Ever see those sports team or restaurant mascots and wonder what kind of people are hiding behind the mask? If you ever visit the Chick-fil-a near Oak Park Mall, chances are that it is someone you know.

For the past three months, several West students have been working as the oversized, lovable Chick-fil-a Cow that was made famous by their “eat mor chikin” commercials. Jacob Schnackenberg, senior, and Whitney Crow, senior, are two of these students.

“It’s fun because you can act goofy without anyone knowing who you actually are,” Crow said.

The students, who work anywhere from once a month to once a week, are inside the cow costume for four hours at a time. The outfit, which is large and covered in thick fur, can be uncomfortable and burdensome.

“I hate when the sweat is rolling down or face or you have an itch, and there is nothing you can do,” Schnackenberg said.

“My least favorite part is its hard to walk around without running into stuff and i feel like a clutz,” Crow said.

Despite the discomfort that can come with being the cow, the students still find plenty about the job to love.

“I like being in the cow costume because its easy to make little kids happy,” Crow said.

Most often, the students work at a Chick-fil-a store, however, from time to time there are special promotions and engagements at schools, churches, the mall, or even Arrowhead Stadium. A normal shift inside the costume incorporates a lot of dancing, waving, and hugging.

“We get our outfit ready, then make our rounds to all the tables and and then we go outside and encourage passerby to come in by dancing and waving,” Schnackenberg said.

Inside the outfit, the main goal is to make the customers happy, draw them in from the outside and make them want to come back again.

“It’s weird because I feel like I’m living a double life. When I have the cow costume on, the kids love me, but the second it comes off, I am worthless,” Crow said.