The North Pole Postal Service Has a Reindeer Problem. They Need Your Children's Help.
Jingle Bells — Nena the Reindeer, Pickle the Elf & the Trainee Postperson | Animatronic Christmas Walkabout Street Theatre for Hire
The Act
From across the tundra, accompanied by music, festive energy and the faint smell of brandy on Pickle's breath, comes the North Pole Postal Service.
Pickle is the eldest elf on the register. He has been delivering Christmas since before most of your audience's grandparents were born. He knows the routes. He knows the lists. He knows exactly how many mince pies constitute a reasonable professional perk and he is, if pressed, prepared to defend that number in writing.
The problem is Nena.
Nena is a young reindeer — beautiful, curious, animatronic and absolutely not yet trained to trust children. This is where your audience comes in. Pickle and his newly appointed trainee postperson need volunteers — young, brave, patient volunteers — to step forward and help earn Nena's trust, one careful interaction at a time. Are you on the list of those who have been good? There is only one way to find out.
The result is a warm, musical, fully interactive Christmas walkabout with a story engine at its heart — an act that doesn't just parade a reindeer past your audience, but gives every child a role to play and a reason to step forward. By the time Nena has been won over, every volunteer has become a hero of Christmas. Every parent has a photograph. And Pickle has, against all reasonable expectation, kept it together.
He's tried to keep it together, anyway.
The Characters
Nena is a fully animatronic young reindeer — built and performed to the same extraordinary professional standard that runs through every Creature Encounter act. She moves, she breathes, she reacts to her audience, and she makes absolutely clear that trust must be earned. It always is.
Pickle is the most experienced elf in the postal service and the greatest comic character in any room he has ever entered. Ancient, irreverent, warm-hearted and in complete command of the situation — mostly. His relationship with the brandy supply is an ongoing administrative matter.
The Trainee Postperson is new. They are doing their best. They are, frankly, delighted to have the children's help.
The Sami Heritage
The reindeer is the great emblem of the Sami peoples of Lapland and the Arctic Circle — a culture and a people whose relationship with these extraordinary animals has shaped our entire Christmas iconography since Victorian times. The North Pole Postal Service carries that heritage lightly but genuinely, grounding the familiar magic of Christmas in something real, ancient and worth knowing about.
For events with an educational or cultural dimension, the Sami context is available as a layer of the act. For events that simply want the most joyful reindeer walkabout in the business, it is always there quietly underneath.
What People Say
"The act fitted in really well and an extra special thanks for providing a male reindeer handler. The guys were a pleasure to work with and super professional. We hope to work with you all again soon. Sending festive joy from a very grateful and appreciative client."
- Nikki Street, Director, Fools Paradise Ltd
"Creature Encounters is extremely professional, creative and hugely talented. Very reliable, dependable, helpful and personable. Michael and Jamie are two of the nicest people I ever had the pleasure of doing business with. Would highly recommend."
- Diane Norton, Ilford Business Improvement District
Perfect For
Jingle Bells is the outstanding Christmas walkabout act for Santa's Grotto experiences, Lapland and Arctic themed events, Christmas festivals, winter events, shopping centre Christmas activations, civic Christmas celebrations, family festivals, pantomime, children's literary events, storybook and magical lands themes, and any Christmas occasion that wants something warmer, funnier and more genuinely interactive than a standard festive walkabout.
The act works beautifully alongside the Snow Lion and Polar Pip for a full winter event — three completely distinct emotional registers, one unforgettable day.
Booking Information
Performers: 3 (Nena puppeteer + Pickle + Trainee Postperson)
Format: Walkabout — roaming across your event site with music for 3 × 30-min sets per day
Suitable for: Indoor and outdoor events — flat, accessible terrain preferred
Technical requirements: A clean, secure and private changing space within 30 metres of the performance area, plus free parking
Please note: This act dislikes stairs. Pickle's relationship with the brandy supply is being actively managed.
Package opportunity: Book alongside the Snow Lion and/or Polar Pip for full winter event coverage — please enquire for details
Available: UK-wide and internationally
Tech spec: RAMS and PLI available on request
To check availability or discuss your event, use the Enquire button below. Pickle will check the list. He hopes you're on it.
International Excess Baggage
Minimum x 4 Performers required to travel
x 1 flight case @ 84 x 44 x 44cm
30kg
x 3 flight cases @ 100 x 66 x 55cm
32kg + 32kg + 32kg
x 1 Ski Bag @ 155cm long
13kg
Total excess: 139kgs - 5 pieces
Creature Encounters are designers, makers and performers of extraordinary puppet experiences, based in Birmingham. Established in 2004, we have delivered world-class animatronic street theatre across the UK and internationally, including Kuwait, Indonesia, Estonia, Singapore, Monaco, Russia and beyond.