A cute first contact

Let's say that you are part of an alien race that has reached Earth, with the intention to make a seaside/island base in there for research/interest/turning it into a space tourism location/whatever. You figure that with the oceans being fairly wide there shouldn't be issues for you to set up a base without getting in the way of anyone.

Of course the main hurdle is making first contact with the locals, humans, which compared to you are a bunch of primitive aggressive buggers that can get borderline insane.
Despite that you really don't want to cause any unnecessary deaths or get too involved with their right to self-govern but at the same time make sure that they wouldn't get in your way.
To further complicate matters with a bit of research, you find out that your race looks extremely cute for their standards. Puppy-cute. Beloved-mascot cute. Which could both be good or bad.

How would you try to approach a first contact under such circumstances, considering you're likely to not be taken seriously as looks?
In turn, how would you as human react if you were approached by an advanced alien specie that looks like something you'd want to own as a plushie?