What would be a good tail to do birthday parties/public events in?

[Seven Devils]

I know Eric's tails (which are out of the questions because of our little ~altercation last time I tried to order from him) would work fantastically, and Raven's would too—but they're way way out of my price range (currently trying to save up, but it isn't going well). I was thinking about getting a basic silicone Mermaids R Us tail, which run at around $500, but that's still pretty steep on my end. Honestly, I don't even really want silicone at the moment... but most neoprene/fabric tails look incredibly fake.

Gah, I'm so stumped. :<

What would you fellows mers recommend for a birthday party/and or public event? I might just have a birthday gig coming up and I have no idea where to turn. :(

//flops

(also, is this the read thread?? i wasn't quite sure where to post this)

[AniaR]

you can do it with a fabric tail that is fitted, or a neoprene one too :)

[Mermaid Momo]

a neoprene or fabric tail can look amazing! there are some people who put so much detail in painting their tails, and there's always the option of sequining a tail.

[Anahita]

I wouldn't be so quick to shoot down neoprene tails, some of them are done WONDERFULLY. They'd definitely be easier for public events and birthday parties where a pool isn't involved. I mean, your other alternative is finding someone who still makes latex tails, but those would probably be over the $500 that Mermaids R Us is charging for their lined silicone tails...

[Seven Devils]

Thanks for the advice, lovelies!
I really like the fabric tails by Mermaid Kat, though my only little qualm is the fluke-shape (I have a tendency to be nit-picky). Regardless, they are very lovely tails.
And it would only cost me a little over $200. :)

I'll keep looking around (I don't get paid until Friday, haha) but I'm preeeeetty sure I'll be buying from her.

[Arella]

If you want neoprene maybe try Mortica's tails? Or maybe Merberry if you want silicone/neoprene (they may use ALEX though not sure on that one)

[Echidna]

but most neoprene/fabric tails look incredibly fake.

Some do, but not all.
If they are painted, they can look amazing!

Feel free to check out my tail album.
I'm a complete beginner in tailmaking/painting/sewing, and the results are still good enough imo I won't consider buying a tail anytime soon.

Look-wise, fabric and neoprene can be just as pretty as a silicone tail if they fit well enough.
I can see though that if it is a dry event, touching might be involved, and cold, scaley-like silicone obviously would feel more realistic than fabric or neoprene.

On the other hand, I've had children feeling my fabric tails, and they considered it real despite my protests :)

[Mermaid Caspiana]

Ya, don't underestimate fabric and or neoprene. Some are so well done they look just as good as high quality tails. Like there is Jadestone who made an amazing tail! And even if you check out my album mine is fabric, paint, and sequins. So just check that kind of stuff out. :) ;)

[halesloveswhales]

I would say to go with a tail that's around $500 if you're trying to go cheap. Honestly, if you get enough bookings, the tail will pay for itself. After seven birthday parties this summer, I had definitely broken even on my $450 FishButt tail. Don't cheap yourself out if you're serious about it and think you can do it.

[AniaR]

everyone forgets Hannas first tails were painted neoprene!

[Miyu]

Actually, a lot of my personal favorite tails are fabric! Hannah's painted neoprene and all the lovely sequin tails she and everyone else has been making I can't wait for Raina's sequin tail to be done, yay!)... I thought I'd be all about the silicone, but I tend to automatically translate tail ideas into fabric designs now.

And then there's my tail idol, Stella the Siren on Youtube. She is what inspired me to get into mermaiding :) Her first tail and her cousin's tails are a little on the basic side, but her Clownfish (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1wBDDCXg4Q&list=TLTb_CmNjTx2g) and Scorpionfish (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOc7612p6qk&list=TLTb_CmNjTx2g) tails are just to die for!

There's a lot you can do with fabric tails, and with far less cost/effort than with latex or silicone sometimes. Flowy, trailing fins are one example; in my opinion, sequins look more like scales than a lot of latex/silicone tails, and I hear from a lot of people that fabric is far easier to perform in. Huge flukes in silicone tails generally require big, strong (expensive) monofins to hold them up.

