New Cinderella and nurse costumes plus vacation

Recently one new Cinderella and one new nurse costume have arrived. Models are needed to show properly how they look. The photos are very important for most people based on verbal discussions and website statistics, as well as the long range bookings from other towns and cities.

Going to be on vacation from 23rd December 2010 until 6 January 2011. Only reachable by SMS during that time period.

Couples costume suggestions and costume booking page received updates

Very much long overdue updates in regards to displaying current costume bookings have been set up on the costume booking page as well on the couple's suggestions page. Various people have been asking about this, so it became more urgent to get done. Hopefully this will be of use to somebody.

A couple of new costumes and spare parts

Lately a couple of new costumes have been added to the collection. This includes several devil costumes which are the top section only. This is ideal for groups. Also new is a couple of pirate costumes which are also top only as well as one clown costume. Also in the collection are several clown wigs, lots of black gloves for spare parts and to sell and well as various different gloves for other costumes where and when needed. Two whips for Catwoman costumes are also in the collection as well as a three Saddam 3/4 masks and two Michael Jackson masks with long hair.

Crazy Halloween 2010 period

This Halloween period is more or less as crazy as last year. Fortunately, I have all of the costumes properly sorted out and organised for a change to keep the delays to a minimum for those waiting. Hopefully I will have some time to go to dress up Halloween parties in different costumes tonight and tomorrow night. At least I will get more photos for my website out of it and check what is needed in regards to changes.

Near Halloween costume party desperation starting

The early signs of people being desperate for costumes for this coming Halloween weekend have started. Seems like panic to get something is slowly coming as well due to last minute issues.

Preparation for Halloween in October

Various preparations are being done to be ready for the Halloween weekend at the end of October. In 2009 this turned out to be rather hectic and the busiest time of the year. Finance is unfortunately a bit limited for new costumes due to repairs and other factors.

Website updates

Part of the ongoing website improvements, the costumes are now grouped alphabetically by their character and then by name. This should keep differently named costumes of the same character together for easier viewing. Other changes coming soon.

Over time there will be new photos added which were photographed and edited by Darren Gwynn. An example of this is the black leather Elvis costume.

Plans are being made for a different way to select costumes instead of just having to select by category. This is for those who need a costume for a certain date and then want to filter the list to see what is available.

Sponge Bob costume upgrade

Recently my Sponge Bob costume has received new arms, yellow legs (finally) and feet that are less baggy and keep their shape better. Getting these new parts was not cheap, but it was worth it. If needed, costume performer service will be available on weekends for children's birthdays. Planning ahead of time will be needed for the character.

Various adult sized Barney costume requests

Lately, there seem to be more requests for adult purple Barney the dinosaur costumes even though there is no official adult sized costume available. There are children sizes, but that does not help the many desperate parents who want Barney to appear for the birthday of their children.

Matieka 2010 costume party at end of July

The annual costume party at the German Karneval, Matieka is happening in Stellenbosch. Tickets are limited to 600 because of space and they are pre-book only. The address of the event is the Van Der Stel Sportsclub which is more or less opposite the police station in the CBD.

More details can be found at the Facebook Matieka Group.

Costume booking statistics from Google Maps

Recently, I have added my details to www.alibaba.com like many others did and checked today if I got any traffic from there using Google Analytics. There was no traffic yet. To my surprise, the based on the highest percentage in regards to costume bookings have come the most from Google maps which I was not expecting at all.

New Joker, Batgirl and Princess Leia costumes

Recently, the following new costumes have arrived: Batgirl - Gotham Girls edition, The Joker and Princess Leia.

There has been much demand for Joker and Princess Leia costumes, in particular the Joker. With that shipment also came another Batman mask, a new Batman belt and gloves for two Batman costumes. In the meantime, one of my Batman costumes got retired.

New website updates

Lately I have been working on a new details page on my costume renting website. The changes are not live yet, but are part of paving the way to the new layout changes that are being planned.

The new details page will display details about a costume/mask/cape like what the current listing shows, but it will also show details such as popularity as well as current bookings and already has a section that displays thumbnails from the gallery section.

Per costume in the search results list, there will be new links for details, gallery and booking form. Each of these pages will also have those links.

Another new plan for the future is a step by step costume finding system for those people looking for something based on their size and availability with various filtering options to present choices of what they can possibly wear. This in turn then links to the details of the costumes again.

What to do in a mascot costume at a children's birthday

This is based on being in a mascot costume that does not have a cooling fan inside. Being in a full body covering costume can and will get hot in any case after a while. Having to perform for children, which involves moving around a lot, can cause even more heat issues.

Of the several times that I have been in mascot costumes at birthdays, the activities mostly included being there just for the looks and for photos. At times it was also taking part in games or just walking around as well as handing out gifts. There is of course the risk that younger children can get a fright, so being aware of it and backing back a bit is then required. Worst case scenario and last resort would be to take the head off to show the children that there is a human person underneath before putting it back on. This obviously breaks the entire illusion of the effect. Staying around for too long will also wear off the novelty, plus the extreme heat the whole time inside the costume can cause quite a loss of body fluids through sweating.

