Mer-Wranglers: 3 Reasons to Never Swim Alone

I would be nothing without the people around me, and this is true especially when I don my tail as Mermaid Kira. I may be comfortable swimming at almost any depths in my full silicone tail by Mertailor, but when you drop me on land I can feel like a fish out of—well, you know! This is why I think it is imperative for any mermaid performer to come equipped with a Mer-Wrangler or Mer-Assistant: wonderful, kind, patient, and paid help who are willing to swim the extra mile to help you bring magic to any party or event. This post will come to you in two parts, and I will share three reasons this week and three more next week why I never swim alone!

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But first, let me introduce you to one of my Mer-Assistants! Meet Lila! She’s helped me with most of my parties! I have had many wonderful people help me with my mermaid parties, from Mermaid Bonnie’s husband to the majority of my sisters to my roommate to Lila, and every one of them excelled at their job. Lila is one of my friends from college, and she has such a kind spirit, is not afraid to take initiative, and thinks on her toes! Not many people would be willing to stand in the blazing sun for hours in the middle of Tennessean summer, but Lila never fails to ask me what I need at just the right time. She is a literal perfect human friend for any mermaid, and I can’t laud her fintastic skills enough!

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Reason 1: Set Up and Tear Down

For every mermaid party, I have to load my tiny Honda Civic with a golden wheelchair, a suitcase carrying an inflatable seashell, a bubble machine, a 40-pound silicone tail, and a plethora of odds and ends such as bubble soap and towels. My goal for every event is to arrive at least an hour early in order to have time to set up and change, but even with all this extra time, it would be impossible without my Mer-assistant. I try to help with set up when I can, but sometimes I can’t be in the event space because there are children around, and I don’t want to ruin the magic by them seeing me with legs. As I hide in a changing area, I have to depend on Lila to set up on her own which can include a lot of trips to and from the car and some heavy-lifting!

Tear down is left completely up to my Mer-assistant, because when I am in a tail in front of guests, I must stay in full character. About 15 minutes to the end of an event, Lila will begin to tear down and pack our party decorations, such as the seashell and the bubble machine. She does this while I am usually swimming with the kids, so that when it’s time for me to say goodbye, Lila can load me onto the wheelchair and take me directly to the changing area.

Without her assistance, I would run the risk of ruining the magic for the young guests of the events that I do. If I were to have to set up and tear down on my own, I would have to be seen out-of-costume and out-of-character. Thanks to Lila’s willingness to work so hard behind the scenes, she helps sustain the magic of every event!

Reason 2: Help with Putting on the Tail

If you’ve never experienced putting on a full-silicone mermaid tail (and let’s face it not many people actually have), you can never imagine the amount of wiggling, pulling, squeezing, and flopping involved. Seriously, I could write an entire post about the whole process. Until then, just know that it is not easy because professionally made tails are designed to fit like a second skin in order to look realistic. Without an assistant, I almost never can smooth out all the wrinkles, especially the ones that get stuck around my knees or in the back underneath my butt (hey, I’m just being real here!). When you have an assistant as fearless as Lila, you understand the blessing it is to have good friends who are unafraid of getting in your personal space to help shimmy your scales into the proper position.

Reason 3: Immobility on Land

To finish the first part of this series (and I haven’t even gotten in the water yet!), I will answer one of the most common questions I get about my work: “How do you get about on land?” My response? (as is my response to almost every question) “With a little help from my human friends!”

As I said, while in the water, wearing a tail becomes pretty natural. On land, however, having your legs pressed together while wrapped in an inch of rubber leaves you feeling a little more than confined. Getting from the changing area to the pool area usually requires a wheelchair—and the terrain can be anything from flat handicap-friendly concrete to uphill muddy grass! While as a mermaid, I have to worry about keeping my tail from dragging on the ground and getting snagged in doorways, my assistant has to do the heavy lifting again, pulling or pushing the mermaid “chariot” to the party space and back to the changing area again when the event is over. I can’t imagine how I would be able to accomplish this without help! One time, my assistant had to leave early from my event, and I got stranded for an extra 20 minutes at a party before I could ask for help to get from the pool to the locker room! It was so stressful!

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Stay on the lookout for more Mer-Assistant related posts! And a special thank you shout-out to the always brave and wonderful Lila!!

Best Wishes and Swimmy Fishes,

Mermaid Kira

#party #professional #musiccitymermaid