The Cinderella Company

Welcome 2012!

2012-01-02T21:13:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! We can't believe it has been some-time since we have blogged. The year has certainly kept us busy. Between business going strong and Facebooking, we haven't had much time for anything else. Business has been great, but we feel that there is a something that seems to hold us back a bit. We call it Yelp. We can't help but to share a bit of information with you on what we have learned about Yelping over the last year. As we have voiced in the past, Jennifer and I are extremely disasstisfied with the Yelp review system. We have accumulated approximately 52 reviews, but 48 of them have been filtered out through their filtering system. Due to that happening, Jen and I have had several lengthy phone conversations with Yelp Reps about this. Please note that Yelp makes it extremely difficult to contact them. There is no phone number that you can call to speak to a live Rep. They do have an email, but it is difficult to find. The only way we got a hold of them is because they're constantly calling us to advertise with them. It is at that those times that I have taken the liberty to voice my concern!

According to their Yelp Reps, reviews will get automatically filtered out if the person writing the review has no Yelping history with them. Okay, I get it that makes sense, but it doesn't stop there. In order to have your reviews for any company stick, you must log into your account on a REGULAR basis. If this is not the case, then anything you write is in vain. The interesting thing though, is that many of us lead extremely busy lives and don't have the time to sit at a computer all day. I joined Yelp several years back and never left a review until last week. I was so upset about something that I felt the need to voice it. And that's when Jennifer and I realized that many people are not inclined to leave reviews unless they are really upset about a business or really blown away by the experience. Therefore, the public review system is seriously flawed because there are many companies out there who have many negative reviews that are filtered away as

well. Anyway, just thought we'd share this bit of information.

We strongly encourage you to look at all our filtered reviews which is located at the bottom of our Yelp page. Below is a link to our Yelp page. We also suggest you do the same for the other competing companies.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-cinderella-company-walnut-creek

Today's Mail

2011-04-19T12:49:00.000-07:00

This came in yesterday's mail. Since it was too long to put on facebook, I thought I would post it here. Thank you Meredith!

"Hi there. I just wanted to send along a huge THANK YOU! Rapunzel attended my daughter's 6th birthday party yesterday, and I cannot tell you how impressed again I was with your company! This is our second time using you and I have recommended you to other friends!!! Your service--the quality and the professionalism is top notch! My daughter told me that it was the most special birthday she had ever had. Her little friends were giving glowing comments today at school about what fun they had! Thank you again for making my princess have and amazing birthday!!!"

Meredith F, Santa Cruz

Disneyland 2011

2011-04-13T17:20:00.000-07:00

This past week my family and I headed down to Disney for Spring break. With all of the years that I spent going as a child and now as an adult bringing my own children, I can honestely say that Disney has NEVER once disappointed me. It just amazes me that this company has the longevity that it does, and continues to deliver the magic and the product that it does regularly. Although this was a family vacation and I was suppose to be taking a break, I had to laugh because here I was catching myself focusing in on the daily operations of the parks and the hotel. I just couldn't help but watch as the park staff in their clean crisp theme uniforms, shined the trash cans and the lamp posts each morning while sweeping up the streets and changing out the trash cans that weren't even full. I couldn't help but notice the large crowds pouring into the parks and hotel hour after hour, and day after day, and the Disney staff never loosing their composure. Every staff member I saw remained calm and as gracious as ever with their guests--and there were a few stressed out people in the group. I also noticed that when a couple of the rides went down, their engineers were on site quickly and got those attractions up and running fast. As both a small business owner and consumer, I really appreciate and admire that they run a very tight ship. To think that they can close the parks down at 10:00 pm and 12 am and turn it around again to open up by 8 am is incredible! If there was one person that I wish I could have met, that would have been Walt Disney himself. Before going away, I read they are breaking ground in Shanghai. Go Disney!!!

Terri

The Waltz Melody Dress

2011-03-23T08:49:00.000-07:00

This past Christmas, Jennifer and I decided that we wanted to add another ballet costume to our collection due to the numerous ballerina requests we've been receiving. So after putting forth several different designs to our performers, The Waltz Melody, a professionally made romantic style tutu won hands down! It just arrived yesterday, and I cannot wait to bring it to Frances. It is so beautifully made and every ballet enthusiast will fall in love with it. The exquisite applications create and intricate interlacing pattern and the dress is richly embroided with braiding, crystals, sequins and beads. This dress is suited perfectly for the Pas de Trois variations from Swan Lake or for the costume of the Queen or Cinderella roles . We hope that you like it too!

Yelp Leaves our Clients "Speechless" (Literally)

2011-03-07T12:54:00.000-08:00

These days, our to do list is a mile long. And for our clients to take the time out of their busy schedule to write a review and share their experience with the public, but not be credited for it is upsetting to us. And equally so to the client. I mean, what is the point in writing out a review if it's just going to be hidden away.

We have approximately 35 *5 star reviews* that were left by our dear clients. Yet over the past week or so, those reviews are getting filtered out at an alarming rate. Today we woke up to find that we only have 11 Reviews left from 14 the day before, and 18 the day before that! Shocking and upsetting to say the least.

Yelp claims that their filtering system has been put in place to protect both consumers and businesses from people leaving false reviews. However, what is a small business to do when all of their reviews are legitimate and they are not being recognized for their accomplishment or failure?

At this point we are really not sure whether or not to continue to use Yelp or try to locate another public reviewing system. We wrote to Yelp last week just to ask why this is happening at such an alarming rate and have not received a response. Yelp has not only left our clients literally speechless, but us as well.

In the meantime, we just want to give credit where credit is due. To see our filtered reviews, click on this link: CINDERELLA FILTERED REVIEWS. You can also review our reviews by clicking on 24 Filtered at the bottom of our Yelp page.

Bippidty, Bobbidy, Boo!

2011-01-22T16:09:00.000-08:00

I always gets so teary-eyed whenever I work with my performers because their performances always moves me so deeply. Yesterday I had the opportunity to work with Nicole as Cinderella for one of my Just Imagine clients in Sonoma. Nicole's beautiful singing, violin playing and storytelling mesmerized everyone there!

It was so amazing to watch as she beautifully interacted with each of the little party guests and to see them respond to her as if they were at a theme park meeting their princess for the first time.

Well done Nicole! Thank you for once again making magic.

-by Terri Reynolds

Falling Uphill Film Shoot

2011-01-15T16:04:00.000-08:00

Jennifer and I had an amazing day today. Last month we were offered the opportunity to participate in helping set up a scene for a small romantic comedy called, Falling Uphill starring our very own Jena Hunt. Our dear Jena works as Jenny, a young woman living and working in San Francisco. Jenny works part-time as a princess entertainer for a company called The Cinderella Company. We had a great time participating and it was such a pleasure to work with Director Rick Bosner and Producer Barret Hacia and their film crew.

35 Yelp Reviews and Proud!

2011-01-14T20:52:00.000-08:00

Don't let the number fool you. We have 35 *5-STAR* reviews not 11!

As consumers, we all look to find people's reviews online about products and businesses that we might be interested in. A couple of months ago, we discovered that 24 of the reviews we received from clients were being filtered out by Yelp.

A Sales Rep informed us that they were taken off because Yelp has a filtering system that weeds out any negative or positive reviews that a person writes, who does not have an account history with them.

Although we can understand this, it is quite upsetting for the obvious reason because we think that they're eliminating many legitimate reviews both good and bad that people deserve to see.

So we encourage you to check out our filtered reviews, which can be found at the bottom of our Yelp page. We want to make sure these reviews are seen as we take pride in these and appreciate the time it took clients to write out.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-cinderella-company-walnut-creek

Rapunzel's Raving Review

2011-01-11T09:40:00.000-08:00

Our beautiful Jena recieved another glowing review as Rapunzel. We just received this in the mail yesterday morning and are excited to share it with you.

