By day, creative writing major Genesis Arcos is a hard working student at Cal State Long Beach. By night she becomes the familiar crowd-pleasing mouse at that pizza parlor where, they say, “a kid can be a kid.”
Arcos has worked at the Walnut Park Chuck-E-Cheese for more than a year now, and even though her job has had awkward moments, she still goes at it with a positive attitude. Other students at CSULB also find jobs as characters or even professional jobs as set designers at Disneyland.
Like many students at CSULB, Arcos needed money to pay for simple commodities like a cell phone and a car. She applied for a “game room” position, not knowing that she would have to suit up as the big mouse himself.
“The first few months I didn’t mind it,” Arcos said.
Singing “Happy Birthday” and posing for pictures are among the few duties Arcos performs while in character as the Chuck-E-Cheese mouse. Sometimes the interactions with customers can prove to be dangerous.
“I’ve had people punch me,” Arcos said. “I don’t know why! They just do it! Some moms hit my head to show their children that I’m fake.”
With an interest in acting and a positive attitude, Arcos is able to have fun with her job. She also has fun with the fact that customers assume she is a guy.
“It gives me a chance to act like somebody else,” Arcos said.
If she does end up pursuing a career in theatre, Arcos said she would like to become a director or stage manager.
“A good director should know how to act to tell someone else how to act,” she said.
Other students at CSULB also find an interest in jobs that require acting as a character at certain events or theme parks.
Theatre major Benji Kaufman got a job playing a Russian spy for a two-day benefit in Los Angeles. The work proved to be rewarding. However, connecting with every attendee was challenging, Kaufman said.
“The theme that year was secret agent … I would have to say things like ‘the eagle has landed,'” Kaufman said.
The event auctioned off set props and various autographed items that raised money for a private school in Los Angeles. Kaufman had to interact with attendees to get them engaged in the auction.
“I started having a conversation with this couple who didn’t speak English, and it was difficult to get a reaction out of them,” Kaufman said.
Chair and art director of the theatre department Joanne Gordon said if a student has the CSULB theatre department attached to their background, more amusement parks will take their name into consideration when hiring employees as characters.
“We have so many alumni that get jobs as characters at Disneyland,” she said.
CSULB theatre department’s designer and stage technician Corey Holst, who works part time for the “Fantasmic!” production at Disneyland, said that he often bumps into theatre students who not only work as Disney characters, but also have jobs with stage production and direction.
“People who come out of the department and have a finished degree can get a job at a professional level,” Holst said.
Students who are still working on their degrees can find jobs as character or ride operators for Disney, Holst said.
Arcos said the best way to get around the demanding job of being character is to be smart, open and mature.
“I’m never going to see these people again” is a common thought that comes to her head when she is in the suit.
Arcos serves at the South Gate Calvary Temple Church as its youth, choir and drama leader. She took over the drama program when she was 15 and has found a passion for working with the youth as well as the stage.
For now, Arcos said she will focus on her creative writing degree and consider counseling the youth as a part of her career path. She said her job allows her to appreciate others who have jobs as characters, as well as in the restaurant industry.
