Don't Have A Costume But Still Want to Help?

[Reela]

Simply put, wranglers are the people who help those who are in full costume during events. They are some of the most important and loved people in our organization.

Most of our members (about 90%) started out as wranglers. It is the perfect way to get started. You get the chance to participate in the events. You learn how the costumes work and are built. You may get a better understanding of which costume you would prefer to have.

You do not need any special gear or spend any money to be a wrangler. If you would like to help out and be a wrangler simply sign up under the Future Events section, come out to the event and we will be glad to show you the ropes.

(Wranglers are sometimes called Handlers.)

[Reela]

The 501st Legion Survival Guide provides a more detailed description of what a Wangler (AKA Handler) does.

The handler or Imperial Support Staff is a vital part of any successful troop. You are the eyes and ears of your fellow troopers. It is your job to keep everyone safe, on time and damage free. You will likely be asked questions about the Legion and be asked to take photos of people with the troopers.

Be the eyes and ears of the armored troopers:
Watch out for children that get underfoot easily, so they don’t get stepped on or whacked with a blaster or backpack. Children are a big part of any event, since they love stormtroopers, and are usually a little too overjoyed to see them. (Some adults act the same way too.)
Stop the troopers when someone wants a picture and you have time, if not try to play ambassador and let them know you’re in a hurry to get somewhere.
If the event has specific times and places for things “herd” the troopers to where they need to be when.
Be the time keeper, keep the troop on schedule. Often troopers will need to be somewhere specific at an event. If the troopers need to be somewhere keep an eye on the time, at a reasonable time before they need to be there, politely inform the people around the troops that they need to go and escort the troopers to their new destination. You might want to add some extra time because invariably they will get stopped along the way for “just one more picture”
Remind the troops of breaks and make sure they take them. From time to time, about every half hour or so, check in with your helmeted characters to make sure they are doing OK, this can be a simple as a look and a “thumbs up sign” or discreetly stepping up and asking how they’re doing. If the troops need a break politely let the public know that your trooper needs to go for a few minutes and escort them back to the pre-event staging area / dressing area.
Act as a buffer / body guard for the troop. (Someone always wants to push Vader’s Buttons or try to “steal” a nice E-11 Blaster, hijack a thermal detonator, or stick stickers on the armor.) This is when a handler is really needed. They should step in between the costumer and the child and the costumer should then turn their back and walk away. You don’t want to touch the child if you can avoid it, but you want to become a barrier between them and the costumer.

First Aid Note:
You should only be providing medical care in certain situations.
You are a family member of the afflicted individual and you know what their condition is, and are authorized to assist.
You are a qualified individual, i.e. First Aid/CPR certified.
Some of our members are military corpsmen/women, police officers, or firemen/EMT’s. These folks are qualified to assist.
If you are not a qualified individual, please stay with the injured member and immediately send another bystander for help. Wranglers are not expected to provide first aid.

Street Sweeper / Pack Mule:
Pick up various random pieces of armor that may fall off during the troop.
Carry look after, wallets, watches, cell phones etc.
Purveyor of Water (giver of life)

Act as “official” garrison photographer:
Take lots of trooping shots.
Offer to help take shots for the public. “hey would you like to get in the picture too?”

Dresser:
Help people armor/de-armor if needed.
Carry a fix-it kit.

Garrison Ambassador:
Answer questions on the Garrison / Legion, why we are there, etc so the people in costume can act that character...
Hand out PR stuff like stickers, temporary tattoos, business cards, flyers, etc.


One part of being a handler, beyond all of the standard helping out here and there, is to be mindful of where you are at. When we make an appearance, those in costumes should be up front and center. You want to make sure when your a handler your not “in the shot” when people take photos of video. Group shots for us are different obviously. However, when walking in parades or mingling at events, you want to stay behind those in costumes so you’re not blocking someone’s shot or having someone try and figure out why that trooper is hanging out with someone in civilian attire.

[Reela]

If you have any questions about being a wrangler or participating in events, please ask. That is what we are here for.

Come out, join us and participate in the fun.

[Shanester]

My first "troop" was as a handler and I think it is a good idea for folks to do it it at least once. It gives a good idea of what it takes to troop in costume and how hard handlers work for us.

[Bubonos]

I did it for two years before building a costume and I loved it. I also think memebers should wrangle a bit before jumping in to get an idea of what's going on. Wrangling helped me know how-to troop when i suited up my first time and also gave me an eye what to look out for that you may not always see in costume. We have limited vision and wranglers learn this helping us walk and not step on kids. My 2nd time wrangling i let Dewka smack a kid in the head. I learned from that and haven't got many kids after i got under a bucket.
A good wrangler is just as important as any trooper if not more. They are honestly a huge part of what we do

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