"Good Morning! I just wanted to let you know how wonderful Jena was at our daughter's 5th birthday party. She was amazing and so true to her character. She was truly awesome. Everyone was so impressed and really loved her. Her voice was described as being magical. I cannot say enough about her. I would like to send her a THANK YOU card that our daughter personally made for her. Where can we send this? Everyone was so impressed with her and she made the party the best ever. Thanks so much!! " ~ M. Dispo, Vallejo

Welcome Jenefer!

2011-01-07T16:30:00.000-08:00

http://www.jenefertaylor.com/

We are pleased to welcome yet another addition to our family of performers, Jenefer. Jenefer comes to us from right here in the San Francisco Bay Area. Her inspiration of being a role model to children brought her to us. She attributes to her hardworking demeanor and unwavering dedication to theatre and music, which is her true passion. Her primary roles will be of Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Little Mermaid and Cinderella. We are so happy to have her!

Welcome Kayla

2011-01-05T09:56:00.000-08:00

We are proud to announce the addition of Kayla to our Cinderella Company family. She will be performing in the Sacramento Region. Kayla comes to us with a performing arts background in runway modeling, theatre and singing. Her starring roles will be Little Mermaid, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella and Beauty. We are so happy to have you! Welcome.

Praise for Jena

2011-01-03T14:37:00.000-08:00

We love it when our clients take time out to leave us feedback on their events. This came in today's mail and thought we would share it with you.

"Hi, Happy New Years. I'm so sorry to give this belated reply, but I wanted to let you know that I referred you to three of my friends! My friend Stephanie, will be the first to call you, because your Mermaid was indeed so REAL to my daughter and her friends. She was just incredible, beautiful voice, and excellent with the children. I have nothing but the highest praise for her and your company. I have forwarded this to my husband because I'm sure that he would like to submit a picture of Mermaid and our daughter. Plus, I'm sure that he would like to add his own words. Thank you, thank you again for making my daughter's birthday, so amazing."

Warmly, Mei Ling C., SF

Superbowl Parties

2011-01-02T09:38:00.000-08:00

With the Superbowl quickly approaching on February 6th, 2011, you may want to consider booking out our princesses/characters to help entertain your little ones during your event.

El Passo Penny

2011-01-01T13:31:00.000-08:00

This is one of our new characters that we recently added. Jena is featured. We think she looks cute as can be!

Welcome Aboard Ari!

2010-12-31T13:20:00.000-08:00

We are proud to announce the addition of Ari to our Cinderella family. Ari is currently Miss California Teen 2010. Her starring roles will be Dora, Pinkalicious, Fancy Nancy, Rose Fairy, Beauty, Tink and Little Mermaid. We are so happy to have you! Welcome.

Disney, NYC, Open for Business!

2010-12-19T08:10:00.000-08:00

This past summer while visiting NYC, I was disappointed to learn that Disney's 5th Ave location had closed down. It wasn't until my nephew told me that they weren't closed for good, just relocating to another part of the city that I felt a little bit better. So for all of you Disney lovers out there, Disney has just reopened its biggest store yet in the space at 1540 Broadway that was previously home to a giant Virgin Megastore. After closing its store on 5th Ave last year, this is Disney’s attempt to re-invent itself in the retail world. This place is every child’s dream with its life size interactive Disney princess castle and children’s theatre that will entertain kids with movies and house some very exciting celebrity appearances. This store opening is the first of many changes Disney is embarking on for their retail locations worldwide. About the project, one of their Reps states, "Bringing Disney store to the center of Times Square is a monumental achievement, and we have created a retail experience that complements the energy and innovation that Times Square inspires”. This is the second venture Disney has taken on in Times Square with their renovation of The New Amsterdam theatre into the Disney Theatre in the 1990’s. The Times Square grand opening will be the largest Disney store in existence to date. The location will feature two floors and will be open seven days a week from 9am until midnight. I can only imagine the late night hours were created so all of us without kids can go check out the princess castle without shame. " Go Disney!!!

Exciting News!!!

2010-12-15T13:07:00.000-08:00

The Cinderella Company was recently approached by Director Richard Bosner of Blue Creek Pictures. He and Producer Barret Hacia are currently filming a micro-budget feature in San Francisco this winter, and our lovely Jena Hunt has the starring role. Falling Uphill is a romantic comedy scheduled for next year. Jena's character plays a 20 something woman living and working in San Francisco. If you haven't figured how we fit into the equation, her day job is that of a princess performer for a children's entertainement company called, The Cinderella Company.

How exciting is this?

The Fountains First Annual Tree-Lighting Ceremony

2010-11-22T09:04:00.000-08:00

Yesterday our Princesses Cinderella (Lisa), Sleeping Beauty (Nicole) and Belle (Lacey) had the opportunity to participate in The First Annual tree-lighting ceremony for the Fountain's Shopping Center at Roseville Mall in Sacramento. They of course were delighted to participate in ringing in a magical holiday season! The day was brisk but sunny and they had a wonderful time singing and meeting and greeting everyone there.

Come, Meet our Princesses

2010-11-21T08:31:00.000-08:00

Some of our princesses will be at The Fountains Shopping Center, next to the Roseville Mall today in Sacramento around 2pm. They will be strolling about, meeting and greeting and taking pictures. Please be sure to drop by and say hello. On hand will be Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Beauty. They will also be at nearby Mimi's Cafe beforehand at 1pm.

Wig Boxes Complete!!!

2010-11-07T08:27:00.000-08:00

A while back Jen and I ordered a boat-load of wig boxes for our new character wigs, and this past week I finally had the desire to assemble them. When I opened the box, I found that there was no directions. Being college educated, I didn't see any big deal about it--was I wrong though. These boxes came with screws, lock nuts and finials that I had absolutely no clue about. I of course tried finding directions online, but there wasn't any and it was after hours so the company was closed. One of my friends came to the rescue though by sending me pictures. She bought her assembled! I guess that you get what you pay for!.. Oy. The finial that you see to the right is to hold the wig head in place.

New Disney Store Opens in San Francisco

2010-10-28T08:33:00.000-07:00

Here at The Cinderella Company we love all things Disney. So while visiting New York City this summer, Terri was upset to see that Disney's 5th Avenue store had closed down and was being relocated to some other part of the city. Their Union Square location in San Francisco had also closed down a while back, but now it has reopened at 39 Stockton Street, San Francisco right where the 3 story Sanrio used to be in the 90's. Go Disney!!! Check out the online Business Wire article.

So Proud!

2010-10-23T18:36:00.000-07:00

Today I had the chance to spend time with four of my performers at Julius Kahn Park in San Francisco, for an annual event held by the Golden Gate Mother's Club. On hand were Sleeping Beauty (Nicole), Beauty (Lacey), Arabian Princess (Frances) and Anakin (Jason). As usual, they all impressed me with their singing and interaction with each other and the children and of course how beautiful they looked. I decided to go because of the rain that we have been having and just wanted to make sure they had everything they needed since this was an outdoor event. We are all so grateful that the rain held off.

The Very Best

2010-10-20T12:50:00.000-07:00

This very sweet note came in today's mail and it put an ear-to-ear grin on everyone's face that we had to share it with all of you.

"Lisa was the very best! I hope that she can come back every year! She was dressed to a "T", and not one detail was overlooked. She made my daughter feel soooo special! One of the guests said "your daughter's party was off the hook! Cinderella was amazing!"

