I was a fur character at Disney World. Here are 5 things guests should never do to them.

• During my Disney college program, I worked as a fur character at Disney World.

• It can be dangerous to interact with a character in the wrong place.

• It's not fun to interact with kids who don't want to.

When performing as a fur character at Disney World, I was often asked about the mistakes people make.

You might want to avoid these things if you go to the parks again.

It's stressful to be scrambling for autograph books and pens when you're meeting characters

The character attendant, the non-costumed employee who's stationed with each character, will most likely tell you at least five times that you should have all pens and autograph books ready.

People don't seem to understand it.

Having everything ready allows more time for you and your family to interact with the character, which can create a more genuine interaction.

Touching or treating characters like toys is a big no

If you're acting out and interacting with a character that's inappropriate, you could be thrown out of Disney property.

I've seen many interactions with kids and adults where they pull on the tails of animals. A guest pulled a piece of fur off my costume and exposed a part of my neck at a party.

The guest was told not to meet any more characters for the rest of the day.

Don't mess with a performer at the parks if you want to uphold character integrity and keep them safe.

Don't ask characters for a photo or autograph when they're clearly walking somewhere else

At Disney World, it's rare to see a character roaming or not being placed in a specific spot to meet guests. Performers are trying to get somewhere if you see them.

It can become a safety issue for you and the performer if you step in front of them or grab them.

It's a good idea to listen to the park employees when they tell you when and where you can interact with a character.

Purposefully asking questions that the character can't answer isn't fun for anyone

Asking a fur character if it's hot in there can make the interaction awkward and weird.

Disney performers are trained to keep the interaction moving so they don't have to answer questions with the help of their character attendant or photographer.

If you don't know what to say to a character, you can ask them what they've been doing recently.

Don't force your child to meet characters if they're uncomfortable

Performers and park employees know that you have been waiting a long time for a meet and greet.

Please don't force your child to give a high-five or a hug if they are upset, scared, or uncomfortable with the character. You shouldn't traumatize your child by looking for a photo.

It makes the performer uncomfortable when they can see that they are scaring a child. I tried to keep things from getting worse.

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