For goodness sake.

Rustopher

We are all aware of the bad reputation clowns receive due to scary clown movies, people dressing in clown costumes to pull mean pranks and the like. We have even covered these topics on our Clown Antics Facebook page about children and adults being afraid of clowns and how to deal with those situations. Now it’s time to turn the focus on why clowns are actually good.

Miles shining shoes

For centuries the clown character has been a staple in live theater and circuses to give comic relief. As a matter of fact the early circus clown troops often were used as a distraction if there were to be an accident with one of the other acts; clowns would rush out and cause a comical ruckus so the emergency situation could be dealt with more discretely. Laughing at a silly clown skit is always good for the soul and can let the worries of the day slip away even if just for a short time. A good clown performance can create a wonderful cherished memory between parents and children; something as simple as Miles shining dad’s shoe before heading into the Big Top has given giggles and smiles to this father and daughter.

Fred

Watching other talents of clowns like stilt walking, acrobatics, juggling or twisting a cool balloon animal puts a sense of awe and wonder into the hearts of children big and small. Above we see the judges pick for our junior Joey contest showing off his juggling skills. Way to go Fred! Fred was inspired to clown because of seeing good clowns in action, displaying their skills in a professional manor.

Tippy twisting.

Beyond the pie in the face, silly skits and other amazing clown arts; many clowns choose to be good in other ways. The hours of donated time to help raise money for foundations like the American Cancer Society, visiting a local Children’s Hospital, performing at a nursing home, raising money for a local food bank and the list goes on. Clowns will put in the hour plus that it takes to get into character, head off to the fundraising event or visit with the sick in the hospital, spreading joy at a nursing home all for free, because in their heart it is the right thing to do. Our friend Tippy is a big clown at 6’3″ and has an even bigger heart as we often find him at an event raising money charity. This photo was taken during National Clown week at an event where the proceeds of the day go to the Karmanos cancer center.

Mimi

Some clowns, like our newest Clown Antics family member Mimi, take themselves way out of most peoples comfort zones and do their clowning abroad. Mimi aka Lee Ann Martin, is currently in Tunisia working her clown magic in a variety of situations and locations that might have some of us running for the hills. Mimi has been sharing her amazing stories of clowning in a Muslim country, her article Don’t be robbed introduces us to a bit of her life. Mimi has even worked in a refugee camp, some of us here in the states have never even worked a summer camp let alone a refugee camp. This is a true calling for LeeAnn as she has taken herself out of the comfort zone to spread cheer, laughter and hope for those who may not have much to smile about at all.

So the next time someone statrts talking about how clonws are lame or they are just for silly kids parties, please share this article with them so that more people can see the Good that clowns really do.