Not a day goes by here in Mexico where I’m at a loss for material to write a blog post (or two). This week was no different. The topic; Paw Patrol Show.
Turns out that Paw Patrol is a fairly new phenomenon here in San Cristobal de las Casas, the state of Chiapas and/or Mexico. So new that the first time I saw anything to do with them here was at Juan Pablos* birthday in early February. When we were at his party, I heard that the show was coming to town. Since it’s Artemis’ favourite characters right now** and Max loves them too, I thought that I’d try to get them tickets to a Paw Patrol show.
Knowing Mexico like I do, I thought that finding out where to buy the tickets would be the tough part. Assuming that tickets were still available and if they weren’t $3,000 dollars. Turns out that I was right, although, it wasn’t as painful as the time in January when we went to the bank to change our address and left 2.5 hours later. I still need to tell you about that.
In the end, we had to go to three different locations (that required us to take out the car), over a two day period and buy tickets without actually knowing the layout of the theatre or where we would be sitting. The good news was that they were only $25USD per person. That’s affordable right? What do I know?
When we bought the tickets, the agent told us that seating was on a first-come, first-served basis so, we should get there early. We figured that we’d arrive at 4pm, an hour early and we would surely beat most if not all of the other attendees. I mean, this is Mexico***.
Turns out that we weren’t the first ones! I couldn’t believe it. However, we were the third ones in line so I wasn’t that far off. And so we waited, and waited and waited some more just to be let into the building. When it was 15 minutes from start time and there were 20 people in line, we were finally let into the lobby, but not our seats. No, they made us wait, with young kids, that love things, especially those that make noise, flash lights and have to do with Paw Patrols in front of the concession stand. Smart.
This time, I was smarter because I told The Kids beforehand that I wasn’t going to buy any toys or things and to prove my point, I didn’t even bring any money. After five minutes the torture ended and we were allowed into the theatre. Since we were third in line, we got to have our pick of seats. We decided to sit in the middle of the fourth row. Absolutely perfect until another family came and sat down in front of us with the Adults getting the best seats in the middle. Nice. Fortunately, The Kids were hardly in their seats and didn’t mind sitting on their knees anyways.
And then we waited and waited and waited. I’m sure by now you’re thinking WHAT TIME IS IT!? Unfortunately, The Kids had worn their watches so they could tell that we were starting late. In fact, at around 5:15pm, everyone started pouring into the theatre. Once everyone found their seats, the guys selling the toys showed up. So everyone (except us) got up from their seats to buy expensive and cheap toys that flashed lights, had laser pointers, whirled around, made tons of noise and even some that blew bubbles and were guaranteed to break before the child got home. Perfect. Fortunately, we were surrounded on both sides (and in front) by adults so we weren’t bothered much.
And then, while people were still buying products on the front of the stage, the curtain rose and the show began. While people continued to buy things from the front of the stage!?
Within minutes, Ryder and his team had us up and dancing, clapping and yelling out answers. The Kids were mesmerized by all the activity and seeing their favourite characters. To say that they had so much fun would be an understatement. After 30 minutes, the curtain dropped for a quick intermission. At least that’s what they said.
What happened was the enter crew came out and everyone got in line again to pay to have their picture taken with the cast. I momentarily felt bad for not bringing any money but The Kids didn’t seem to mind much. Like a well oiled machine, they managed to pass at least 50 families through in a 20 minute period. And then the curtain went down and immediately back up again.
The second part of the show was another 30 minutes of singing, jokes, silliness, clear speaking (especially important when it’s in a foreign language) and a lot of dry ice. Make that a LOT. At times, you couldn’t even see the characters for all the ice. Fortunately, it dissipated before it hit us.
All in all, The Kids had an experience that they’ll remember for a long time. We will definitely go to more shows in the future, either here or in Canada****.
Have You Ever Been to a Paw Patrol or Other Kids Show?
This is What Happens at a Paw Patrol Show in Mexico #travel #pawpatrol @zoojourneys https://t.co/qXGIWIvUJl
— Journeys of The Zoo (@zoojourneys) March 4, 2016
Note: Next time, I’ll bring more food, a blanket (the theatre was really cold) and might even consider sitting in the front row because at one point, the characters came down from the stage and were shaking kids hands.
* Yes, he’s called Juan Pablo and not just Juan. If he was called Juan than he’d be mixed up with his Grandfather, Uncle and two cousins. And if we called him Pablo than he’d be confused with his dad.
** The Kids get to ask for one gift for their birthday and Artemis asked for the Paw Patrol characters. Since we knew what her theme was, everyone got her something Paw Patrol related.
