I’ve always hated clowns. Not necessarily the people who portray clowns (if that’s the right verb) but, you know, the clown, uh, persona. So, I feel vindicated by the following.
LONDON (Reuters) - Bad news for Coco and Blinko – children don’t like clowns and even older kids are scared of them.
The news that will no doubt have clowns shedding tears was revealed in a poll of youngsters by researchers from the University of Sheffield who were examining how to improve the decor of hospital children’s wards.
The study, reported in the Nursing Standard magazine, found all the 250 patients aged between four and 16 they quizzed disliked the use of clowns, with even the older ones finding them scary.
“As adults we make assumptions about what works for children,” said Penny Curtis, a senior lecturer in research at the university.
“We found that clowns are universally disliked by children. Some found them quite frightening and unknowable.”
I only ever found clowns entertaining from a distance, as in a big-top setting, where they’d be riding the tiny trikes and doing other clown-type pranks. Way over there —>
Up close they are always weird, if not downright scary. I’m sure that’s why they’ve been the bad guys in so many horror movies. If I was a kid, sick in the hospital, I’m pretty sure a clown up close would be just as reassuring as the doctor saying “This won’t hurt a bit.”
To me, it seems there is a large component of socially sanctioned assault going on with the clown thing. They get into your personal space and touch you without permission. They also do mean things, like playing jokes, taking things from you, and tricking you. Or squirting you with water or popping balloons to make loud, scary noises. This is always done in public–the whole point of it being to make you the butt of the joke.
I think there is a problem with clown faces, too. There is something fundamentally dishonest about clown faces. They are designed to obscure what is underneath, so that you can never tell what the clown is thinking or feeling.
Nobody likes being unable to figure out what emotion is going on to begin with, and then the creep assaults you.
Seems clear enough to me. Might as well just put up pictures of the bogey man. Brrrr!
Raised 3 kids and spent 25 years working with children for a living. Never met a child who loves clowns. I’d say that children fall into two basic groups: (1) those that hate or fear clowns and (2) those that tolerate them for short intervals, maybe find them silly and annoying. Some adults seem to like them and many adults are convinced that children love them.
I grew up near Little Rock, Arkansas and one of the local channels had a Bozo franchise. I remember being a little kid and seeing Bozo on TV for the first time and thinking, hey, what the hell is this? Or the child equivalent of that.
Mimes and clowns are basically the same animal, but I was never, even as a small child, creeped out by clowns the way I am by mimes. The missionary mimes, I think maybe they mean well, but shudder.
Many years ago, when I picked up my wife from work, I said to her, “Dear, you will never guess who I heard on the radio today.” She replied, “Marcel Marceaux?” I said, “Yes.”
Not crazy about clowns. Ketida expressed my feelings. They were mildly entertaining running around waaaay down there in those far far away 3 rings, on trikes and whatnot.
I like good mimes. I very much liked Marcel Marceau. Saw him perform in Washington when I was in high school. A real master. He was, he said, inspired to become a mime by his interest in Charlie Chaplin who was, in fact, basically a mime minus the classic mime makeup.
Back in the late 1990’s there was a Christian punk/rockabilly band called This Train. They have a song that became a favorite of mine.
Mark Robertson, who wrote the song, came up with the idea this way: "I was talking with someone about the scripture, “Whatever you do unto the least of these, you do unto me.” I was asked “Who are the least of these?” “MIMES!!!”
MIMES OF THE OLD WESTThey’d throw imaginary ropes around imaginary cattle
No one was amused
They’d get themselves all trapped inside invisible boxes
At best they seemed confused
Yeah but you’ve got to respect them
Sure they were weird
These were the true pioneers
(Chorus)
No one had it harder
These boys passed the test
No one got beat up more often
Than the mimes of the old west
Well people these days they feel so sorry for themselves
They think they’ve got it hard
Try walking through Dodge City in the 1800’s
Dressed in a unitard
And though the odds were against them
They would prevail
They knew they just couldn’t fail
(Chorus)
No one had it harder
Rightfully so I guess
No one got beat up more often
Than the mimes of the old west
They stood there blind to the hatred
On with the show
They paved the way for the great Marcel Marceau
I never liked or disliked them- except this one- and I did like to watch Emmit Kelly Jr. on tv when I was a kid. My grandmother had a doll like this one- it use to have the hat too- and now I have it in my bedroom.