~ K. Manzano

Introducing El Paso Penny

2010-10-18T10:40:00.000-07:00

One of the unique things about our company is that as Event Planners, Jennifer and I get to work with with all of our performers on a regular basis through our other children's event planning companies. On Sunday, I got to work with Jena as El Paso Penny for one of my regular clients in Novato. Since The Cinderella Company did not offer this character at the time of booking this event, this character was immediately created for her child's party. And I have to say that Jena looked so darn cute! But more than that, she impressed me beyond words can describe as she shared her tale with the kids about her life on the range, and her song of "Blue Shadows." Cowboy Kevin was there to accompany her on the guitar. I wish I had better photos to share, but here are a few.

True Blood

2010-10-12T14:48:00.000-07:00

Here at The Cinderella Company, it has been insanely busy around here as of late with hosting parties, training, and photo shoots. On Sunday, Jocelyn and Jena took some Halloween pictures for us up in Napa. This one is hot off the press of Jocelyn. We just love it and had to share with you!

Eye on the Bay

2010-10-07T17:13:00.000-07:00

Jennifer and I along with Alice (Jocelyn) and Madhatter (David) all spent the day down in San Carlos today to do a taping for CBS's Eye on the Bay with host Liam Mayclem. We received a call last week asking if we would like to participate in their Friday Fleamarket. We were of course thrilled about the idea. Since the show tapes at different locations each week, we had the opportunity be at Sparky's Hot Rod Garage and had a great time. This segment will air Friday, Oct 22nd at 7:00 PM PST on KPIX.

Rose Dewitt Bukater

2010-09-25T18:05:00.000-07:00

With Halloween just around the corner, Jennifer and I are trying to get all of our holiday characters added to the site. The latest is Rose Deweitt Bukater of Titanic fame. I am so very excited about this character because I just love that time period. This is a character that is for children ages 7 and above. Our dear, departed Rose will storytell about her frightful night aboard the R.M.S Titanic with some fabulous authentic looking props of course. Our beautiful Miss Jena will be portraying this character.

They're Finished!!!

2010-09-25T15:25:00.001-07:00

Several months back, Jennifer and I had five sets of shells made for us. These shells are all made out of a resin type of product and have been professionally airbrushed as well. For the past several weeks, I have been attaching a variety of swarvorski crystals to them which was no easy feat. Many of the stones are quite small and the glue was extremely difficult to work with, not to mention quite toxic. However, the end result is pretty darn impressive. Each set sparkles with about 300 crystals. I think that all of the performers will love them.

A Very Rare Find

2010-09-25T12:06:00.000-07:00

Here at The Cinderella Company, we have been fortunate to acquire a very rare fossil of Dominican mosquito amber from our very own Paleontologist, Dr. Alan Grant. Dr. Grant will be sure to show anyone his rare find and explain how DNA found in the mosquito has been used to clone dinosaurs on an island off of the coast of Costa Rica!

Welcome Back Caitlin!

2010-09-18T07:54:00.000-07:00

When one of our performers decides to leave, Jennifer and I view it as one of our children temporarily going off to college. Such is the case with Caitlin. She decided to take a break this past year to pursue personal endeavors, but has now come back to us! So we are happy to announce that she will be returning to us next month! Caitlin was one of our very first princesses that we hired and she was also the one to do our very first Cinderella party in Tiburon in 2008. Welcome back, darlin! Caitlin's roles will be that of Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Alice, Tink and Nutcracker Fairy.

So Long, Farewell.....

2010-09-16T12:02:00.000-07:00

Jennifer and I along with our entire company bid a tearful, yet happy farewell to Lisa aka Cinderella and Andrea aka Snow White on Sunday at the Cheesecake Factory in Walnut Creek. Andrea has been offered a job at a theme park and our dear Lisa will be heading up to Sacramento to begin that region for us. Both women are dearly loved and will be sorely missed.

We love you much!!!

We've got a Cowgirl!

2010-09-04T09:29:00.000-07:00

Jennifer and I are nuts because we promised not to add anymore characters this year, but all you have to do is plant a seed with us several times and a new character takes root fast. After receiving numerous calls for a cowgirl/cowboy character, we've decided to add this to our extensive cast of characters. Jena will have the honor of creating this new role for a Just Imagine party next month. Be sure to check back in a few weeks for some pictures!

Sacramento Here we Come!

2010-08-31T18:11:00.000-07:00

What a year it has been! Jen and I have accomplished much and many changes are happening. Andrea will soon leave us to star at a theme park and our lovely Lisa will be relocating up to Sacramento in October to head that area for us. This is an area that we are excited about expanding into and we cannot wait to break new ground. Good luck Lisa, we will miss you dearly!

A Dream Come True

2010-08-24T14:50:00.000-07:00

Well, I was so distracted today after receiving some news from one of my performers that I left my purse in a shopping cart at Cost Plus. If it wasn't for a very nice man parking his motorcycle, I would have left it behind. So thank you whoever you are for stopping me! The phone call I received was from our dear, sweet, gentle Andrea and she had told me that a theme park has just hired her. We are not at liberty to share which character at the moment, but it is a good one! This is a dream come true for Andrea, and we wish her all the best. She has been a joy to have on board this past year and she will be sorely missed. We love you darlin!

Inexpensive Tiana Ideas

2010-08-19T08:35:00.001-07:00

Princess Tiana seems to be very popular, so here are two fabulous yet inexpensive party ideas. As a gift favor, why not offer a Princess Tiana cookbook? Children LOVE to cook and parents will appreciate this so much more than a toy. With simple instructions and large photos, this book features everything from Tiana's binets to a mud pie. Amazon currently offers the book the $7 each. And with all of the parties that we host, cupcakes are so much easier to offer than cake and the kids go wild for them. Take a look at these cute ones!

King Tut, NYC

2010-08-16T16:00:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

I went to the King Tut Exhibit at the Discovery Museum in Time Square the other night. The Discovery Museum is at 226 West 44th Street and it has been 30 years since this exhibit has been in NY. I missed seeing it while it was in San Francisco, so I am grateful that my kids and I could see it now. One word: Amazing! A definite must see if you are in NY. I of course left there wanting to start an Archealogical character. Jason is already plays a Paleontolgist, so this would be a lot of fun to add. Will be back tomorrow. Thanks Jen for manning the ship!

Terri

Barbie Central

2010-08-15T07:02:00.000-07:00

Hi Guys,

Just had to share some photos with you from our trip to Toys R Us in Times Square and Fao Schwarz on Fifth Ave. With all of the Barbie requests that we have been receiving lately, these were two stops the kids and I had to make. For those of you who have never been to this Toys R Us, it's a definite must see with their huge indoor ferris wheel. My girls were so close to riding the Barbie corvette, but the attendant refused and gave them My Little Pony instead; bummer! Oh well. The second floor was Barbie's Dreamhouse though and Paige and I had lots of fun looking around. I of course had to pick up some additionl accessory items for Jena and Angela to use.

Terri

Wonderfully Wicked

2010-08-13T05:26:00.000-07:00

I'm on a roll here. I so wish you all could be here. I went to see Wicked last night at the Gerswhin theatre with the family. Jennifer and I had seen it in San Francisco together before introducing Elphaba and Glinda this year. This is one of my all-time favorites musicals and is right up there with Phantom and Les Mes. Everyone of course loved it. I was in tears when they sang their "friendship" song at the end--a real tearjerker. See you soon!

