On Reddit, a Walt Disney World (and sometime Disneyland) Goofy head-character (a person who roams the streets in a full-body character suit that includes a headpiece) has submitted to an “Ask Me Anything” interview. Goofy discusses getting kicked in the balls, setting kids at ease, and more.
[–]n0xi3 556 points 12 hours ago
How long did it take to stop smiling while guests were taking pictures…?[–]ChantingMonk[S] 520 points 12 hours ago
the first time we had to interact with guests during training, I smiled like idiot with every picture. After day 2 on the job, I stopped. Smiling actually helps with animation though![–]schmohawk01 212 points 14 hours ago
I used to be terrified of the actors in the character costumes when I was a kid, so I’d run away and hide under tables. Do you often see children who are scared of you? How do you win them around?[–]ChantingMonk[S] 395 points 14 hours ago
I will say I want to think I am the best when it comes to winning back the kid’s trust when they are terrified of me. Some kids see me and don’t understand who I am. They think I am some tall scary ass monster with a big head. What I do is back off from them, offer my hand to pet it or something like that. If you have a parent that catches on, they will say “It’s ok sweetie, Goofy is a nice guy! He won’t hurt you!” This helps a ton and the kid eventually has the time of their life!
I work as Goofy at Walt Disney AMAA (self.IAmA)
(Image: Goofy in the Boo to You Halloween Parade, a Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike (2.0) image from jeffchristiansen’s photostream)