Intesting thread.
From my experience more people CLAIM to be afraid of clowns than really are -- it is a trendy thing to say and really no different than the 'mime hate' so many express. That aside, there are quite a few who dislike us, find us a bit creepy, and all too often the blame lies solidly with us as clowns. There are some embarassingly bad clowns out there, with dirty costumes, poor makeup, you name it.
The other day a friend paid me the best compliment she has ever given me when she told me about how she met a group of clowns at her son's school, and until then she never appreciated just how much work I have to put into it. And yes, I am patting myself on the back there, but there is also a point. Most people will only get an opportunity to meet a handful of clowns in their entire life, literally. The next clown they see will probably will be their last for quite a long time. I point this out to say that WE are the representatives of our profession and art.
As for how to not scare kids or adults... let me start by telling you how TO scare them:
1. Be Big
2. Be Fast
3. Be Loud
Run up, screaching and flapping your arms like a polka-dotted bat, let out a hideous death laugh, and then blast em with an airhorn. That's how you scare em. It is also how some clowns try to entertain them and, no surprise, they leave a lot of tears in their wake.
So if you don't want this do the opposite.
Get LOW, down to their level (see my avatar above), move slowly, talk quietly, and allow them to determine the level and time of contact. If they are nervous respect that. I meet close to a thousand smaller kids a year, and by using the basics I mentioned above I can honestly say that there have only been a handful of kids TOTAL who never warmed up to me, but the overwhelming majority do.
Sorry if this rambled on a bit.
