Not every safari themed event needs a big cat. If you're after something gentler, more approachable and better suited to younger children or a calmer setting, giraffes, zebras and elephants are usually the better starting point. This guide covers how the three compare, which of our designs tend to work best for different events, and a few practical things worth knowing before you order. It's part of our wider jungle and safari mascot costumes guide, so have a look there too if you haven't settled on an animal yet.

Giraffe costumes

Giraffes are consistently one of our most popular safari costumes, and it's not hard to see why: the tall neck and gentle face make for an instantly recognisable, friendly character that works well with children of all ages. Our Georgina the Giraffe costume is the one we're asked for most often, and suits everything from a nursery open day to a wildlife charity stand.

One practical point worth knowing: because of the height of the neck and head, giraffe costumes can look particularly striking in photographs taken from a slight distance, so they're a good choice if the costume will be doing a lot of "meet and greet" style photo opportunities rather than close, active movement. Schools that use a giraffe for a leavers' photo or an open day tend to get some of their best marketing images from exactly this kind of shot.

Zebra costumes

A zebra costume gives you that same classic safari look with a bit more visual pattern and contrast, which can be useful if you want the costume to stand out in a group photo or against a busy background. Our Zebra Mascot Costume pairs well with our giraffe and elephant designs if you're putting together more than one safari character for the same event, school productions and open days in particular tend to like having two or three animals together rather than just one, since it gives the theme more depth without needing a big cat in the mix.

Elephant costumes

Elephants read as warm and dependable more than anything else, which makes them a good fit for charity events, family fun days and any setting where you want the costume to feel reassuring to younger or more nervous children. We stock a few different elephant designs: Ballerina Elephant for something with a bit more character and charm, a classic Daddy Elephant design, and Pippa the Elephant as a smaller, softer alternative. Elephants tend to be the animal we hear back about most often from charities specifically, since the character suits fundraising and awareness events without feeling out of place next to a more serious message.

Building a group of safari animals

Because none of these three animals is especially fierce or intense, they combine well as a small group rather than needing to be booked one at a time. A giraffe alongside an elephant and a zebra reads as a proper "safari scene" without much extra effort, which is popular for school fetes and open days that have the budget or the volunteer numbers to run more than one costume on the day. If you're planning something like this, it's worth booking or ordering with enough lead time that all three arrive together rather than piecing it together last minute.

Sizing and comfort

All three of these costumes are built for adult wearers, generally in the 5'2" to 6'2" range, with the head resting on the shoulders for comfort and visibility. Giraffe costumes in particular have a taller profile than most of our range, so it's worth checking doorway heights and stage clearance if the costume needs to move indoors, something that's easy to overlook until the day itself. Elephant and zebra costumes sit closer to a standard adult mascot profile and don't tend to raise the same clearance issues.

Common questions

Which of the three is easiest for a first-time wearer? Most people find the elephant and zebra costumes slightly easier to move in than the giraffe, purely because of the giraffe's height and neck length. If it's someone's first time in a mascot costume, it's worth practising walking through doorways and up steps beforehand.

Can we hire just one animal, or do we need to book all three? You can order any one of the three on its own. Grouping them is popular but entirely optional, and plenty of our customers just want a single giraffe or elephant for their event.

Do these costumes work well indoors? Yes, with the one caveat above about giraffe height and doorway clearance. Elephant and zebra costumes have no particular indoor restrictions.

Where to go next

If you'd rather have something with more presence, our lion and tiger costume guide covers the big cat end of the range. For something playful and interactive, our monkey and circus animal guide is worth a look too. You can also browse everything together on our jungle and safari mascot costumes category page.