Elsa Performer Hired As A Surprise For An 'Embarrassed' 12-Year-Old's Birthday Party & Things Got Super Awkward
They all let it go... together.
Barion McQueen / Pexels There are certain pivotal moments in our lives that stick with us forever, both moments of victory and moments of defeat.
While time heals most wounds, there’s nothing quite as painful as being a preteen just trying to fit in, as entertainer Chloe King discovered at a party she was sent to.
The Elsa performer was hired as a surprise for an ‘embarrassed’ 12-year-old’s birthday party, making things super awkward.
King filmed herself in her room, transforming from princess back to regular person as she removed her costume and makeup.
“You know what’s scarier than 12-year-olds at Sephora? Doing a surprise party as Elsa for a 12-year-old who didn’t ask for you to be there and has no idea you’re coming,” she announced.
She explained she was hired by the birthday girl’s uncle, who lived in a different city and wouldn’t be attending the party, but, as King said, “He knew that the little girl loved Elsa.”
When King initially got the order to perform as Elsa for an unsuspecting kiddo, she said, “This is terrifying, but okay. And then he drops the scariest part: ‘Oh, and she’s turning 12 years old.’ She was in 6th grade.”
“I basically saw this going one of two ways,” she said. “I was either going to show up to the biggest Disney fan’s house and she was going to have so much fun and we were going to sing; maybe we would paint nails instead of doing little kid makeovers, and it would be awesome. Or, it was gonna be but what actually happened.”
King described her process for getting ready to perform at an older kid’s birthday party, explaining that this Elsa request was not the first time she’d been around this particular block. She came up with Disney trivia, and tried to pick songs that could be geared towards an older crowd.
Photo: Marvin Malmis Ponce / Pexels
“When the day of the party finally came, I arrived, I called the uncle… And basically, when the mom came out, she did not look super happy,” King revealed.
“I don’t blame her, and it has nothing to do with whether or not she liked me, or whether or not she thought I did a good job, it was just like, she had a plan for her child’s birthday party, and that’s not how it went,” she said, demonstrating grace amidst pressure.
"I walked in and the girl looked absolutely terrified. ‘She was surrounded by all of her friends. They were in 6th grade. They looked like fully grown adults,” King said. “That’s no hate to preteens, I get it. Everyone’s just trying to find their own style, but it was pretty terrifying.”
King had major empathy for the 12-year-old, saying, “I honestly felt really bad for the girl, because I could tell she was not wanting me to be there and she was a little bit embarrassed. But the girls were really nice to me, and the mom was like, ‘Oh perfect, what are you going to do?’”
“I had brought my storytime box,” she said, as per the well-meaning uncle’s orders. “They did not want to sit and listen to a storytime, I totally understand why.”
King explained that the choices for a princess party are storytime themed or makeover themed, yet she didn’t have her makeover supplies with her.
“I was not about to ruin this girl’s social life,” she said. “I totally get it. Some 12-year-olds may love that, this one didn’t.”
So, King did what any fast-thinking princess would do: Devised Plan B: Bringing her personal makeup in from her car.
“Fortunately, I had pretty much my entire makeup case,” she said. “We made it work… I just basically didn’t say no to anything because I know that that age is really hard for kids… Pretty much, whatever the child wanted, I just said yes.”
One girl wanted each nail painted a different color. One girl wanted a double-winged eyeliner look. King made each girl’s makeover dream come close to being true, saying, “I tried my best.”
Photo: Tran Nhu Tuan / Pexels
She revealed “the only redeeming thing,” which was that the girls at the party were in choir together at school, so, “I put on the karaoke version of one of the Elsa songs, and I let them sing it, and I just hyped them up. And they were all happy at the end of it,” King shared.
“I’m really glad that it was a really sweet group of girls and that nothing went wrong,” she said. “But that was one of the scariest party experiences I’ve had in my life, next to when I went to the wrong house and they let me in.”
She finished her post with a compassionate call to action for other grown-ups, saying, 'Give these kids grace.'
“They’re all just learning and growing and learning how to be adults at a very young age, younger than when we were having to ‘grow up,’” she said. “They’re going to grow up a lot faster than us. So, try to be gentle, try to remember that you were their age not too long ago… But they are a little bit scary.”
As far as harrowing experiences go, both King and the birthday girl found themselves in a vulnerable place, worried about being teased or hurt by those around them. Yet the princess and the preteens found an equilibrium, by meeting each other with compassion and leading with kindness, and making the best of an awkward interaction.
Alexandra Blogier is a writer on YourTango's news and entertainment team. She covers social issues, pop culture analysis and all things to do with the entertainment industry.