ONE of West Somerset’s best-loved companies, Snazaroo, is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.
The face and body painting firm started as a fancy dress concession in Butlin’s Minehead holiday resort and has expanded to sell its paints world-wide.
Founder Lauren Staton tells the story of Snazaroo’s journey from Minehead sea front stall to global leader in a book ‘A Snazzy Tale’ written on a beach in Thailand as she started a new chapter in her life.
Lauren, who now lives in Spain, founded Snazaroo with her late husband Paul, who then worked for a tour operator.
Today, Lauren is a lifestyle traveller, writer, and ‘health nerd’, deciding to start a blog during Covid and to catch up with friends old and new.
She said: “I believe we are one world that for most of us wants to promote peace and goodwill to each other, wherever you are in the world I wish you well.
“Face painting is a wonderful creative activity which has bought a lot of joy to children, delighted parents, and raised millions of funds for charities all over the world.”
Back in the 80s, Lauren moved from London to rent a house in Minehead, as she ran the Butlin’s concession with Paul visiting at weekends.
Lauren said: “Butlin’s was a lively and enjoyable work environment, and we had just introduced face painting as a new form of children's entertainment, which was a huge hit with guests.
“When I arrived in Minehead, little did I know this small town in the Westcountry would captivate me, feeling like I had found my true home.
“We explored the beautiful coastline and Exmoor, with walks around Dunster and Porlock etched in my memory.”
The Butlin’s shop thrived as face painting gained popularity and Lauren also ran workshops teaching parents how to create ‘fantastic’ face paint designs for their children, while a book ‘Five Minute Faces’ was published to help grow the business.
By 1991, Butlin’s decided to take over all concessions, initially seen as devastating for Snazaroo, but actually ‘a blessing in disguise’.
‘Five Minute Faces’ had by then sold more than three million copies worldwide, and orders for make-up were pouring in.
Lauren said: “Although I felt undervalued by Butlin’s, it was time to move on.
“We found factory premises in Brunel Way and started producing our own face paint.
“It was an incredible journey, and we received support from Government initiatives and the local town council.
“As outsiders from London, we were welcomed and supported by the community in Minehead, and for that, I am eternally grateful.
However, the increasing success of Snazaroo reached a point where it started to overwhelm the family and an outside director was hired to help.
Then, in 1987 tragedy struck when Paul was misdiagnosed and died suddenly.
The company had 134 employees and Lauren said: “We were all stunned and shocked.
“Within seven months, I picked myself up and hired a new managing director, but Snazaroo would never be the same without Paul.”
She eventually sold Snazaroo in 2004 after moving to live in France because Minehead held too many memories.
Lauren said: “Today, I look back with pride at where the new owners have taken Snazaroo.
“The magic is still in the smiles on every child’s face painted as a tiger or butterfly, what might have seemed like a silly idea turned into pure magic.
“And it all happened in Minehead.”
Lauren’s ‘Snazzy tale’ took her just eight hours to write.
“It was all in my head and the words just dripped from my fingertips and made their way onto my computer screen,” she said.
“Writing a memoir is not just about leaving written memories for your children and grandchildren, it can also be about making some sense of your life.
“Understanding why we are like we are.
“Writing ‘A Snazzy Tale’ gave me a sense of freedom.
“There is a true sense of magic, not only in a child’s smile but in the story behind the journey and the destination it creates.”
The full story of Snazaroo’s journey is told in ‘A Snazzy Tale’, by Lauren Staton, which is available on Amazon.