got excited and sure enough,
a loan Elmo spotted me and my dorky smile, so I happily got a picture with him:
If you haven’t been to Times Square, be prepared to see many
costumed folk. It’s like the Toronto Batman or Bumblebee but on such a larger
scale. Most costumes are familiar characters to entice the kids (such as
myself) like that Woody you see in the background, Spiderman, Batman, even
Hello Kitty, but my personal favourite:
BEEDO BEEDO BEEDO!
But even after all the smiles and pictures, there’s a stern
look at how these people run their business. While on a city bus tour, one of
the guides had mentioned that each of the characters had to obtain a permit to
work there and audition to get to the street, and for good reason. Upon further
investigating, attention on these Times Square cosplayers has not been the
fondest in recent memory, with the most prevalent one being a Cookie Monster, shoving
a two year old over a two dollar tip.
When you really think about it, just about anyone can go out
to the shops, buy a full sized Mickey Mouse costume and roam the streets. Even
though many of these characters have permits and are fully able to stand there
for 8 hours of the day, do you really know who you are getting a photo with?
Who you are letting your child stand
with?
That being said, it’s enough to get me to be a little more
cautious for my next trip to NYC. The last thing I need is an overly handsy Buzz
Lightyear to grope me.
By: Becky Cocek