Firemen are Tricky

Now I'm a Dad, I find other people's conversations about children are fascinating. On the train home the other day, I overheard two women talking about their jobs as children's facepainters.

Woman 1: Spiderman, kids love Spiderman. I get a lot of requests for that.
Woman 2: Yeah, me too. And Thomas the Tank Engine.
Woman 1: But I tell you what I find really difficult.
Woman 2: What?
Woman 1: Peppa Pig.
Woman 2: Really?
Woman 1: You've seen the character, Peppa's eyes are on the side of her face. It's really tricky. How do you do that?
Woman 2: Oh, I don't know. I'll have a think - put one eye on each side may be?

Pause, as she thinks more and then digresses

Woman 2: I had a funny one the other day.
Woman 1: What?
Woman 2: A kid came along and said 'I want to be a fireman.'
Woman 1: A fireman?
Woman 2: I know, what do you do? I mean, it's not a character. I said to his Mum, 'He wants to be a fireman. What shall I do?'
Woman 1: What did she say?
Woman 2: She said 'Make him a fireman. That's what the other facepainter did.'
Woman 1: How did they do that?
Woman 2: That's what I asked. She said 'She gave him a beard.'
Woman 1: (laughs) So if you're a fireman, you have a beard?
Woman 2: Seems so. Although when I'd finished, he didn't seem too happy.
Woman 1: Easier to do a Peppa Pig probably.
Woman 2: Yeah, I'll have to work on that one.

W and I have all this yet to come. Although we have thought that little J's bald head could be painted orange for Halloween. We'd have our very own little pumpkin.