Terri

Mary Poppins

2010-08-12T14:21:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

Having a blast in NYC. I took the family to see Mary Poppins the other night. One word: Fabulous! I cannot wait for it to get to San Francisco. Still waiting for The Little Mermaid too. Laura Michelle Kelley and Nicholas Dromard play Mary Poppins and Bert. Nicholas, by the way played Fiyero in the San Francisco production of Wicked which Jennifer and I saw before it closed, so it was neat to see him again in this production. None of us can seem to stop singing supercalifragilisticexpialdocious (had to look that spelling up). Anyway, in seeing the play, I have lots of new and exciting ideas for Lisa to use at her Mary Poppins parties. ~ Terri

Snow White's Busy Weekend

2010-08-07T08:38:00.000-07:00

Snow White had a very busy weekend. This past Sunday, Terri had the chance to work with Lisa for one of her Just Imagine clients in Kentfield. We just love when we get to work with our performers because we truly enjoy watching them create their magic for others. This came in the mail on Monday. We are also including photos on our facebook page so please be sure to look at those too.

"Yesterday was everything we hoped for--it truly lived up to the imagination of our little princess and she kept living the dream all the way until midnight last night, Lisa (Snow White) was so patient and truly lovely. You pulled off "making magic" and made it look easy. It was a wonderful party, and more importantly, a very special and very real dream come true for Summer."

~ Marci & Mark, Kentfield

Way to go Maaika!

2010-08-03T07:25:00.000-07:00

We are so very happy to announce that our very dear Maaika will be starring in Moneyball, which is currently filming on location at the Oakland Coliseum. This is a story of the Oakland A's General Manager Billy Beane's successful attempt to turn around his team's fortunes by applying some unorthodox economic theories to the process of hiring his players. The movie stars both Brad Pitt and Robin Wright, and Maaika will be playing one of the player's wives. Congratulations!!! We are all so very happy for you.

Hot Off the Press!

2010-07-28T12:58:00.000-07:00

Bay Area Parent's Best of the Best digital magazine came out today and we are on pages 114 and 119. Please take a peek when you have a chance!

We Won the Gold!!!

2010-07-25T07:42:00.000-07:00

A couple of months back, one of our dear faerie friends whispered something very magical into my ear. Not being able to share the news immediately, I had to squirrel it away in the back of my brain for a later time. Today, Jennifer and I get to shout it from the rooftops! The Cinderella Company has just been voted the number one children's entertainment company for 2010 by Bay Area Parent's Magazine for both San Francisco and East Bay. Yippee! We cannot even begin to tell you how happy this makes us. Thank you to everyone who helped us to achieve this. We truly appreciate all who took the time to vote for us, and thank you to our incredible cast of performers. Your talant, your zeal, and your devotion continually blows us away. Our two year journey together has been an amazing opportunity and we appreciate all of you from the bottom of our hearts!

We Made It!

2010-07-24T09:08:00.000-07:00

Oh my! It has been a wild ride these past few months, not only with business but with our annual photoshoot and webdesign. The website has now been fully updated. Please take a peek when you have a chance. As you will see, it has been a labor of love. And I must take my hat off to Jennifer, because she did it all! You're the best!!! We also recently had over 60 new custom costumes made and a ton of new wigs styled for us. We love the results and hope that everyone will too.

Meet our Jedis

2010-07-17T18:21:00.000-07:00

The Cinderella Company is proud to introduce our ensemble cast of characters. This past year we started receiving numerous calls for multiple performers. Whether you decide on two, three, four or more, multiple entertainers are ideal for larger parties, or for a client who is simply looking for a little more theatre. Our Jedis are Jason, Jim and David and are all fabulous. Please be sure to check out their pictures and bios. Remember, the site is currently being updated, so be sure to check back in.

Fairies at Play

2010-07-16T16:07:00.001-07:00

With Jennifer and I fully rested thanks to some needed rest and relaxation last week, we now are busy at work getting our new pictures added to the site from our photo shoot a few weeks back. With that said, we just had to show this one of our mischevious Tink fairies. The site should be updated by the end of next week, so please be sure to view the fabulous new photos.

3rd Annual Training

2010-06-28T11:05:00.000-07:00

Jennifer and I are thoroughly exhausted. It has just been an insanely busy few months! We recently had our seamstress make over 50 new costumes for us, as we begin adding new characters and having more outfits made. So yesterday we had our entire staff come up to Napa for our annual photo shoot and training. The day was well, hot--extremely hot. The temperature soared to 103 for where we were at, and we were outside the entire time! This year our usual meeting spot had been booked up early, so the location chosen this year, although absolutely beautiful, was completely outdoors. And unfortunately, almost everyone had to wear heavy costumes, wigs, and makeup. I think Nicole and Lisa suffered the most with the green Elphaba makeup and costume (Wicked Witch of the West) and the Glinda dress. Afterwards, a few of us took refuge indoors for a nice cool drink together. One of the things we enjoy the most about our company, is the closeness of our cast. Our performers really enjoy spending time with each other.

Costumes, Costumes, Costumes

2010-06-24T16:03:00.000-07:00

Jennifer and I are so happy, that we both can cry. Yesterday we spent time in the East Bay sorting through our new costumes, wigs and accessories, as we busily get ready for our third annual training day on Sunday, which will take place up in Napa Valley. We love this time of year, because it is a time when our entire company meets and spends the day together. The new costumes are AMAZING and we cannot wait to unveil them. In all, we probably have 50 new custom creations! I only took a handful of them back with me, but as I sorted through them the new Tink faeries are fabulous. Each are made of a silky type fabric that has been airbrushed and than applied with shimmering gemstones. We cannot wait for the pictures!!!

Alice, 2010

2010-06-22T15:30:00.000-07:00

Our performer Nicole unveiled our new Alice 2010 dress for us last week for a large party down in Palo Alto. We absolutely love this dress and cannot wait to get the professional photos up for you. The detail is quite impressive with it's lace and ribbon neckline, decorative buttons, and embroided skirt.

Felecity, the American Girl

2010-06-17T10:19:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Terri had the opportunity to work with one of our performers for a party in Mill Valley. The character was Felecity the American Girl, and the performer Andrea.

As Event Planners, it is exciting for us to work with our performers because we get to see them in action. We have such a talanted group and we have found that they continually give up 110 percent everytime. The American Girl theme is a tea party theme, that brings US history alive to young children by presenting it in a fun and magical way.For an 1.5 Andrea entertained the children with her Colonial storytelling and props, interactive Colonial games, simple dance instruction, and tea etiquette lesson.

Mary Poppins ~ Spoon Full of Sugar

2010-06-11T09:56:00.000-07:00

As we get ready to feature our new characters, here is a glimpse of Lisa as Mary Poppins singing a 'Spoonfull of Sugar'. She is absolutely wonderful. I can't help but think of how closely she captures Julie Andrew's spirit. The site will fully updated soon so you can see the rest of the performers singing some of their character songs. Please also continue to check our YouTube account TheCinderellaCo.

Little Mermaid Shells

2010-06-04T12:42:00.000-07:00

We spent the day at Britex Fabrics in San Francisco this last Tuesday. For those of you who know Britex, it is fabric heaven. Well, for the Bay Area at least. We spent hours walking through four floors with our seamstress. We felt like kids in a candy store looking through the finest fabrics and notions.

As we gear up for our annual photo shoot this month, we are busy completing all of our new costumes. This past week out new Little Mermaid shells arrived. We went a little crazy with these. They are custom seashells hand-carved and then molded. Each shell is made out of a plastic resin and is airbrushed and topped off with an abundance of Swarovski crystals and pearls. Over 510 pieces per set to be exact. Since we ordered some of them plain, we will have the task of placing these crystals on ourselves; ugh!!!.

Costume Countdown

2010-06-01T21:41:00.001-07:00

Jennifer and I had fun today in the city shopping for fabric with our seamstress. We are just about to wrap up the last of our new character costumes this month. One of our favorite places to shop is Britex fabrics on Geary Street. It is four floors of heaven. It's a bit on the pricey side, but definitely worth the expense. You will find nothing but the best fabrics and notions here and the service is also terrific.

