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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Holly Mikkelsen Costume Trainer, Chuck E. Cheese’S Pizza

Personal: 23, single, and has lived in Spokane for 10 years.

Salary: About $15,000 a year, plus lots of hugs and an occasional marriage proposal (to the costumed character) from a 5-year-old girl.

Years on the job: 4-1/2

Job duties: As Chuck E. Cheese, mingles with the kids and performs choreographed dance numbers.

Job requirements: Outgoing personality, love of kids and short stature. “Six-foot tall Chuck E.s scare the kids.”

Best part of the job: The popularity. “The kids tell you they are your best friend and they love you. I had a kid the other day giving me directions to his house. They ask their parents if you can spend the night.”

Little-known fact: Chuck E. Cheese has an ice vest to wear under the costume to keep cool.

Advice to other Chuck E. Cheeses: “I tell them to exaggerate their gestures because the costume is a lot bigger than they are, to have fun and to interact with the kids.”