Fantasy & Fantasy Jr. get a BRAND NEW look for the 66th season!
As Fantasy Playhouse Children’s Theater & Academy continues a new chapter in its home on the Boulevard, the organization is celebrating the debut of newly redesigned costumes for its beloved mascots, Fantasy and Fantasy Junior.
The updated costumes were created with care to honor the legacy of the original designs while giving the characters a fresh, modern look for the next generation. Because Fantasy and Fantasy Junior have long been treasured symbols of imagination, welcome, and community, FPCTA approached the redesign as a collaborative, community-focused process.
To begin, FPCTA launched a costume design contest and invited community members to share their ideas. As submissions were reviewed, the team found that many of the strongest ideas pointed back to the original costume: the familiar colors, jester-inspired shape, and playful spirit that audiences have known for decades. Rather than starting from scratch, the final direction became an updated original — a design rooted in tradition while made more flexible, inclusive, and sustainable.
The new costumes preserve signature elements such as the traditional jester horns, curled ribbons, and original color inspiration, while adding refreshed colors, harem-style pants, an adjustable belt, and a more inclusive silhouette designed to fit a variety of body types. Custom-painted Converse sneakers complete the look with a fresh, playful touch.
A custom fabric print was designed for the new pants by longtime FPCTA artist Jessica Alexander-Bradley, whose work as a scenic painter, director, actor, and choreographer has helped shape generations of Fantasy Playhouse productions. All other elements, final costume design, and construction were led by Production Management Costume Sustainability Chair April Schonrock, who brought together community input, legacy details, practical updates, and artistic vision. The costumes were workshopped and refined throughout the run of Descendants before being finalized during the production’s final week.
Audience response has already been enthusiastic. Each time Fantasy and Fantasy Junior appeared during Descendants, their costume reveal was met with applause — a meaningful sign that the community recognized the care and history behind the redesign.
The redesign marks more than a costume update. It represents FPCTA’s new era on the Boulevard and reflects the organization’s continued commitment to creativity, inclusion, sustainability, legacy, and community collaboration.
“These costumes are a nod to our past and a joyful step into our future,” said Stephen Tyler Davis, Artistic Director of FPCTA. “They were created by old Magic Makers and new Magic Makers working together, which is exactly what Fantasy Playhouse is all about.”