Toto, We're Not in Kansas Anymore

2010-05-31T17:06:00.000-07:00

Dorothy is here!!! As we get ready to launch our new characters next month, our costume shipments are coming in daily. And our seamstress has been working overtime to make sure we get everything for our annual photoshoot. The Dorothy costume arrived this week and Andrea is modeling it. We cannot wait to get pictures of her with Glinda and Elphaba. Imagine inviting all three of them to your celebration as Dorothy dazzles everyone singing, "Somewhere Over the Rainbow."

We Need Your Votes!!!

2010-05-12T19:55:00.000-07:00

We just learned today that The Cinderella Company has been nominated as a potential nominee for Nickelodeon's 2010 Parent's Pick Awards! As you can only imagine, we are all thrilled about this. We would therefore appreciate your votes for us. Parent's Picks allows people to cast one vote each per day for the next 34 days, so please vote for us!!!! Just click onto the above highlighted link.

The Cinderella Experience

2010-05-05T09:48:00.000-07:00

Jen and I are so used to hearing feedback about our performers, that it is really nice when we hear something about the way we run the business. This came in this week's mail. Thanks so much, it means a lot!!!

"From the moment I contacted The Cinderella Company, I was impressed. I never had to leave a message and my phone calls were always answered. I actually spoke to the owner of the company at length. She spent quite some time with me offering all sorts of help and suggestions on other aspects of the party."

"As you will see that everyone else has written about Jason. He always remains in character. He is kind, patient, and very passionate about the magic of children. He was always concerned that nothing got in the way of that."

J. Freirmuth

Welcome, David!

2010-05-03T16:26:00.000-07:00

David is one of our latest additions to the Cinderella Company. His roles will be that of the Madhatter, Jedi , Pirate and Prince. He will be primarily booked with performers Jocelyn and Jena and service the Napa, Santa Rosa, Sonoma, Marin Area. David hails from the City of Angels, where he spent his childhood exploring the theatrical arts. He spent several years studying with Lynette Katselas and Lois Auer. With performing in film, television, theatre, and voice, he has also worked in production and visual effects. Currently David enjoys performing for his daughter, who continues to inspire his imagination and creativity. This past weekend he had the opportunity to play the Madhatter with Jocelyn for a party in Napa.

This...Is American Idol!

2010-04-20T17:21:00.000-07:00

About a month ago, one of our dear clients requested an American Idol performer for their daughter's 7th birthday. Since Jennifer and I are always up to a challenge, we of course agreed to help. With many of our performers being talented singers, this was an easy decision for us. Our lovely Andrea played a former American Idol contestant from Season 7. For two hours she helped entertain the children with star make overs, story telling, and lots of singing of course. The children were each taught two songs to sing and the American Idol Contestant of course sang her own audition song as well. Below are some pictures from the fun day.

Hot off the Press!

2010-04-06T13:06:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about how disappointed I was with the Yelp review system. Jennifer and I had many clients share with us that they were leaving reviews about our company, but nothing was appearing on the site. It wasn't until a Sales Rep recently notified us about their filtering system. This system has been designed to protect both consumers and businesses from either negative or positive reviews by a person who does not have a history with Yelp.

Today my day has been brightened. I just learned that as of this Monday, Yelp is now allowing the public to see those filtered reviews. However in order to see them, you must scroll down past the posted reviews to find the filtered ones. The Cinderella Company has 17 filtered reviews!

Please take a peek when you have a chance.

http://www.yelp.com/filtered_reviews/QzNpFOnGshKWX6JHTSVXOw?fsid=VmdUqn6t6Hvgo9l4xu50wg

Happy April Fool's Day!

2010-04-01T09:50:00.000-07:00

No one is quite sure about the exact origins of April Fool's Day, but it has been celebrated by numerous countries for centuries. And there are of course many theories about this day out there. However here at The Cinderella Company, we know for a fact that the faeries are responsible for this mischevious day.

Juvenile Diabetes Foundation: The 2010 Royal Ball

2010-03-25T11:12:00.000-07:00

The Cinderella Company was recently asked by a dear client to participate in this year's Royal Ball, a fundraising event benefiting the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. This is the foundation's 3rd Annual Royal Ball and was held on Sunday, March 21, 2010 at the Mission Bay Conference Center at UCSF. Since it was a Pirate and Princess themed family event, we sent our lovely Classic Princess Nicole to help entertain the children with balloons for two hours.

Is Yelp a Help?

2010-03-23T08:59:00.000-07:00

I had an ear-to-ear grin on my face this morning, as I began writing this blog entry because I noticed yesterday that we had received 5 Yelp reviews in one week, three of which came in one day! I was so excited about it, that I had to share that with everyone this morning.

As consumers, we all look to find people's reviews online about products and businesses that we might be interested in. Late this afternoon, Jennifer discovered that all, but two of the reviews were no longer there. What?! A Sales Rep from Yelp, informed us that they were taken off because Yelp has a filtering system that weeds out any negative or positive reviews that a person writes who does not have an account history with them. This department has been devised to protect both consumers and businesses from people making false claims (either negative or positive). Yelp's position is that they want to make sure that they deliver quality, and in doing so they need to filter out the reviews.

Although I can understand this, it is quite upsetting for the obvious reason because I think that they're eliminating many legitimate reviews both good and bad that people deserve to see. I also think that Yelp needs to do a much better job at conveying their review system policy to the public. For the longest time we couldn't understand why we only kept having one review when so many of our clients were telling us they left one for us. So with that said, we are now in the process of trying to retrieve those reviews from Yelp so that we can post them on our website and blog.

So if you have a Yelp account already established and you have used our company, please leave a review on Yelp. For those that do not already have an established Yelp account, please email us your experience so we can post it on our website. We appreciate all the reviews that we have received thus far.

Anakin Skywalker

2010-03-22T14:04:00.000-07:00

Here at The Cinderella Company, the majority of our business is of course princesses. However as of late, we have been receiving numerous calls for male characters. One client who recently booked with us said that she was so grateful to find us for her son's birthday. Her review came through the mail today about our performer Jason. Way to go Jason!

"Jason did a fabulous job. He always stayed in character and he was completely engaged with the kids. He was a big hit! My only request is that you make people more aware that you have male entertainers available. The Cinderella Company makes you think only of princesses and you do so much more with the male superheroes and Jedi Knights and all. Jason was just GREAT. He was excellent. I would recommend him to anyone and it is a great idea to have a character come to a boy party. They loved it!"

///

Also, check out the Yelp* review on Jason as the Jedi

http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-cinderella-company-walnut-creek

2010 Marin Cinderella Production

2010-03-04T17:34:00.000-08:00

Masque Unit Productions are adaptations of classic children's stories. This non-for-profit organization was started in 1961 by a group of women who saw the need to provide live theatre experiences for the children of Marin County. March 6 & 7th, a production of Cinderella will be playing at 1 & 3 pm.

We're Off to See the Wizard

2010-02-26T17:14:00.000-08:00

It's official! We are adding a Wizard of Oz trio to our list of characters. Dorothy and Elphaba (the Wicked Witch of the West) will join Glinda in our cast of characters. Lisa who already has the role of Glinda, will be joined by Andrea as Dorothy and Nicole as Elphaba. All three of these performers have strong theatrical and song backgrounds and I cannot wait until they start belting out tunes such as "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and music from the "Wicked" production.

Glad to Help!

2010-02-24T16:07:00.000-08:00

We recently received a call from a woman, asking if our performers were of the same caliber of those found in Disneyland. Although we cannot begin to make that claim, all of our performers are very talented individuals and wonderful at what they do. So when this review came in yesterday's mail, it put a big smile on our faces.

