The Cinderella Company

What The Cinderella Company does

The Cinderella Company, founded in 2008 by Jennifer and former partner Terri, is a privately held character entertainment service provider headquartered in Concord, California, serving Northern and Central California. Its core product is live character visits: professional performers in authentic costumes portray more than 100 characters across Fairytale, Action Heroes, Mythical, Storybook, and Holiday categories, delivering interactive storytelling, magic, games, and themed activities at children's parties, corporate events, and holiday celebrations. The company's underlying capability is human-talent intensive rather than technology-based: performers are recruited from performing arts institutions including the California Institute for the Arts and The Boston Conservatory and undergo paid training in makeup, costume care, character-specific activities, and a mentor program.

The business operates a direct-to-consumer, inquiry-based model with booking via online form, phone (1-855-846-2446), and text. Pricing is hourly unit pricing: $100 for the first hour plus $1 per minute thereafter for character visits, with add-on Artistry Activities (Face Painting, Balloon Twisting, Glitter Tattoos, Bling Bar, Bubble Play) priced at $220-$240 per hour, plus distance-based travel fees. Customer segments span families with children ages 3 and up (primary), corporate clients (Large Scale Events division), holiday event organizers (seasonal Santa Visits), and event planners and venues. Marketing is conducted through organic social (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, YouTube), Yelp reviews, a company blog, and word-of-mouth referrals. The company has no app, no API, and no disclosed integrations or AI capabilities; it is a service-led, labor-driven entertainment business dependent on performer supply in its regional market.

Name

The Cinderella Company

Legal name

Cinderella Company

Website

https://thecinderellacompany.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Cinderella Company is a privately held, Concord, California-based character entertainment service founded in 2008 that books trained performers in costume to portray 100+ characters at children's parties, corporate events, and holiday celebrations across Northern and Central California.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Children's Character Entertainment Services

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Kids Party Entertainment (Clowns, Magicians, Characters) (HSACACAG)

Keywords

• Character entertainment services
• Children's birthday parties
• Corporate event entertainment
• Holiday character visits
• Face painting artistry

Headquarters

HQ city

Concord

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Character Entertainment Services: Hourly-based character performances for parties and events. Base rate is $100 for the first hour plus $1 per minute thereafter for character visits. Services include in-home parties, large events, and holiday character visits.
2. Artistry Activities: Add-on services including face painting ($220/hour for up to 20 faces), balloon twisting ($220/hour for up to 20 designs), glitter tattoos ($220/hour for up to 30 applications), and bling bar ($240/hour for up to 15 applications).
3. Bubble Play Entertainment: Outdoor bubble entertainment services at $220/hour for unlimited guests, including playtime wands, giant bubble solution, and bubble machine.
4. Performer Employment: Company pays performers $100 for the first hour plus $1/minute thereafter. Flat $10 travel rate covers 40 miles round trip. Gratuity is 100% retained by performers.
5. Santa Visit Services: Seasonal Santa character appearances available throughout Northern and Central California during holiday season.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Cinderella Company provides live character entertainment services in which professionally trained performers portray more than 100 characters (fairytale princesses, action heroes, mythical beings, storybook figures, and holiday characters) at children's parties, corporate events, holiday celebrations, and large-scale public events across Northern California. Core services are hourly character visits and add-on artistry activities (face painting, balloon twisting, glitter tattoos, bling bar, bubble play), with seasonal Santa and holiday character appearances handled through a dedicated division.

