At our event last night, ALL NIGHT, the kids just had to prove we weren't clowns. "You have a wig! That's not your real hair. I can see black." Trying to smash my nose
(which really does hurt if smashed hard enough). Lifting my skirt (thankfully I wear bloomers!!!!) "You're a human dressed as a clown!" A lot of this was from 10-12 year olds. The younger ones don't care.

At another event I was facepainting and had to take my gloves off. A little girl about 7 years old gently took one of my hands in hers and said in a slightly questioning manner, '"You have real hands."' Oops! I told her I just didn't want paint on the gloves.

So...clowns...are we real? I'd like to hear what you think of being real vs non-human. Or however you view yourself and clowns.

"Of course I'm real. You don't see anybody else dressed like a clown around here do you?"
That is my answer.
Being a "Real" clown is something that you become. kind of like the velveteen rabbit became a real rabbit because a child loved him. Older kids are there own animals, some play along, others just want the attention and figure that exposing the human side of a clown will get it for them.
I do think though thata real clown is something you become. Work hard at staying in Character all the time. Sometimes at home I will try to be in character to develop the discipline. A clown is someone who does ordinary things in funny ways, vs a comic who says or does funny things. Think about it, how would a clown-open a jar with a stuck lid, do laundry, use a vaccuum cleaner,cook a meal, etc. I clowned last weekend for our local Polish festival, on my costume I have a large sunflower pinned as a boutonier. It can squirt water but I didn't have it hooked up, when asked if it squiterd I said that it used too but I kept forgetting to pay the water bill so they came and unhooked it.
Here are a few snappy answers.
Of course I have skin. If I didn't my bones would fall on the floor.
Sure, I'm a real clown.(whispered in the ear) Are you a real kid? I always wondered what they look like.
Is that your real name? No it's actually Throckmorton J. Whoop-t-doo, but I like being called Scruffy better.
To the gloves real hands thing. Sure I have real hands. If I had pretend hands I couldn't paint you face, try a balloon for you, show you this magic trick... you didn't think I had chicken feet in these things did you?
On the wig. yea, its a wig I keep scaring myself with my real hair so I bought a wig, Is that a wig you wearing, do you have polka dots on your head under it? Btw, if this is a regular problem with your wig consider wearing a scull cap white or flesh colored under your wig.
Hope this helps,
Scruffy

Scruffy,
Those are great answers! I had a moment when another clown saved my bacon, so to speak. My teeth are kind of dingy and discolored through years of mistreating them. I'm doing better now, but at a church picnic recently, one of the kids kept insisting that I had green teeth. I didn't know what to say, so I ignored him at first. Well, my friend, Giggles, said "Jubilee, did you leave your white teeth at home again?". It was great. I responded in kind by saying that I had forgetten and left them. Oops. It was great and the kid was quiet after that. You have to be ready for anything, and I learned that!
Jubilee

Depends on the situation.

Sometimes I'll say: "I'm actually a doctor. You can tell by the way I dress!"

Or if the kids are about 8 or nine, you can talk about how some kids even think cartoons are real. They'll usually snicker and say, "Yeah, like my little brother" and it will sort of distract from the issue. Arguing with the kids and trying to prove that you are a real clown is a no-win situation. You can probably ask them if they've ever been called a "real clown". It has to be in a friendly tone, never argumentative.

Ask them what a real clown is, someone who makes others laugh? Maybe they are a real clown too? And you can go on and tell them about how you were about their age when you discovered that you were a real clown. that's when your nose started to grow. "See I made you laugh..I must be a real clown"
And it's like that, that's the way it is. At least that's how I choose to handle it.

I'm sure other clowns with even more experience than I will be able to share their words of wisdumb.... :lol:

I had an interesting exchange with a kid this weekend. I was doing a promotional deal for an event next Sunday. It's to promote the arts and children. Anyway, this 6 or 7 year old little boy comes up to me and asks if I'm a real clown and before I could answer, he put his hands on my cheeks and pressed. When he drew his hands back and saw nothing on them, he exclaimed, "You ARE a real clown!". It was priceless. I said, I told you! Grin. Gave him a sticker and made me a friend. Haha.
Jubilee

yes, I am real clown

"That's not your REAL hair!"
Yea, well that's not your REAL father either kid!

Just kidding, to the hair question I say, "It's mine, I have a recept to prove it!"
This is funny to the adults and confuses the kids enough to stop asking questions.
If they ask if I'm a real clown, I ask if they are a real kid. Then I tell them to prove it. All of these things will make them stop and think. If you break their train of thought for just a second, they will move onto something else. If they say that you are not a real clown they are telling you that you don't match the picture in their minds of what a clown is or should look like. By questioning that picture they have to stop and reasses that image. Ask them what they think a clown is. The image in there heads or their defination of a clown is fuzzy at best influnced by what they have seen on tv. Tell them that clowns are people too. It is reasuring to some kids that you are human. If you don't tell them they may think that clowns are some kind of alien or an actual race of creatures. Some kids are asking because they want to feel more comfortable around you and are not trying to be a smartass.
By the age of two or three children have seen people of different colors then themselves. Some are afraid of the diference because they are not used to the idea yet. In their minds they think that person is different then me, will he be nice or not? Let the child make up his or her own mind. With a little experence you will be able to tell which ones are asking to be a smartass and which ones are asking out of concern. Give the smartasses the silly answers but make sure that you try to answer the the ones with real concern as best you can while still staying in character.
Looney Ballooney

Since we have accepted to be it... We really are it... I'm learning that my clown is the deepest inside of my person... Anyone here, who discover his clows, had passed by a process to try to identify his clown and not always this process is fun and happy... Many times, we had passed in many embarrassing situations to discover it...

I'm a new (almost recently born) clown, but I know that anyone here never had the idea "So... Now I'm a clown and I'm ready with anything that I need to do it"... Everybody here has taken his journey... Someones (like me) recently... Other for many years... but continuing to learning about it...

So.... WE ARE REALLY REAL....

Picaburu