If your event calls for something fun and mischievous rather than grand or gentle, a monkey or circus animal costume is usually the better fit. These tend to be the costumes that get children laughing and interacting rather than just posing for a photo, which makes them a popular choice for school fetes, birthday parties, charity fun days and any event with a more relaxed, playful tone. This post is part of our wider jungle and safari mascot costumes guide.

Monkey costumes

We stock several monkey designs, each with a slightly different character. Marvin the Monkey is our most popular all-rounder, a classic, friendly monkey face that suits most events without needing much further thought. Sporty Monkey is a good option if the costume is going to be doing a lot of active movement, sports days and fun runs in particular, since the design and fit lend themselves to it. Cheeky Monkey and our Colourful Monkey design both lean into a more playful, cartoonish look, which tends to go down particularly well with younger primary and nursery age children. For something a little different, Taboo the Monkey offers a distinct face and colouring if you want your event's monkey to stand apart from the more common designs.

Circus animal costumes

Circus themed costumes work well for the same kind of events as monkeys, fetes, family fun days, and anywhere you want a slightly theatrical, larger than life character. Our Circus Bear costume is a popular choice here, and pairs naturally with a monkey costume if you're looking to put together a small "big top" themed group for a school production or community event rather than a single mascot. A monkey and a circus bear together also gives a school production or fete two distinct characters to work with, which helps if you've got more than one volunteer wanting to take part.

Why these costumes work so well with children

The main difference between a monkey or circus costume and something like a lion or giraffe is how much the character is expected to move and play rather than simply stand and pose. Whoever wears one of these should be comfortable being a bit silly, bouncing about, mimicking children's movements, that sort of thing, since that's what makes the costume land well. If you've got a particularly outgoing volunteer, a monkey costume is often where they'll get the most out of the role, and where children get the most out of the interaction in return.

Choosing between the two

Monkeys tend to suit events aimed specifically at younger children where playfulness is the main goal, while circus animal costumes work a little better if you want a broader, more theatrical feel that fits alongside face painting, a bouncy castle or other fete style attractions. Neither is more "formal" than the other, they're both firmly in the fun end of our range rather than the corporate mascot end, so if you need something with more gravitas, our lion and tiger guide or giraffe, zebra and elephant guide are better starting points.

Sizing and comfort

As with the rest of our jungle and safari range, these costumes are designed for adult wearers roughly between 5'2" and 6'2", with the head resting on the shoulders for comfort and better visibility through the mesh eye panels. Monkey and circus costumes tend to be worn for longer, more active stretches than some of our other animals, given how interactive they usually are with children, so it's worth planning in regular breaks and water for the wearer, particularly outdoors in warmer weather. If the costume is going to be doing a lot of jumping about or crouching down to children's height, it's also worth choosing a wearer who's reasonably comfortable moving in a full costume, rather than someone wearing one for the first time on the day itself.

Common questions

Are these costumes suitable for very young children to interact with closely? Yes, monkey and circus designs are generally among the friendliest and least intimidating in our range, which is part of why they suit nurseries and early years events so well.

Can one person realistically perform in one of these for a whole event? For anything longer than about 45 minutes of continuous activity, it's worth having a second person ready to swap in, particularly for a monkey costume given how active the role usually is.

Do you offer matching costumes for a themed group, like a small circus troupe? Our stock range covers monkeys and a circus bear, and for anything beyond that our custom made mascot costumes service can help put together a wider themed set.

Where to go next

You can see the full range on our jungle and safari mascot costumes category page, or head back to our complete jungle and safari guide if you're still deciding between animals.