Character restraints on Parade Float Question

[mrtoad]

I was just on the Orlando Sentinal and there is an article about costum character injuries. You can find it here: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/custom/tourism/orl-disney0407mar04,0,4407309.story?coll=orl-home-headlines

I'm not all the way through it but something mentioned in it triggered my memory of something I noticed on our trip about a month ago that I meant to ask here but forgot until now.

While watching SpectroMagic one I thought I noticed a character or two not teathered to the poles on the floats. I was not sure at first thinking that maybe that particular costum might make it look like they were not but they really were, but then when the part with the three fairies from Sleeping Beauty, two of the 3 were definitly not teathered. All three are virtually the same costume except for head and color and only one was teathered.

Is this common? I would think it would be mandatory which maybe the linked article will tell me somewhere but I really found it odd. If it had been one, I would have thought an accident that they were not hooked up but there were several so I thought it kind of odd.

Anybody know anything about this?

Thanks,
Mike

 

[Simba1]

I could be wrong but my understanding is that those characters who are less experienced than others must be tethered. If I am wrong, I'm sure someone will correct me, haha.

 

[bluejayx]

The good fairies stay in the middle of the float most of the time and I think there not required. The trumpet spectro men the first float do not have tether at all. I think that those are the only to float that do not have tethers.

 

[Sir Hiss527]

Wow i've wondered the same thing lately...so for the beginning float of the trumpeteers there not tied up? All I can is this..for some of those guys, there is not a whole lot of room to move. That's kind of scary and dangerous too.

 

[Rob562]

The ostriches aren't tethered to their float, either. In fact, there's one part of their choreography where they run around their float. But I believe that they always have one hand on the handrail at all times.

People being tethered or not-tethered may have something to do with where on the float they are, and whether them falling down because of a sudden stop would allow them to fall into a dangerous place (such as between floats or off the front of a float).

-Rob

 

[joanna71985]

I could be wrong but my understanding is that those characters who are less experienced than others must be tethered. If I am wrong, I'm sure someone will correct me, haha.

Nope, this is not the reason. And the way the fairies are set up is correct. One is only supposed to be tethered.

 

[brkgnews]

I believe those which aren't tethered are able to grasp onto a stationary object (the ostritches and their rails, f'rinstance).

 

[NASAMan]

My daughter was 'helping' an ostrich one parade, took a mistep, and put a 5 inch gash in her leg. No stitches, but she was sore for a few days. The teathers generally are on characters who are up high (like Mickey). Characters near the ground (like the ostriches and fairies) who have a deal of choreography are not teathered. Some face characters are teathered, if they are in aplace without rails, while others are free to move around the float (within the rails). It is about safety, and the desire for choreography will not trump the need to be teathered.

 

[mrtoad]

Thanks all for the answers. Is it an optional thing do you think as well? For instance, the 3 fairies do have posts to be hooked up to but only one was in use.

 

[Chape19714]

Characters are put on restraint devices based on float design. Height of platform, location of driver, size of platform, float movements, and range of performer's vision are all taken into account.

As for the Faires in Spectro, one is tethered beacuse the driver operates the float from the back, rather than the front like on the other 2 fairy floats.