The popular look-a-likes of Dora, Elmo, Diego, Backyardigans, Spongebob, etc. have captured a large portion of the parties. That is why in every major city you see a growth in the number of performers carrying the costumes. In most cases, the demand for the costumes out-weigh the supply.
Why is this such a phenomena?
My guess is with the growth of all the accessories involving the purchase of everything from pillows to key chains, this was the next logical step. You can already find the plates, napkins, cups, tablecloths of your child's favorite character at your local party store.
Also, this is a little kid's driven industry. The average range of 2-5 years is the majority of kids at most costumed character parties.
While clowns and magicians still make up a large part of the party entertainment, their numbers have dwindle a bit for the little kids party scene. Clowns sometimes are very scary to young kids even adults. Most magic shows unless it's silly magic, tend to hold the attention of kids older than five.
Let's understand that a 6 foot big-headed character walking through your door with loud music can be very frightening as well. Usually kids 3 years old or less have this issue. The 4 and 5 year old kids tend to have requested the characters who perform at their parties.
The programs offered usually come in varying forms, but these are the two most popular:
1) A clown or "party leader/helper" starts off with some face painting or balloon twisting. Usually, after 30-40 minutes, the party leader leaves, comes back in the costume to theme music and performs a meet & greet, dancing, plays games, poses for photos.
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2) Party leader and character are 2 separate performers and they do a combination of meet & greet, dancing/singing to theme music, games, posing for photos, and possibly slicing the cake.
Under both scenarios, most parties are usually one hour.
Usually, the characters do not speak, especially they are accompanied by a party leader.
There is an an exception to this rule, most superhero character impersonators of Spiderman, Batman, Darth Vader, Power Rangers, etc. speak and sometimes perform activities such as magic, balloon twisting, karate demos, and much more. The upper age range for these parties average around 8 or 9 years old.
Prices for this type of entertainment vary from $75 to $300 or more per hour.
The question I usually receive is, "Why can't I find the characters in my city?". The reason is the above mentioned characters and most of the costumed performers you see on television are copyrighted characters. There are various copyright infringement laws protect the rights of the license holder.
Most characters for birthday parties are look-a-likes or impersonators of the characters you see on tv.
The performers can be seen at birthday parties in gyms, homes, recreation centers, party rooms, outdoor parks, etc. Just about anywhere you can have a party. They are now more prevalent at grand openies, open houses, and festival and fairs.
In some cases, finding these performers takes much effort and determination.
You may need contact a company with a huge database of performers in your area and nationally.
