Interview with the Ringmaster of The Fur Circus

MascotInsider is proud to present another great interview! Today with our interviewing The Fur Circus let’s begin..

1. What are some of the difficulties and advantages of performing as a
group?

Anytime you are in a group there are challenges, be it personalities,
work ethic, ideas and so forth. The uniqueness of Fur Circus is that all of
us have a long stand working relationship as professional mascots before
creating our enFURtainment concept. Our FURternity and cross collaboration
is not something you see in a city with several professional sports
teams/mascots. We have a lot of energy, passion and respect for this
industry and because of that, a mutual respect for each other. When we get
into creative sessions and executing for clients we can get extremely
creative with some wild ideas. Our challenge is keeping up with our ideas
and making sure that they fit into what we are doing.

2. Where is your favorite place to perform?

We have performed in a lot of great venues and towns, for great
organizations. However, our favorite place to “do what we do” is in
hospitals. Bringing the suspension of reality to people during difficult
times is just something you can’t top. It’s very fulfilling and, for us, a
constant reminder that what we do can positively affect many people.

3. What kind of advice could you give someone who wants to become a
professional mascot, but doesn’t know where to begin?

There are a lot of opinions, people and camps out there that can tell you
how to be a mascot but the reality is you have to start somewhere. You
can shadow mascots. Watch guys, talk with them and have them work with
you. There are guys that have been actively performing for a long time and
are genuine when it comes to passing off a little advice. Finally, always
let your mascot head be bigger than your own. Being a professional mascot
means knowing when to be on and when to be off, too many mascots have
ruined great opportunities because they let their ego get in the way of
being a professional mascot. When we represent organizations we are held
accountable for our actions inside and outside the costume!

4. How do you guys deal with a crowd that lacks energy?

As a group, we always have back up plans.and back up plans for our back up
plans. The idea is being flexible and adapting to the situation. You have
to be able to read the crowd and adjust your performance, meet them where
they are at and bring them up. Our skits are never the same, no matter how
many times we rehearse or script them out because we adjust them to meet
the crowd where they are at.

5. Have you guys ever been injured while performing and if so what happened?

Yes, Yes, Yes. Collectively, we have had broken noses, toes, stitches,
shoulder tears, knees, backs, necks.the list goes on.

6. What is the farthest place you as a group have traveled to perform?

As a group we are very methodical about where we perform, we’re developing
something to stand the test of time and not just the now. For that reason we
have been working with organizations in the southeast, we’re based out of
Atlanta. However, our guys have gone to China, Brazil, Europe, Guam, Canada,
all over.

7. What kind of mascot experience do you guys have prior to becoming The Fur
Circus?

Our group has over 50 years of combined experience working in all levels
of professional sports. We cover MLB, NBA, NHL, NFL, WNBA, AFL, MiLB,
professional hockey and soccer. Outside of the sports realm includes NCAA,
Jimmy Buffett, UniverSoul Circus, Harlem Globetrotters, Warner
Brothers and the Olympic games.

8. How many shows do you guys do a year and what sports do you guys perform
at?

We do all sports plus a lot of festivals and events. It really just
depends on the time of the year.

9. How do you guys compete against other traveling entertainment groups like
BirdZerk and The Famous Chicken?

This business is certainly a small world and we have crossed paths with
many of the other entertainment acts out there. To be very honest we don’t
really see them as competitors as we all offer very different products. I
certainly would like to think that we have a more diversely experienced
group of enFURtainers but, again, what we are offering is very different
from what everyone else is.

10. How do you guys deal with the times that YOU physically lack energy?

When we are on the ground working with a client it does get to be a bit of a
non-stop kind of day. Staying hydrated, working together as a group and
taking care of ourselves. Taking care of the basics. The show must always go
on!

Thanks The Fur Circus for interviewing with MascotInsider today. You can visit their official website at thefurcircus.com and be sure to “Like” their official page by clicking here.