BEST FRIENDS FOREVER: Dora the Explorer (second from left) and her friends entertained the crowd at United Square earlier this month. -- PHOTOS: UNITED SQUARE

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During the school term, the 18-year-old is a student from Innova Junior College who enjoys hanging out with friends and having fun.

But once the holidays roll around, she dons a 15kg fur suit, changes her name to Alvin and becomes a chipmunk.

Siti has been freelancing as a mascot talent for three years, but the job is no kiddie task.

'I was in a dance CCA in my school and one of my friends recommended that I go for auditions just for fun,' she says. She got the job and has not looked back since.

She performs six days a week, with two to three 30-minute shows per day for up to four weeks at malls. The most recent one she worked on, the Alvin And The Chipmunks road show, required 50 hours of rehearsals over a two-week stretch.

She was the main character in the show, which ended its run last week, to promote the movie now showing in cinemas.

But Siti is not the only girl in the business, says Star Mission, the events company behind the show. About 60 per cent of its talents are females.

Industry sources say mascot actors can earn over $1,000 for each series of gigs because these kids' shows at shopping malls are extremely popular.

This month alone, there were about six shows running concurrently at different malls. Dora's Best Friends Day, inspired by the hit cartoon Dora The Explorer on the Nickelodeon channel and Kids Central, was on at United Square.

There was also Barney And Friends at Marina Square and a Sesame Street show at Ngee Ann City.

Organisers say each show, which lasts about 30 minutes, can attract over a thousand parents and children.

One might think being a mascot is easy money, but handling those furry suits is a tough proposition.

According to Ms Sharon Wang, manager at Star Mission, some suits can weigh up to 25kg, with limited ventilation. Talents are advised to drink lots of water to avoid dehydration.

Other challenges include having only downward vision through a gap in the suit's mouth, with just the markings on the stage as a guide.

Despite these cumbersome limitations, actors must still be able to rev it up for the live show.

'If you don't have that kind of energy and cheerfulness in you, you can't be a good mascot,' says Ms Wang.

At least talking like you just inhaled a tank of helium is not part of the job. Most character dialogue in shows are pre-recorded so actors just react on cue.

With all these requirements, it is no wonder that Ms Wang issues stern warnings to potential mascot talents at auditions.

'Every audition, we will also tell them, 'You need to be in a suit for 30 to 45 minutes. Can you take it?' ' she says.

Not that anyone can just stroll into an audition in the first place. The actors behind the characters form a tight-knit community, according to Mr Alan Jenner, owner of production house Pen2stage Productions.

'They all know one another. Everyone knows what's going on. Everyone knows when the auditions are, and everyone wants to do the work,' he says.

What is preferred, say industry sources, are talents with a dance background like Siti. Other necessary prerequisites are good coordination and fitness.

There is a welcome side effect to the physical demands of being a mascot.

'We perspire so much that it makes slimming centres redundant. I've lost 3kg so far,' says Siti proudly.

Nur Shakilah, 17, another mascot talent, was not as lucky.

'I think I gained weight because after every show, I will go out and eat,' she says sheepishly.

Weight issues aside, shows can sometimes throw up unexpected challenges.

At shows like the Chipmunks, the fans were actually more rabid than the rodents during photo-taking sessions. The adult fans, that is.

'There was this woman who hugged me so tightly that I couldn't breathe in the costume. Sometimes my tail will get pulled,' recalls Siti.

Nur adds: 'At every show, there will be at least one such person.' She plays Treecko, a lizard-like character in the Pokemon kids' show at Bukit Panjang Plaza.

At the end of the day, however, it's all about showbiz for these mascots who do it for the love of entertaining.

'It feels good to entertain people. Especially kids. They are quite easy to please,' Siti says.

Nur adds: 'It's fun being on stage rather than working at a retail store.'

tanyihui@sph.com.sg