Product overview

The Cinderella Company operates as a character entertainment service provider offering live performer-based entertainment for children's parties, corporate events, and holiday celebrations in the San Francisco Bay Area. The core product is Character Visits—a live entertainment service where professional performers in authentic costumes portray over 100 different characters including fairytale princesses, superheroes, mythical creatures, storybook figures, and holiday characters. The company also offers Artistry Activities as add-on services including Face Painting, Balloon Twisting, Glitter Tattoos, Bling Bar, and Bubble Play. Event types include In-Home Parties, Large Scale Events, Holiday Parties & Events, and Seasonal Santa Visits. All services are delivered by skilled performers with backgrounds in dance and theater arts, and pricing is primarily hourly-based with travel fees based on distance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Character Visits Live, in-person character entertainment in which trained performers portray fairytale, action hero, mythical, storybook, and holiday characters through interactive storytelling, magic, games, sing-alongs, and themed activities for children's parties and events. Performers can engage up to 20 children per session, with pricing of $100 for the first hour plus $1 per minute thereafter and additional 30-minute blocks at $60.
• Face Painting On-site face painting using FDA-compliant, hypoallergenic face paints with enchanting glitter; artists transform faces, cheeks, or arms into creative designs. Priced at $220 per hour for up to 20 faces, with 30-minute extensions at $60 for up to 10 additional faces.
• Balloon Twisting On-site balloon artistry creating swords, animals, hats, crowns, bracelets, and flowers using high-quality latex balloons made in the USA and Canada (latex-free available on request). Priced at $220 per hour for up to 20 balloon designs, with 30-minute extensions at $60 for up to 10 additional designs.
• Glitter Tattoos Temporary glitter tattoos using FDA-compliant, cosmetic-grade glitter that last 3-5 days and become waterproof once dry. Priced at $220 per hour for up to 30 applications, with 30-minute extensions at $60 for up to 15 additional designs.
• Bling Bar Glitter bar experience featuring gemstones, chunky glitter, and highlighters for guests over 5 years old. Priced at $240 per hour for up to 15 applications, with 30-minute extensions at $70 for up to 7 additional applications.
• Bubble Play Outdoor bubble entertainment including up to 30 playtime wands, homemade giant bubble solution, and a non-electric bubble machine for unlimited guests. Priced at $220 per hour, with a maximum 1-hour session.
• Santa Visits Professional Santa Claus appearances for holiday events in Northern and Central California, including named regional Santas such as Santa Steve (Prunedale), Santa Johnny (Menlo Park), and Santa Jed (Brentwood).
• Large Scale Events Entertainment services for picnics, promotional events, seasonal events, tree lighting ceremonies, team building, trade shows, seminars, and sporting events, featuring character appearances by trained performers.
• Holiday Parties & Events Year-round holiday entertainment from Easter to Christmas and 4th of July to Halloween, featuring meet and greet, interactive storytelling, character-themed magic, photo sessions, and birthday song serenade.
• Fairytale Characters Fairytale and princess characters including Frozen sisters, Cinderella, Belle, Snow White, Ariel, Tiana, Mulan, and Disney villain characters, available for character visits and themed events.
• Action Heroes Characters Superhero, pirate, and Star Wars characters including Spider-Man variants, Jedi characters, Captain Jack, and Amazon characters, available for character visits and themed events.
• Mythical Characters Mythical characters including fairies, unicorns, mermaids, and pixies with glittery costumes and iridescent wings, available for character visits and themed events.
• Storybook Characters Storybook, film, and TV characters including Barbie variants, Toy Story characters, Hogwarts wizards, and trending pop culture characters, available for character visits and themed events.
• Holiday Characters Seasonal holiday characters including Santa Claus, Mrs. Claus, Easter Bunny, and themed characters for Christmas, Halloween, and Easter, available for character visits and themed events.

Quantifiable outcome

• Performers can entertain up to 20 children per session
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Westfield MallminorOthersLarge-scale retail partner for promotional and seasonal events. Cinderella Company provides character entertainment for mall events and activities.
• SF Moms BlogminorOthersCommunity partnership with local parenting blog for visibility and customer referrals within the San Francisco moms community.
• Children's Discovery MuseumminorOthersPartnership with children's museum for educational event entertainment and programming.
• Red Shoe ProductionminorOthersEntertainment production company partnership for collaborative events and productions.
• Oakhurst Country ClubminorOthersPreferred entertainment provider for country club private events and celebrations.
• Make-A-WishminorOthersCharitable partnership providing character entertainment for Make-A-Wish children and events.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Painting with a Twist: Franchise of paint-and-sip studios that also hosts kids' and family painting parties. Comparable as a branded, hosted-activity party business competing for the same group-event occasion.
• Color Me Mine: Franchise of paint-your-own-ceramics studios that host kids' birthday parties and group events. Comparable as a franchise-format kids' party activity business offering a hands-on add-on similar to Cinderella's face-painting and bling-bar services.
• Pump It Up: National franchise of indoor inflatable party venues offering hosted kids' birthday party packages. Comparable as a scale kids' party entertainment operator competing for the same birthday-party customer in the same regional market.
• BounceU: Franchise of indoor inflatable party venues that hosts kids' birthday parties with optional character and entertainment add-ons. Comparable as a branded, multi-location kids' party entertainment business competing for the same family birthday wallet.
• Sky Zone: National franchise of indoor trampoline and active-kids party venues hosting kids' birthday and group events. Comparable as a branded, franchise-format kids' party experience operator competing for the same birthday occasion.

Broad incumbents

• Build-A-Bear Workshop: National experiential retail chain centered on stuffed-animal creation parties for children. Comparable as a scaled, brand-driven kids' experience business with similar occasion-based party demand and a similar soft-goods/character-led value proposition.
• Disney Character Experiences: Disney's licensed character appearance and princess experience business, including Disney Store character events and cruise/parks meet-and-greets. Comparable as the dominant IP holder whose princess and storybook characters Cinderella Company services are derivative of, and the ultimate destination employer for its alumni talent.
• Chuck E. Cheese: National chain of family entertainment centers hosting kids' birthday parties with character-driven entertainment and arcade attractions. Comparable as a scaled kids' birthday party destination competing for the same family occasion and discretionary spend.

Others

• The Bash (formerly GigSalad): Online marketplace for booking local entertainers including party characters, magicians, and clowns. Comparable as the dominant indirect channel where Cinderella Company-style operators compete for visibility and pricing transparency.
• Thumbtack: On-demand services marketplace that lists kids' party entertainers, face painters, and balloon artists alongside Cinderella Company's offerings. Comparable as an alternative customer-acquisition channel that can divert demand away from branded operators.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCMZAJXKxYopkYJPqmw5lkLQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/cinderellaco
• Instagraminstagram.com/thecinderellacompany
• Pinterestpinterest.com/CinderellaCo
• TikToktiktok.com/@cinderellacompany
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cinderella-company

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Cinderella Company