"Jocelyn was absolutely wonderful! We all thought she was great with the kids-- a bit of a Godsend to tell you the truth. I felt like I was in a theme park witnessing first hand. I will definitely keep you in mind for the next go around. And as soon as I have time, I will throw a lil blog up on the site. I will definitely recommend you if I get asked about a princess party. Thanks again!"

~ Jayme P, Petaluma

Pinkalicious

2010-02-11T19:05:00.000-08:00

We often receive calls for new characters from clients and this is fun for us. If Jennifer and I we feel that we have an existing costume base, we are often willing to create a custom design for clients depending on time and availability.

This morning we received a request from a former client about a Pinkalicious character. Based on the book Pinkalicious by Elizabeth and Victoria Kann, Pinkalicious cannot stop eating pink cupcakes despite warnings from her parents. Her pink indulgence lands her at the doctor's office with a case of pinkititis, an affliction that turns her pink from head-to-toe.

We cannot wait to add Pinkalicious to our cast of Beloved Characters. After some consideration, we feel that Andrea is perfect for this character!

Beauty & Prince

2010-02-09T09:25:00.000-08:00

As Event Planners, we always suggest a party size of 12 to 15 children for a child's party due to the activities that we offer here at The Cinderella Company. However, we understand that is not always possible for some parents to do. When a client opts for a larger party, one of the things we might recommend is adding a second performer. And if there is a substantial amount of boys invited, we might suggest a male performer who can help meet their needs better. Such was the case for one of our clients this past weekend. With her guest list totaling 22 children and 12 of those guests being boys, our recommendation was just that. Since the party was a Beauty Beast theme, the client chose our Prince Adam character. Her review came in today's mail.

"Thank you SO MUCH for a wonderful party. Andrea and Jason were amazing. All of the parents thought that separating the girls from boys was a great idea. The boys really enjoyed learning sword fighting and the girls were ecstatic with Beauty. They were shaking from excitement when they saw Beauty and Prince Adam coming in. The amazing part was that the girls got really smitten with the prince and did not want him to leave. He was very gallant and served their every wish and made LOTS of balloons. Thank you again.

~ Alona G., Woodside CA

A Very Special Weekend

2010-02-08T10:22:00.000-08:00

Jennifer and I must start by giving our entire cast a warm, "Thank You." This past weekend was very busy and special for us. Due to Sunday's Super Bowl game, we ended up doing numerous custom parties for clients. Lately we've been receiving requests for multiple entertainers for one event. For one such party, four of our performers entertained at a 5th birthday party in Pleasanton for 3.5 hours. On hand was Brittany as Tink, Lisa as Cinderella, Maaika as Beauty, and Lacey as Little Mermaid. As usual, they dazzled the birthday child and guests with their songs, storytelling, magic and more. We have a wonderful team hear at The Cinderella Company and we are so grateful for their talents.

Super Bowl Princess Party

2010-01-26T10:46:00.000-08:00

When I took a party booking the other day for February 7th, I had no idea that it was Super Bowl Sunday because I am not a football fan. It wasn't until Jennifer (the football fan) mentioned it to me. Then a lightbulb went off that our client is requesting a group visit from four of our beautiful princesses to entertain a small group of children while the game is taking place. I have to smile because I think it is a great idea. Hard core football fans can watch their game while their young children are enchanted & entertained by a fairytale visit from their favorite princesses! How great is that? Latley, we have been receiving many types of different requests. We are discovering that people are not just opting for one performer, but multiple characters for something other than a birthday party.

Tink & Peter Pan

2010-01-25T16:11:00.000-08:00

Due to the numerous requests that we have been receiving for a Peter Pan/Tink duo, we have decided to add this pair to our list of characters. With Nicole being our main faerie, she has taken over the lead as Tink, while our performer Maaika plays Peter Pan. The two of them work so wonderfully together that we cannot help share some of their great reviews!

"All of my expectations were blown out of the water for my daughter's third birthday party. Tinker and Peter were wonderful! They kept all of the kids thoroughly entertained. Even my 80 year old grandfather enjoyed the show... He said that it was the best party he had ever been to. Nicole (Tink) and Maaika (Peter) put on a show that my daughter and friends will remember forever." ~ M. Couch, Livermore

The Great Grandfather of the birthday girl even wrote us:

"I was at my great grandaughter's birthday party in Livermore on January 10, 2010, and the people that played Tinker and Peter Pan enthralled the children and adults with their magic and violin playing! Kudos to them! They were great! I will remember you in the future." ~ C. Beer, Livermore

We often suggest this duo combination for larger parties that might have a number of boys invited. Tinker entertains the crowd with her whimsical face painting, magical storytelling and beautiful violin music, while Peter Pan helps lead the boys in some swordfighting (balloon swords) and games.

Welcome Andrea

2010-01-03T17:43:00.001-08:00

Jennifer and I had a great 2009 at The Cinderella Company. A sincere thank to all who continue to support us! As our company continues to grow, we have added a couple of new faces to our cast of Princesses. Andrea is one of our latest peformers to join our new family. She has a strong vocal, dance and theatre background. She has been casted as Little Mermaid, Princess Beauty, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty and Arabian Princess. We are so excited to have you. Welcome.

Many Thanks

2009-12-12T17:54:00.000-08:00

Jennifer and I would like to give a heartfelt thanks to all of you have been supporting us. This holiday season has been amazing and we are so grateful to all of you who have made our experiences so special. We didn't think that it could get any busier for us after Halloween, but it certaintly has. In addition to our beautiful princesses and faeries, our Nutcracker Ballarina, Toy Soldier, Christmas Elves and Faeries have been making a steady debut this season. Thank you all!

Lisa Earns Rave Reviews

2009-12-07T18:08:00.000-08:00

We just love hearing about our client's experiences. This was in today's mail.

"Just wanted to say our experience with Cinderella was AMAZING! My daughter couldn't have been more excited and mesmorized and she truly believed Cinderella had come to her party." Lisa was perfect--lovely person, beautiful voice, patient, kind, and wonderful with the kids. She truly knows how to engage children and keep them entertained and focused. I just can't say enough good things about her. I think I actually believed she was Cinderella! The party was a rousing success. Thanks again for everything. You all completely exceeded our expectations in every way."

~ E. Asdorian

Nicole Does it Again!!!

2009-10-27T13:21:00.000-07:00

Our performer Nicole, seems to be on a roll lately. Here is a review from a party that she did this weekend.

"We hired a classic princess from The Cinderella Company to entertain 10 kids at our daughter's party, and she was a huge hit! We were all enchanted by her violin playing and singing. My daughter is 3. We've had many conversations about Princess Aurora's musical ability as well as speculations about where she lives and what she does during the day. My daughter and all of her friends believe that a real princess came to visit. Nicole took great care to make sure the kids didn't see her before her grand entrance, and worked out in detail how we would manage logistics so that she could stay in character the entire time. We appreciate the care she took and her ability to adapt to the situation. Our kids liked the music better than the face painting so Nicole switched from the face painting into music easily and made the party enjoyable for all of us. Thank you!

~ Tracy T, Kenninsgton

Little Mermaid Magic

2009-10-21T08:26:00.000-07:00

This is a very glowing review of our company and one of our performer's Lacey. Way to go, Lacey!

"My daughter is a huge Little Mermaid fan. She tells people that she is going to Mermaid College to be a mermaid when she grows up. So I felt it was only fitting to have Little Mermaid show up for her birthday party.

I spoke to several friends who had Princesses at their their daughter's birthday parties. I looked online too and The Cinderella Company based on friend's recommendations, their professional website, and customer service was the one I selected. After calling the Cinderella Company, the customer service and questions they asked about my daughter, I knew that I had made the right choice.

