“I have challenge for you,” a voice declares. “Congratulations, you win!” is my response.
Yes, it may seem as if you are part of a three-ring circus, kids and parents creating chaos in line. The only thing missing is the ring announcer bellowing, “Come one, come all. See if you can stump the balloon guy”.
I am here to entertain. It is bad enough that in some cases I have been standing in line twisting balloons for hours non-stop in the hottest part of the afternoon, dehydrated, and just plain tired from the kids’ inability to make up their mind. Toss in to the mix a parent who asks the indecisive child what they want, followed by what color? Really?
When you do honor the request of the yellow and purple Mickey Mouse, the child looks at you disgruntled and complains that it does not look like Mickey Mouse. Betcha Disney considered those colors and said, “No, not going to happen”.
I have the occasional teenager with the inability to understand the severity of a situation. He/she will request the World Trade Center, Taliban, or things they hear in the news. Adults are no better, they will ask for “blue” material in a family restaurant.
The life-size limousine, the millipede with tennis shoes which are laced, and cockroaches make up some of the list of bazaar requests. Recently, I had a request for a small table, worm, and a bee on a flower, with a fairy on the other side, with a life-size replica of the girl who is requesting the balloon.
Off the top of my head, I cannot think of an industry where customization is not met with a price increase. Challenges are met with research and development, guaranteeing success. Yet, the public challenges me to fail, which I will not do. So for all those bazaar requests and outlandish designs, they can all go by the side, because this performer just says, “No.”
I once had a dad ask me to make Mickey Mouse. I told him that since I had a friend who had been sued by Disney and Pixar and a letter from them warning me that no one except licensed employees of Disney were allowed to do that, I had to decline. He had an odd look on his face, so I asked him what he did for a living. He was a copyright lawyer.
Special requests can make the job more interesting, more enjoyable and more exciting. They can also be the bane of your existence. I can usually handle the odd request. I can’t handle the parent asking the non-speaking child “What do you want? Do you want a flower? Do you want a dog? Do you want a frog?”
Having been in line for over twenty minutes, you’d think the subject would have come up.
I have a young man who brings his toys with every time…usually a Skylander figure. I do my best when I have the time…and though I look back and go…”not my best work”…he must love them because he keeps asking. Puts a smile on my face thinking about it. Then I go home and figure out just exactly how it could have been improved.
However, I do turn away requests that are “adult” in nature…or the “I want a full size…this or that” ones.