I'm not trying to turn you away from the more "realistic" tails, I'm actually planning on having one myself amidst the masses of fabric tails. But if you are in need of it soon for a gig, fabric can be done very nicely, quickly, and on a much smaller budget. ^_^

[Mermaid Danielle]

You can definitely get by with fabric tails. Sequins are very good at hiding things like seams :)

[Mermaid Citrine]

I have used my painted spandex tails for parties and numerous photoshoots. Not to toot my own horn but ;) I think for budget friendly/spandex tails, mine are the most realistic .... They start at $175 for adult size and I can make a comfortable matching seashell top to go with it. I have also made 2 latex (real latex) tails for myself as well and am thinking about offering those for sale but they will not be under $500 and honestly I still love the spandex tails because they are so lightweight, easy to get on and off and so low maintenance to rinse off/dry/travel with, etc, etc. My boyfriend actually says he thinks the spandex looks better than the 'realistic' tails just because of how it hugs the body...but I do love the scaled tails as well,

Anyway--

I have tons of pics of my spandex tails on my facebook page
www.facebook.com/MermaidCitrine
and some on my website as well :
www.MermaidsOfHawaii.com

Let me know if you have any questions but I don't check this forum too often so for fastest response, email through my facebook or website,

Thanks and best of luck !


I know Eric's tails (which are out of the questions because of our little ~altercation last time I tried to order from him) would work fantastically, and Raven's would too—but they're way way out of my price range (currently trying to save up, but it isn't going well). I was thinking about getting a basic silicone Mermaids R Us tail, which run at around $500, but that's still pretty steep on my end. Honestly, I don't even really want silicone at the moment... but most neoprene/fabric tails look incredibly fake.

Gah, I'm so stumped. :<

What would you fellows mers recommend for a birthday party/and or public event? I might just have a birthday gig coming up and I have no idea where to turn. :(

//flops

(also, is this the read thread?? i wasn't quite sure where to post this)

[Thalassa]

The funny thing is, I opted for realistic tails from the get-go partly because I like the look and partly because I wanted to be believable. What I found was that kids make very little differentiation between the fabric and silicone tails. I had some kids ignore me in favor of their favorite mermaid in a fabric tail...the reasons were varied: They liked how soft her tail was, they liked the color or the pattern better, they likes the smaller fin... Once you get to teen age (the age where they pretty much know you're not "real" anyway) they focus a bit more on realisticness, but to most kids fabric vs silicone doesn't make one bit of difference!

[PearlieMae]

When you think about it, little kids will believe a guy in a furry suit is the Easter Bunny and the worst wad of of white polyester will transform Dad into Santa. If the kids are older than ten, they aren't going to believe you anyway. I vote fabulous, sparkly fabric tail!

[Mermaid Kelda]

The funny thing is, I opted for realistic tails from the get-go partly because I like the look and partly because I wanted to be believable. What I found was that kids make very little differentiation between the fabric and silicone tails. I had some kids ignore me in favor of their favorite mermaid in a fabric tail...the reasons were varied: They liked how soft her tail was, they liked the color or the pattern better, they likes the smaller fin... Once you get to teen age (the age where they pretty much know you're not "real" anyway) they focus a bit more on realisticness, but to most kids fabric vs silicone doesn't make one bit of difference!
That's a fabulous point, Thalassa, and something I haven't really thought about before.
If you're aiming for realism for your own sake, spending more on a silicone tail is the way to go. But if you're planning on using your tail for things like kids' parties, get a fabric tail as soon as you can, and soon enough you'll have made enough to buy a realistic tail!
And like others have said, paint can go a looong way. You'd be surprised how realistic neoprene can look if you put enough effort into it! (See: here (http://mernetwork.com/index/showthread.php?5053-Nyx-s-Neoprene-Tail!-(Pic-heavy-eventually)&p=83639&viewfull=1#post83639))