WHEN we think of kids’ birthday parties, we think of picky bits, paper plates, colourful balloons and maybe a bouncy castle or magician, if we’re lucky.
But for the yummy mummies and uber rich among us (think Boris Johnson and Posh and Becks), children’s annual shindigs include a £495-an-hour entertainer.
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Her name is Amanda Frolich – or as her customers know her, Action Amanda.
The 55-year-old has an impressive roster of celebrity clients, featuring everyone from politicians to reality TV stars.
Just last month, Amanda had former Prime Minister Boris Johnson dressed in an orange dinosaur costume, with wife Carrie similarly donning a green one, at their son Wilf’s fifth birthday party.
In fact, the Johnson family regard her as “the best entertainer out there”.
“Energy is everything,” Amanda said in an interview with The Times.
“Amanda’s Action Club is all about me, the personality and the energy. As a teacher, without that, you will struggle.”
Her party prices start at £495 per hour, but she also hosts 23 classes a week in clubs and nurseries across London priced at £25 per child.
By comparison, the average children’s party costs £524, according to a survey published last week.
Amanda started her career as a leisure centre fitness instructor before pivoting into children’s parties in 2003.
Her business “crashed” for a period in 2013 due to every child wanting Elsa from Frozen at their party, but she is now flourishing again.
She was recently headhunted by one of the wealthiest families in the world but can’t name them publicly. That’s because she often signs confidentiality agreements before her gigs.
Among the names she can reveal are Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt when they lived in London, Peter Andre, Simon Cowell and a host of Made In Chelsea yummy mummies.
Her first celebrity gig took place in 2006, when she performed for the children’s charity of Victoria and David Beckham, ahead of their World Cup gala dinner that evening.
Amanda credits her passion for getting children healthier and making them happy to her upbringing on a council estate in Greenford, west London.
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“Being brought up on an estate there were other children and, back in the day, we were able to play out,” she said. “I was the only girl that used to play with the boys.”
When it comes to kids’ parties, she’s noticed that “parents are spending a lot more” for an Instagram-perfect shindig.
“It saddens me, because the focus now isn’t on the actual entertainer,” she said. “I think we’re going to be in the past soon.
“It seems now it’s how big the balloon decor is, or how colourful the grazing table [of food].
“It’s all very aesthetic. Parents are going for a white bouncy castle etched with their child’s name.”
That being said, she does recognise such occasions can be “so special”.
She added: “Being an entertainer, we do see the most incredible things… extravagance beyond belief.”
“I feel that no one should be judged for that. If you can afford it then… a child’s birthday party is so special.”