Indiana Santas say need for Christmas cosplayers is growing

If it seems like it is harder to find a Santa appearance in recent years, it isn’t your imagination.

Indiana Santa portrayers say there is a national shortage, intensified during and since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Randy Goodin, a Greenwood resident who has been Santa Claus for the last 15 years, said that the Santa population was specifically hit hard during the pandemic, and Santa groups are still recovering.

“There were gigs that were open after the pandemic that couldn’t be filled,” said Goodin. “There weren’t enough Santa’s qualified to spread around and take care of them.”

Goodin called for any good-hearted individual who wishes to bring merriment to local children to reach out to Larry Shaw, an esteemed local Santa Claus.

Shaw, 74, has been playing Father Christmas for the past 45 years. He started a group called Hoosier Santas on Facebook, an association he believes was the first of its kind on the popular social media platform.

Shaw said that he was “tricked” into taking the mantle of St. Nick.

“My daughter was in kindergarten and my wife, who volunteered a lot for the school, volunteered me to be Santa,” he said. “I was probably about 120 pounds with no beard, but they couldn’t find anybody. During my second year of being Santa, the kids started treating me like Superman. That’s when they started really acting like I was Santa.

“I became a superhero.”

Shaw and Goodin both said there are many needs in the Santa community. Because the current Santa population is continuously decreasing, Shaw emphasized a need for older actors to play the festive character.

“We always do lose quite a few Santas every year,” said Shaw. “I’m probably one of the younger Santas. Most Santa’s are in their 70’s or 80’s. We are trying to recruit a lot more young Santas. It’s hard because full-time, professional Santas almost have to be older. It is a seasonal job, so you almost have to be retired.”

Shaw mentioned that malls have been struggling to fill the seat, saying that shopping complexes were one of the most visited locations by Mr. Claus.

Recently, there has been more demand for Santas of color around the state and nationwide, said Shaw.

“We need more Black Santas and Hispanic Santas,” he said. “That void is being filled fairly quickly, but they are they are becoming more popular, so the need is rising. There were two or three movies that came out this year alone featuring Black Santas.”

Shaw said that he even personally knows a Santa Claus portrayed by a woman. He noticed that some children find it easier to approach females because of their “motherly instinct.”

“If you saw her as Santa, you would have no idea that she is a woman,” he said. “She does a great job.”

The portrayal of Santa Claus has become more flexible as well. The big guy no longer needs to strictly have a red and white suit. Brown fur and different-colored suits have become more popular, Shaw said.

Even Santa’s trademark beard no longer has to be a snowy-white complexion. Shaw has seen black beards and grey beards throughout the industry.

“Santa is in the heart, and not in the beard,” said Shaw. “Santa himself is evolving and everybody’s Santa is different. The big thing is to keep the kids believing as long as they can. We need to have more Santa in our world.”

Other characters have become more noticeable in the costume world as well.

Goodin says that teenagers can get involved by becoming an elf. Shaw said that Mrs. Claus has been making an increasing number of appearances.

Requests for The Grinch has also been growing in popularity. However, actors have to get special permission from Dr. Seuss Enterprises to legally portray the character, said Shaw.

Goodin said that no matter how you get involved in Christmas characters, there is one specific thing to remember.

“Never ever do it for the money or the notoriety,” said Goodin. “It has to be about the child. When you put on the suit, you become a different person. It’s just like anybody who does cosplay. You have to take on the heart, the actions and the attitude of the character. Make sure you are full of Christmas spirit and you honestly want to make a child’s moments and memories special.”

Goodin encouraged anyone who thinks they would be a good fit for the red suit to reach out to Shaw and learn how to get involved.

People can find his contact information on the Hoosier Santas Facebook page.