Usually for event activities it helps if the event organisers (usually parents), have some plan of what the person in the costume is supposed to do with a rough time schedule. The exact starting time is not always important, mostly the duration due to reasons mentioned above. Events can fall apart if children are doing all kinds of things and due to attention span, it does not help if there is some long or complex demonstration going on.

Finally not to forget, leaving and entering the place where an event is being held without children actually seeing the costume parts. This might cause nightmares for some and is also an illusion breaker.

How to get rid of persistent cigarette smell on clothing

Some cigarette smells are rather persistent on clothing even after a full washing cycle in the washing machine. Same problem with furniture that cannot be washed.

The solution is rather simple and based on the cleaning abilities of pure Alcohol. The process is as follows:

1. Get Vodka (43% Alcohol)
2. Get a bottle to spray liquids like used for gardening
3. Mix 10% Vodka with 90% water in that bottle
4. Spray over the smell affected areas.

The reason for this is simple: Vodka has a lot of Alcohol content. Alcohol evaporates after time. Too much Vokda/Alcohol will leave a smell, hence the severe diluting. This can be applied on car seats as well.

Increased number of requests for mascot costumes

There has been an increased number of requests for mascot costumes which have the bigger heads and which can be worn by men or women. These include Noddy, Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Barney, Zakumi (2010 soccer mascot) and others. Due to copyright and trademark reasons, most or all of these in the list will not be made or have to look quite different if they are going to be made.

Flooding problems

The latest rains have caused some flooding related damages. Several costumes had to be washed again and there is a bit of a mess because water got in. The wet areas have been cleared out.

Free Comic Book Day 2010 results

The annual Free Comic Book Day at the Readers Den Comic Book Shop in Claremont was quite successful, but there were a bit less people than in the previous year. It seems like all other various types of events that also took place also had less visitors from what I have been told by various people.

This year there were five people in costume for the event, plus several fans that also came dressed up. There were also the usual two prize draws. The second prize draw had numbers in different colours. The fans at least got lots of comic books, comic drawing books, T-shirts, action figures and posters as well as a decent collection of free comics that were grabbed up quickly.

In Spider-Man costume for two weekends

This coming Saturday and the next Saturday, I will be in a Spider-Man costume. This coming Saturday is one hour for a children's birthday and the following Saturday is several hours for the annual Free Comic Book Day at the Readers Den in Stadium on Main in Claremont. Obviously during those times my costume renting business will be closed.

Doorbell working again

The doorbell was not working for a while. This caused some problems for those coming to look for or collect costumes.

Free Comic Book Day 2010 coming up

The next Free Comic Book Day (FCBD) at the Readers Den in Claremont in Stadium on Main will be here on 1 May 2010. It looks like there will be up to five people in costume for the event, plus the usual fans that also dress up. In previous years there were spot prizes for those that bothered to dress up. There is a promotion running this year about half price for that event specifically.

Still waiting for new costumes

The thirteen costumes that I have ordered, still have not arrived. I have been waiting for a while and am hoping that they will come soon.

Requests for Barney costumes

There are still a lot of really desperate parents who are looking for adult sized Barney costumes for the birthdays of their little ones. The problem being that nobody is allowed to have a Barney costume and even purple dinosaur costumes that look very remotely similar are apparently not even allowed. A dinosaur costume is a dinosaur costume. Anything that humans wear will look fairly similar because of walking on two legs instead of four. The fact that nobody has purple dinosaur costumes or does have and is not allowed to rent it out, makes parents even more desperate and frustrated. In the end, parents might end up hating Barney just alone for this reason.

Costume booking misunderstandings

It seems that there are always one or two people that do not seem to understand that when there is already a booking for a specific costume by someone else, that the costume will not miraculously be available for them or duplicate itself. Then they do not like to hear that a costume is not available and are determined to say that it is. When they still do not like the fact that the costume has been booked by someone else weeks or even months before the time, then they get angry. My website clearly shows which costume has bookings for when and includes collection and return dates. There is not way it can be made even simpler. If some people cannot use common sense, I cannot really help them.

New devil/vampire costume for women and cloak

On Friday, I got hold of a really nice vampire dress which could also be used for a devil costume for women. With that came an extra collar made of some slightly harder material to stand upright. I also got a cloak with it that is red on the inside and black on the outside.

Possible new Fairy costume in a totally different style than the current costumes

There is a good chance that I can get hold of a new Fairy costume that is a totally different style than the current costumes that I have available. This one is a smaller size and more meant for a sexy look.

