Here’s the story, from the Orlando Sentinel.
Tokyo Disneyland is truly stunning. It’s not quite the same level of architecture as the Paris Disneyland, but still a treat. I still kick myself for not knowing about DisneySea when I was out in Tokyo. . . . yes, I liked Disney then, but that was before I’d taken that particular shot of Kool-Aid.
When my son and I went to Tokyo Disneyland, one of the things we noticed was that different characters were in demand. The lines for Pooh and his friends were astronomical, despite the park being extremely quiet that day. On the other hand, Robin Hood and Friar Tuck were wandering around completely unmolested, and looking a little lonely quite frankly. My son, a major Robin Hood fan (proof of his good taste, IMHO), went running across the plaza, shouting with joy to see his hero; Robin spotted him and sprinted faster than a plush character has a right to, with Friar Tuck in hot pursuit, making one of my favorite Disney moments.
The anonymous Cast Members in those hot, sweaty, heavy plush suits will probably never know what a great thing they did that morning for a small boy and his over-tired mom.
As someone who had their own character costume and performs at fete’s and fair – I cetrainly know that the pleasure of giving a child (or even an adult) a memory to trasure.
To see a perrson laugh with joy and to interact with a favorite character more than makes up with the heat, sweat, and hours of performing.
My own character is called Marcwolf and you can see him here at http://marcwolf.org
Take care, and treasure the memories because somewhere out there there is a performer who treasures making a kid laugh.