I was a bit scared that my daughter would pass out or clam up when she met her hero, but the staff reassured me. I also received a call from our performer, Lacey, and I felt better and grew more excited for my daughter to see Little Mermaid.

Little Mermaid did an AMAZING job. She was ontime, she called before she showed up so I could get the kids ready for her arrival. She was great with the kids--totally patient and kind. She also answered all of theose difficult questions perfectly--even when she was being mobbed by all of the kids. My daughter also got a tiara and certificate proclaiming her a princess on her special day.

I would highly recommend The Cinderella Company. Many guests were also very impressed with them and asked for their contact information. Parents emailed me telling me how much their little princesses enjoyed meeting Little Mermaid. They were impressed with the grace and calm of Lacey. If your child loves Little Mermaid, Lacey and The Cinderella Company is the one you want!!"

~ A. Trenchak, Santa Clara

Tinker Fairy

2009-10-15T11:58:00.000-07:00

We so love it when our clients take the time to share their party experiences with us. This is a recent review that came in about our performer Nicole as Tinker Fairy.

"My daughter really wanted Tinker Fairy to come to her birthday party, and that is exactly what she got! I really enjoyed how flexible Nicole was with the needs of the children. She adapted her planned activities to fit what the kids wanted at the time. She really helped make our daughter's party an experience that she and the rest of the guests will always remember."

"We had so many comments throughout the party from our guests asking questions about Tinker Fairy. Everyone thought she was great, and was surprised by the quality of her appearance. We were told by a guest that we "set the bar for birthday parties" and we know that has a lot to do with the help of Nicole. Thank you so much!"

~ C. McTiernan, El Cerrito

Wonderfully Wicked!

2009-09-21T10:08:00.000-07:00

Are people born wicked, or do they have wickedness thrust upon them? This is the main question in the musical, Wicked. As Jennifer and I get ready to launch our new Glinda character next month, we went to see the musical yesterday. The San Francisco production is playing at the Orpehum theatre at Market and 8th Street. The show is fabulous and is a definite must see. Kendra Kassenbaum and Teal Wicks are amazing as the leads of Galinda and Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West. The musical has been adapted to the stage fromGregory Magquire's 1995 novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. It tells the untold story of the witches of Oz: How one came to be known as good and the other wicked. It also provides some interesting insight into the characters of the Cowardly Lion, Tin Man, Scarecrow, and of course the ruby slippers! We loved everything about this show and cannot wait to take our families back to see.

Way to Go Maaika!!!

2009-09-15T08:46:00.000-07:00

Jennifer and I just love hearing feedback about our performers. As of late, the characters of Princess Beauty and Snow White have been quite popular and our performer Maaika, has been earning some pretty high marks with our clients. These are two of her reviews from this past weekend's parties.

"The girls had such a great time! My friend had made a slideshow of the party for me, and I can see that all of the the girls were in awe of Snow White. Maaika did a great job in keeping the girls interested the whole time!" ~Lynn D.

"The Belle presence made our party very special and Ms. Maaika did a wonderful job with the children! All of the kids, and of course we adults, enjoyed the show--especially the face painting and storytime. My daughter also loved taking photos with her! ~ Mohan S

Miss Havisham

2009-08-27T17:29:00.001-07:00

Halloween is one of our favorite holidays at The Cinderella Company, so you can only imagine how excited we were when asked to provide a Miss Havisham character for an upcoming party. Since we do not offer older characters, we have been asked to provide a younger bride.

Miss Havisham is a main character in Charles Dicken's novel, Great Expectations. She is a wealthy spinster, who lives in her ruined mansion with her adopted daughter, Estella. She herself is described as looking like the "witch" of the place.

Magical Performance

2009-08-07T09:37:00.000-07:00

As Event Planners, Jennifer and I love having the opportunity of working with our performers on a regular basis. We feel it is extremely important to see them in action weaving their tales and interacting with the children. So every now and then if we are not hosting a party, we still check up on everyone. Here is a picture of our Candytuft faerie making a magical exit from one of her parties recently.

Princess Camp

2009-08-03T19:26:00.000-07:00

A few weeks back we were asked by the Sonoma Academy of Dance and Art, if we could send a few princess performers for their Princess Camp week. Both Jocelyn and Teague were available, and had great fun leading the children in dance, storytime, magic and more. Please visit their website to view the pictures.

Harry Potter's Hermoine Granger

2009-07-07T12:40:00.000-07:00

With the new Harry Potter movie scheduled to open next week, we've recently received a number of character requests, which has led us to add Hermoine Granger to our list of characters. We are even more thrilled that we have three performers that can portray this role. They are Jocelyn, Teague and Nicole. This theme will include storytelling with fabulous props, magic, and theme related games of course. We can't wait to share more details and photos.

Introducing Jason

2009-06-20T09:30:00.000-07:00

Jason is our newest cast member to be added to our Cinderella Company family. He hails from the San Jose area and has a long history of acting and modeling within the Bay Area. We are thrilled to have him. He is quite handsome and makes the perfect Prince Charming. His other roles will be that of Pirate, Anniken, and Super Hero.

The Nutcracker Snow Flake Ballet Costume

2009-06-19T10:12:00.000-07:00

The inspiration behind this costume was the beautiful pearl tiara that Caitlin is wearing. Although you cannot see it, the detail is amazing, so we knew that we needed a very special costume to compliment it. The creation of the Nutcracker dress soon followed. It is completely hand made and was flown in overseas from Russia. It is absolutely stunning with its rhinestone and embroided appliques. Imagine one of our beautiful performers hosting your next Ballet themed party.

Behind the Scenes

2009-06-18T03:22:00.000-07:00

Terri, Jennifer & Snow White

This past Sunday we held our second annual Cinderella Company gathering at Meadowood Resort, in St. Helena. This is the second year that we've been fortunate enough to meet at Meadowood with our staff. The day was simply amazing. Every now and then the stars align together and things just work out perfectly and this was the case for us. The weather was perfect, the food delicious, and the setting of course stunning. We all felt like kids who had the keys to Disneyland, as we were granted access to this magical place all day. This year's focus was a photo shoot. We hired Scott Fischbein http://www.readyforyourcloseup.com/ , a San Francisco based photographer. Our shoot lasted over 8 hours! As we slowly sort through all the pictures, they are amazing and we cannot wait to add them to the site.

Fairy tale Brought to Life

2009-06-15T17:55:00.000-07:00

Rachael Weisz as Snow White

For Disney's Year of a Million Dream's campaign, Photographer Annie Liebowitz, used some of Hollywood's most famous celebrities to capture some of our most beloved children's charcters.
These are our favorites. Which one is yours? And which do you think is the most truthful to their character?

Zac Efron & Vanessa Hudgens as Aurora and Prince Phillip

Scarlet Johannson as Cinderella

Julianne Moore and Michael Phelps as Ariel and a merman

Big Hit under the Big Top

2009-06-10T09:44:00.000-07:00

We have been receiving a number of calls for characters to entertain children 3 and under. So when one of Just Imagine's clients in Sausalito called Terri and asked if she would provide a clown for her younger daughter's second birthday, she decided to do it. Since we did not offer that character at the time or had a whole lot of time to plan, we quickly sent an emergency call to our seamstress and the three of us designed a costume together. Here are a couple of pictures from that day.

A Mermaid's Treasure

2009-06-02T17:26:00.000-07:00

Mermaids know many secrets, and they happily share them with their human friends. They love to collect shells of all sizes. They look for those shells with unusual shapes, brilliant colors, and interesting markings. Like the triton, the conch has been used as a trumpet. But mermaids treasure it for its other, more magical power--its ability to capture and hold mermaid whispers.