Thirteen new costumes ordered

A total of thirteen new costumes have been ordered. This includes some children sizes and small costumes for women.
The list of costumes includes: Caribbean Buccaneer, Queen of the Pirates, Thing, Spider-Man 3, Devil Costume, Marie Antoinette, Madame Marquess, Viking Valkyrie, Spider-Man, Elvis Black Leather, Ancient Beauty, Pirate's Wench, Super Hero. Most of these costumes are for women and many are some are children sizes.

Bunny feet should also be arriving soon for the Easter weekend and possibly two black mouse costumes.

Costumes for women and children

Due to the increase in requests for children sizes as well as costumes for women, I am planning to see what costumes I can get hold of. Recently one of my suppliers started selling heavily discounted costumes because they are discontinued. I had a look at the list last night and several costumes look promising. If they actually will be requested or rented is another matter.

Website changes made for simplification

The website has received several smaller simplification changes which include a slightly trimmed top section, lighter colours used for the bar with the notices. The contact details page has received some layout changes due to a lot of website users not finding the contact enquiry form. The opening hours have been shifted to their own page. A lot of people did not seem to find them, even though they were listed on the same location on each page, as well as on the contact details page.

Website updates and bug fixes

The reference number system has been revised to generate shorter reference numbers. A flaw on the booking check has been fixed to prevent bookings inside of other bookings.

Desperate parents are looking for Barney costumes

I get a lot of rather desperate parents looking for adult sized Barney the dinosaur costumes for use for an average of fifteen minutes for the birthdays of their two or three year old children.

Unfortunately I cannot help them because of legal and brand limitation reasons that I have been made aware of recently. There should really be adult sized Barney costumes available to more or less look similar to the character that can be used for such purposes. I do understand that the company which owns the brand does not want the character image to be tainted by adults that get up to mischief while in the costume. The same can really happen with anything.

Lion spotted and dinosaur

On Sunday, 87 March 2010, I spotted a lion walking in the Kuilsrivier Spar. This was actually someone in a Simba Lion costume. It was quite amusing to see that, especially since I was the day before in a dinosaur costume for a children's birthday. At least I understood was it is like inside such a suit. The original plan was a bear suit, but I have a green dinosaur suit which was then picked.

Human masks requests

Somebody was asking me about various human masks today. The person was looking for various faces and wanted to buy several. I do have several masks that really work well to get the complete look of a costume right. It does not look right when someone wears a costume and just does not have the right head to match the costume. The masks that I have are made out of foam latex and can be worn for hours without getting too hot. Some are more comfortable than others.

Full size costumes are becoming more of a priority

Based on the client that showed up last night, as well as previous clients, it is soon time to get costumes for really large people. Anyone who is bigger than the normal average sizes has got a problem instantly to get any costume for any theme.

Missing costume showed up again and two costumes removed from website

The missing costume has turned up again. It was rented by someone who told me he had booked while I was busy and I did not make 100% sure that he actually had done so successfully. This might have been as well because that person did not read properly or was not computer literate. Some people also get stuck on the booking form after filling in the form. They just do not seem to realise that they need to click on the "Book Now" button at the bottom of the form.

Due to various reasons, I had to remove two costumes from my website.

Costume went missing

For some strange reason there is one of my costumes missing. I hope it is not yet again a case of somebody in a group that came to take a costume along. This is what would force me to increase prices.

New superhero and bunny costumes

Three new superhero costumes and two bunny suits have arrived yesterday. Two of the superhero suits are Venom costumes. They are listed as large but actually look like a small size. The problem is that they only come in that size. The other superhero costume is an inflatable Hulk costume with a built-in fan.

The bunny suits are quite nice, especially the plush bunny, it has a really soft mask and the attached hands have an opening on the inside to allow the wearer's hands to be outside if needed. The mask of the second bunyn suit is quite nice as well, but it will get hot.

Barney performer services

Lately there have been more requests for people to perform at birthdays in a Barney costume. A lot of parents seem to be desperate to get hold of Barney costumes for adults to entertain the one to three year olds at birthdays. The problem is that those suits are not available due to legal reasons. I get a lot of phone calls for people looking for exact looking suits. What many do not realise is that those suits if available would be really expensive to get and expensive to maintain, they require a lot of space and getting someone into them would require internal cooling as well. The person wearing such a suit would be mostly blind as well.

Meeting with a fashion designer

Last night I met with a fashion designer who could maybe do some work for me on new costumes. Since the previous two people that I had to working on costumes are not reachable and the other one working on a television series, I had to resort to getting someone else.

Easter bunny costume requests

The Easter bunny requests are starting to come already. The Easter weekend is normally a warzone when it comes to bunny suit requests.

Dinosaur costume back from repairs

The light purple dinosaur costume has returned from being repaired. In particular the zipper was in a bad state.

New costumes coming soon

A new person with costume creation experience has been found who will be working on various costumes that have been requested. Price changes will be done as well because of maintenance expenses.

Changes on the premises

All costumes have been shifted into the Wendy house at the back due to a major space problem. A basic computer system still has to be installed to prevent running back and forth to do bookings.