5 Tips For Surviving Mall Meet-And-Greets With Cartoon Mascots
Planning to bring your kids to meet the crew from Robocar Poli, the Minions or Santa and his elves? Read this first.
Screaming and crying fans. Long snaking queues to catch a glimpse of their idols. Jostling to snap photos once these elusive superstars pop into view. Noooo… we’re not talking about the latest K-pop boyband meet-and-greet, but those cute cartoon characters that appear in malls across the island every school holiday/festive season, creating mass hysteria and mayhem for kids and parents, as well as for innocent shoppers who accidentally venture into the atrium areas. Fun as these meet-and-greets look, they can actually test the patience, grit and will to live (okay, we’re exaggerating here) for parents and little ones. Here are a few tips on how to survive the pandemonium.
#1 Find out what you can get for free, and what you have to ‘pay’ for.
Some things in life, such as performances, are free, but others, such as photo opps, are not. In general, when the mascots appear on stage to sing and dance for eager little boys and girls, mummy and daddy don’t have to spend a cent at the mall if you want to watch. But if you want to take photos with the mascots, you usually have to spend a minimum amount, and exchange your receipt for a photo pass. For example, to take pics with Kevin, Bob and Stuart (that’s the Minions), you need to spend $30 at NEX at Serangoon, and photo passes are limited to 50 per day. To be admitted to the NEX Kid’s Party (limited to 30 kids a day), where mini-mes can play and do crafts with Santarina and bring home balloon sculptures and a bucket of sweet treats, you have to spend $50. If you just want to watch the Christmas show (dancing Santarinas, elves and human balloon sculptures, and no, the minions don’t perform), it’s free.
Merry Minions Holiday @ NEX is on till Dec 31. Photos with the Minions are on Dec 8 to 10, 1pm & 7pm. The Tropical Family Fun performances are on till Dec 10 at 1pm & 7pm, and the Kid’s Party is till Dec 10 at 4pm. All activities at NEX Atrium, Level 1.
Pic credit: @celine_tan_ on Instagram
#2 Get there early if you want good ‘seats.’
For the freebie performances, you’ll have to get to the stage area ahead of the crowd to get good seats, or be relegated to the nosebleed ‘seats’ at the back, or watch from the second or third (or fourth!) levels (which may not be such a bad thing, as you won’t have to squeeze with eager beavers, though you’ll be far away from the action). At Plaza Singapura, pre-schooler favourites Robocar Poli and team will sing and dance for you at 1pm and 7pm from Mondays to Thurdays and at 1, 4 and 7pm from Fridays to Sundays, till Dec 10. If you want frow seats, get there at 1230pm for the 1pm show, and chope your spot. The only problem is the waiting, which brings us to…
Robocar Poli @ Plaza Singapura is on till Dec 31. The Robocar Poli performances are on till Dec 10. Photo meet-and-greets are available after the performances, for those who spend $30 in a single receipt. All activities at Level 1 Atrium. You can also redeem a collectible Robocar Poli thumb drive till Dec 31, with minimum spend.
#3 Expect to queue… and wait.
If you wanna watch Peppa Pig and gang sing and dance up a storm, patience is required. At United Square Shopping Mall, Peppa, George and Mummy and Daddy Pig will appear on Dec 7 to 17, and if you spend $50 at the mall, you can take pictures with the UK’s favourite porcine family. But first, you need to queue to redeem your photo pass. Then you need to get to the atrium early to chope good seats for the free show, then queue again for the photo opp. Remember to bring lots of patience and candy, and also activity books and plenty of iPhone juice to entertain and amuse the kids while you wait. The kids will probably also not stop asking you when Peppa is appearing. Like we said, patience.
Peppa’s Christmas Wish @ United Square Shopping Mall, from Dec 7 to 17. Show are Mondays to Fridays, 2.30pm and 7pm. Saturdays and Sundays, 2, 5 and 7pm. (No shows on Wednesdays)
#4 Up your photography skills to make sure you get a good photo.
You won’t get much time to snap a pic with the mascots (we’re guessing the poor folks wearing the costumes need a break, too). So when your chance finally arrives, make sure you’re ready. Prep the kids before your turn, then pose them quickly. If you want to be in the pic, hand your camera/phone to a staffer, whose photography skills may or may not be up to scratch. We suggest taking the pic yourself if possible. At least you can check to make sure that Ryder, Chase, Marshall and Skye are in focus (and your precious mini-mes too, of course). In case we lost you at Ryder, those are the characters of Paw Patrol, who will appear at OneKM mall to bring woofing good cheer to one and all.
Paw Patrol’s Pups to the Rescue @ OneKM, daily shows till Dec 12 (except Thursdays). Mondays to Fridays, 1pm and 6pm, Saturdays and Sundays, 12.30, 3.30 and 6pm. Spend $50 in one receipt to redeem a Meet & Greet photo queue number.
#5 Sometimes, you gotta work for your photo opp. And it’s worth it.
At Universal Studios Singapore’s A Universal Christmas, there is falling snow, festive parades and photo opps galore with Santa and gang at the New York and Hollywood zones, as well as a brand new show, Oscar’s Grouchmas at Pantages Hollywood Theater. But the highlight, really, is Santa’s Workshop, where you get to complete a series of ‘challenges’ (such as helping Santa’s elf to find a missing letter) to collect stamps. At the end of the workshop, you get to meet the big jolly man himself, who gives you a special stamp and a Certificate of Elfness you get to keep. You then get a fantastic photo op with him and his elves. If you’re lucky, you may even get to hold his bell. The workshop is in a hidden alcove next to the Sesame Street Spaghetti Chase Race ride, which is good, ’cos people may not know about it. Also good: It’s limited to a small group of people per session, which means not squeezing with a crowd. The bad: Expect a small queue. Till Jan 1, 2018.
The Workshop and Christmas specials are free with admission tickets to USS. For more information visit www.universalchristmas.sg.