*** Where we live, it’s customary to be 1, 2 or even more hours late for an engagement.
**** The Kids have seen several live kids shows in Canada.
They don’t seem to quick or on time there in Mexico, lol. Glad that the kids enjoyed the show. Our little guy loves Paw Patrol too and had asked for Chase for Christmas. We searched high & low for anything Paw Patrol with no luck. He was disappointed that he didn’t get anything of theirs and we felt horrible!
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Dear Jason,
I could not find ANY Paw Patrol characters being sold in stores that would deliver to Canada. So, I ordered what she wanted from Amazon.com, had them delivered to the USA (Ogdensburg) and then Ed drove the 1.5 hours (round trip) to pick them up. It was better than having to ship the LAST Peppa Pig set (in the world!) that she wanted that was in the UK.
Business opportunity?
Besos Sarah.
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Certainly sounds like a memorable visit to see the show. I thought the tickets were very reasonably priced (I’m still shocked by the prices for Disney On Ice). Lovely photos of the kids too. Seems like Mexicans are really laid back people, time is of no consequence it appears. Loved the story of Juan Pablo’s name. Thanks for sharing, can’t wait to hear about when you went to the bank to change your address and left 2.5 hours later – hope they fed and watered you during that lengthy stay.
Dear Elizabeth,
They are really laid back and that’s one thing that I like about the culture. It’s also one thing that drives me crazy 🙂
As for the bank visit, let’s just say that we were only planning on being there 5 minutes and didn’t have any snacks or water. And no, they don’t provide anything like that.
Besos Sarah.
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My preschool class loves Paw Patrol. Your adventures in Mexico are always so entertaining! Good plan on not having money with you! Juan Pablo could be JP 🙂 Kyle has an exchange student friend from Brazil that they call JF cuz I don’t think they know how to say his name.
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Dear Christy,
Your suggestion of “JP” really made me think and I am unable to come up with one person that I’ve heard go by their initials. Given that they all have AT LEAST 4 names that they use to introduce themselves, it would be a good idea.
When in doubt, tell Kyle to call his friend “Amigo” or in Mexico, they use the term “Gordo” which literally translated means “Fat” but it’s a term of endearment.
Besos Sarah.
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LOL maybe but I’m pretty sure they speak Portuguese and it might mean something really mean!
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At least it was fun!
I love seeing all your faces! (((HUGS)))
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Dear Freda,
They had such a great time! I’m glad to hear that you like seeing our faces because otherwise, I wouldn’t be sharing pictures of myself.
Besos Sarah.
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My son LOVES Paw Patrol! We will have to check out a show over here!
Dear Amanda,
I’d love to see a Paw Patrol show in Canada to see how it compares. Please let me know if you find one. I’d be willing to drive pretty far to go to one.
Besos Sarah.
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Quite honestly I don’t know anything about Snow Patrol or the popularity of it. I guess since I’m not a kid nor have kids of my own I’m completely out of the loop. LOL But personally I think $25 USD per ticket is very reasonable, especially for a live show. Looks like you guys had a lot of fun after all the effort to get tickets!
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Dear Kayla,
Having kids definitely educates you about Paw Patrols. Don’t worry though, you’re not missing anything 😉 I figured that $25USD was a good price but I’m out of touch. We had a great time and over two weeks later and it’s all they can talk about still. Definitely worth the money.
Besos Sarah.
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Sounds like it was a very enjoyable show at a reasonable cost.
Dear Loriag,
The Kids are still taking about the show! Well worth the money.
Besos Sarah.
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How fun! we have never been to a Paw Patrol show…my oldest just started getting into Paw Patrol but we have been to The Wiggles. That ended up being a pretty good show and we had lots of fun. they even had some adult humor in there for the parents. My oldest is autistic and we were worried about how she would react to it all. She fell asleep waiting for the show to start but as soon as it started eyes popped open. She seemed to really enjoy herself up until the last 5-10mins. thankfully those shows don’t go for too long. It was the most perfect length
Dear Kristen,
So happy to hear that there are live performances that your oldest enjoys as I know that they can have many triggers.
We saw a Toopy and Binoo show and it was lots of fun too.
Besos Sarah.
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My grandkids LOVE Paw Patrol! When the young ones visit, we hear ‘Chase is on the case,’ etc.
When my kids were young, we went to Bozo’s circus! They had a blast, but were a little disappointed that they weren’t picked for the Grand Prize game. This was a great memory!
Dear Sue,
It’s been over a year since we went to the Paw Patrols event and my kids still talk about it! What they say about “experiences” over “things” really is true.
Besos Sarah.
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I’ve never been to a Paw Patrol show, but they had a free Dora show at our local mall last year! My daughter — who adores Dora — was in heaven!
Dear KD,
If it’s live, my kids love it! Here’s hoping we get as lucky.
Besos Sarah.
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