Santa among super-heroes in malls
Santa among super-heroes in malls
Dewi Santoso, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Christmas is almost here, and adults and children alike are
expecting wonderful things to happen during the holiday season.
But young visitors at Mal Taman Anggrek in West Jakarta on
Thursday almost certainly did not expect their favorite comic
heroes to show up, inviting them to take photo's together with
long-suffering mothers in tow.
The "Action with Batman" event showcases the superhero Batman
and his trusty sidekick Robin, along with popular sexy action
hero Catwoman.
"The Batman show starts with the superhero climbing down a
rope from the fourth floor all the way down to the ground floor,
where he then performs some action dramatics with Robin and
Catwoman," said the mall's public relations and communications
coordinator Desy Tanumihardjo.
The event -- a cooperation between Mal Taman Anggrek and Metro
department store, and sponsored by Warner Bros. Inc. -- is taking
place from Dec. 14 to Dec. 26.
Apart from the show, there are also teenagers choirs and
photo-ops with Santa Claus to enliven Christmas celebrations at
the mall.
"We had a photo session with Santa Claus on Wednesday and the
kids received gifts, which were actually from their parents but
they were given by Santa," said Desy.
Shopping malls all over the city are celebrating this joyous
season with all kinds of merrysome events.
At nearby Mal Ciputra, also in West Jakarta, the merry season
is being celebrated with a competition called the Christmas Choir
Festival, in which around 20 choir groups from Jakarta and Bogor,
West Java, performed and competed on Dec. 22 to win a Rp 30
million (US$3,250) prize.
Supermal Karawaci in Tangerang does not want to be left behind
in keeping the Christmas spirit alive. The mall is celebrating
Christmas with an event called "Snowing X'mas with Super Powers".
In cooperation with PT Mitra Adiperkasa, the mall has
specially invited various action heroes, such as Power Rangers,
Ninja Storm, Ultraman Cosmos and Masked Rider, from their homes
in Japan for the event.
In Plaza Senayan, Central Jakarta, although there are no
action performances by Batman or any other superheroes wearing
tight pants, Christmas nuances can still be found as the mall is
also celebrating the season with photo-ops with Santa Claus and a
choral performance by the Trio Metussalah group.
Tanti, a visitor to Plaza Senayan, said she came to the mall
to bring her four-year-old daughter Sandra to have a snapshot
with Santa.
"She seems very excited, as you can see. Christmas only comes
once a year and I want my daughter to take a photo with Santa
Claus to introduce her into the spirit of the season," said the
33-year-old housewife.
Another visitor to Plaza Senayan, Hengky, 32, said he went
there to bring his five-year-old son Jonathan because he kept
asking about Santa Claus.
"I'm bringing him here so that he can see for himself what
Santa Claus looks like and experience the thrill on his own,"
said Hengky.