Mermaids are exceptional singers. A chorus of mermaids singing in harmony is pure magic to the ears. And when their voices are joined in song with those of the humpback whales, the result is music of staggering beauty that is captured in their magical glass of the sea.

At The Cinderella Company, it is our goal to create magic through the art of storytelling.

A Little Faith, Trust and Pixie Dust

2009-05-30T08:35:00.000-07:00

We recently received a call from a woman whose grandaughter was a guest at one of our Tinker Fairy parties, that was hosted by our Performer Jocelyn last month in St. Helena. Her grandaughter had awoken the next day to find a pair of gold children's shoes in their garden. Having never seen them before, she was convinced that Tink had left them there for her. This prompted the grandmother to write a few short notes to her grandaughter on Tink's behalf. We then received a call and asked if we would coordinate a special visit by Tink from Neverland.

In the words of the grandmother, "The joy in Erin's eyes when she saw Tinker Fairy was priceless. I wish you could have been there. It's all she's been talking about. This morning she went to the window three times, just to see if Tink was there. And when she was without fever this morning, she told me it's because Tink is watching over her. Your Performer truly inhibits the Tink spirit in a beautiful and loving way!" Well done, Jocelyn!!!

San Ramon, Party Place Open House

2009-05-29T16:35:00.000-07:00

We were recently contacted by Kathy, the Manager of the Party Place in San Ramon. She and her staff are hosting a "Members Only" Open House for the Iron Horse Mother's Club on Saturday, May 30th from 10 to 4 pm. Up to 500 families are expected to attend. We've been invited to send several Performers for the day, so Brittany and Lisa will be there representing The Cinderella Company. They will be there to meet, greet, and to be photographed of course. Party Place is located at 1021 Market Place in San Ramon ~ (925) 830-1110

Song Bird

2009-04-21T16:10:00.000-07:00

We are so happy to announce another member of our team. Lisa, like Dorothy, comes from the distant land of Kansas. She has been classically trained with a degree in Music Performance from Wichita State University. She has performed on stages across the mid-west, directed musicals and worked with children of all ages in theatre and song and dance. She has studied voice and voice acting for many years and loves to bring characters to life.

We are so happy to have her on board and look forward to hearing our new songbird sing into the hearts of children all over the San Francisco Bay.

Lisa's role with us is Cinderella, Pink Princess, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Enchanted, Alice

An American Girl

2009-04-02T07:49:00.000-07:00

American Girl is a line of dolls, representing 9-10 year old girls who live through important times in American history. The dolls provide a child's perspective of significant events in American history. 14 million American Girl dolls have been sold, and 123 million books have been sold. http://www.americangirl.com/

Let us introduce you to Felicity Merriman from American Girl, played by our lovely Jocelyn. Felicity is a horse-loving colonial girl living in Williamsburg, Virginia who is caught between Patriot and Loyalist family and friends at the onset of the American Revolution in 1774. As a girl growing up during a revolutionary time, Felicity believes the American colonies should be free. Others think a king who lives far away is most fit to rule. Even Felicity’s grandfather and her best friend, Elizabeth. Feeling torn, Felicity must find a way to hold both love and loyalty in her heart.

Felicity will appear at your child’s party in her floor length colonial ball gown. She will fill up the delightful afternoon with lessons on social and tea etiquette, tell a story about her life during the revolutionary time and share some period pieces from 1774. She will also teach the girls colonial social dancing and show them the games played during the revolutionary time. This party is recommended for girls 7 years and up.

2008-12-16T15:44:00.000-08:00

The Cinderella Company was crafted with lots of experience and a labor of love. We are two mom's who owns two different children's party planning companies and have had our fair share of "experience" with the entertainment industry. So, we came together and created The Cinderella Company, which services the entire San Francisco Bay Area, East Bay and Marin. We opened our doors in May of 2008 and have enjoyed it tremendously.

We are working hard to to set ourselves from the industry by not becoming a "one party fits all" organization. We strive to deliver children's entertainment of the highest quality and exceptional customer service.

We offer a variety of professionally trained performers who bring beloved Princesses, Jedi's, Pirates, Fairies, Mermaids and Classic Characters to life in the most magical and memorable way.

Each entertainer is unique, and will appear at your party in an authentic crafted costume. They will surprise your child and their friends with storytelling, fun theme related activities, face painting, balloon twisting, magic and more.

Our goal is to capture every child's imagination and to create memories that will leave a lasting impression on your and your child.

Music To Our Ears

2008-12-16T10:29:00.000-08:00

We are so thrilled to have such talent in our family. Nicole comes to us from Nevada City and now resides at her castle in San Francisco.

She graduated as a Member of the International Thespian Society and is currently majoring in animation and storytelling.

She is an actress, artist, singer/song writer, plays the guitar and violin. She plays the violin, rhythm guitar and background vocals for Adrian Bourgeois, The Coincidence. The entire album has a very mature, post-Beatles pop sound.

When Nicole is not studying or playing in her band, she is playing the role of one of our enchanted faries, mermaid and classic princess characters.

She would love to show of her talent and sing and play the violin or guitar for your child and guests.

The History of Cinderella

2008-12-01T09:00:00.000-08:00

Article and illustrations from Surlalune Fairytales

Cinderella is one of the most recognized stories around the world. The themes from the story appear in the folklore of many cultures. Many versions of the tale exist, with numbers ranging from 340 to over 1,500. The tale has its own Aarne Thompson classification which is 510A. The tale always centers around a kind, but persecuted heroine who suffers at the hands of her step-family after the death of her mother. Her father is either absent or neglectful, depending on the version. The heroine has a magical guardian who helps her triumph over her persecuters and receive her fondest wish by the end of the tale. The guardian is sometimes a representative of the heroine's dead mother. Most of the tales include an epiphany sparked by an article of clothing (usually a shoe) that causes the heroine to be recognized for her true worth.

The earliest recorded version of the tale comes from China. It was written down by Tuan Ch'eng-shih in the middle of the ninth century A.D. (850-60 Common Era). The tone of the story implies that its readers and listeners were already well-acquainted with the story by the time it was written down. The heroine of the Chinese tale is Yeh-shen. There is no fairy godmother in this earliest known version. A magical fish is Yeh-shen's helper instead. However, a golden shoe is used to identify Yeh-shen to the prince who wants to marry her.

Although a reference to the story exists in 16th century German literature, the next written version of the story comes from Charles Perrault in his Contes de ma Mere L'Oye in 1697. From this version, we received the fairy godmother, the pumpkin carriage, the animal servants, and the glass slippers. Perrault recorded the story that was told to him by storytellers while adding these touches for literary effect. Some scholars think Perrault confused "vair" (French for "ermine or fur") with "verre" (French for "glass") to account for Cinderella's admittedly uncomfortable footwear. This theory has been widely discredited now. Most scholars believe Perrault intended glass slippers as Cinderella's footwear. Perrault's version has a more humane ending than many versions of the tale with Cinderella finding husbands for her sisters. The sisters are left poor, blind, maimed, or even dead in many versions of the tale.

The Grimm Brothers' German version, known as Aschenputtel, or Ash Girl, does not have a fairy godmother. The heroine plants a tree on her mother's grave from which all of the magical help appears in the form of a white dove and gifts. At the end, the stepsisters' eyes are pecked by birds from the tree to punish them for their cruelty. Perrault's version is considerably more forgiving than this version.

In modern times, the tale of Cinderella has inspired countless picture books, musicals, novels, and dreams of little girls.

Cinderella: Some versions of the tale explain that Cinderella's true name is Ella to account for the nickname. Gail Carson Levine uses Ella in her novel, Ella Enchanted (1997) and Drew Barrymore is Danielle in Ever After (1998). Cinder comes from her working in the Cinder. Hence: Cinder-ella