Keep paws visible during photo-ops with humans.
Chat with your handler if you don’t talk in-suit, so that they know how to represent you. And how to represent what you’re doing, e.g. “A group of people with original characters that just want to make people smile and have fun.”
Kids: Parents love to force them into our arms. Do NOT hold a child, there’s just too much risk in dropping them (or anything else of value).
If your suit doesn’t talk but you need to say something to your handler, or if you want to coordinate an improv scenario with other suiters, go in for a hug! Everyone else sees the hug, but you can be covertly communicating.
If kids are scared, it can be helpful to switch into a veeeery outstretched fistbump or high-five, since they can be a lot less intimidating than being forced to hug a huge floofy creature. If they are shy and the parents are forcing them to give a hug, I find acting shy and mimicking them defuses things (hiding behind another furry and peeking out, etc.)
If a dog is getting protective/barking, avoid eye contact: They think you’re staring them down.
Stay hydrated!
SAFETY FIRST! If you don’t feel good, take off your head. I’m all about keeping the magic, but it’s not worth risking your life over. If you do take off your head, try to stay to the periphery and talk to a handler (they can obstruct the view from kids, get you water, guide you to a place to sit down, etc.)