:roll:Do clowns eat in costume???? Several years ago when I was being "taught" clown manners.....it seems to me that I was told to never eat in costume. However, in the ministry I'm involved in, many times it is an all day event and I'm invited to share the noon meal. What do I do?

Hi, Mindy --

I was taught not to eat in costume also, and for the most part I don't.
We usually have a "safe room" where we go to eat or take a break or
drink.

However, I think there are times for exceptions, just like you mention.

Our clown group (Fire Department Sponsored group) worked with some underprivileged kids and were invited to have lunch with them. It was a special time for them, and so we did.

I would never want a clown to be seen smoking or drinking alcohol
while in costume.

Also, here in Texas the summer heat is just plain DANGEROUS. Especially
when in several clothing layers -- my costume includes a large heavy
bunker coat. So, it is important to stay hydrated and there is nothing
wrong with drinking plain bottled water.

I also use one of the bicycling "camelback" packs with a long drinking
tube. It hides well under my big coat and I can take unobtrusive sips
from that tube.

As to lunch - I would avoid anything greasy (Pizza, for example) because
it will take the makeup off your lips. Also, after lunch go back
into a safe room and brush your teeth and touch up your makeup.
Then you should be ready to go again!

Ashes

Also, to help keep from messing up your makeup,
you can drink through a straw.

Welcome to the clown forum!

Ashes

I prefer not to, however as you guys, occasionally the situation warrented it.

Hi Mindy & welcome!

I, as usuall, agree with Ashes. I do not do anything "human" or out of character while in front of an audience. Due to some health issues I have, I do have to eat & can't skip meals. I actually have to eat more when clowning because I am using soooo much energy. I try to have the client supply me with a private break room. During long gig, such as this weekend I am doing a festival for 4 hours. I have worked in a break into the contract and here they have not provided a break room. So I will most likely head out to my car that will be parked in a remote location, crank up the A/C & eat a snack. The same goes even for using the bathroom, I will try to go maybe to the employee bathroom instead of a public one.
I can see where you may be ina situation where eating with your audience may be appropriate and can be puled off well. I guess the kids would feel extra special & it would be kinda like eating with Cinderalla or Mickey Mouse, they would have a memory for years! You could really ham it up while your eating! The most important thing to me i staying in character!

I prefer not to, however as you guys, occasionally the situation warrented it.

P.S. since I'm diabetic, sometimes I have to.

I am a diabetic also.
Generally I try not to eat in costume. I always manage to "Feed" my shirt so, it keeps the dry cleaning to a minimum. :wink:
Drinks, Got to have 'em. At least some water to sip. Character or not. I've got to have some liquid anailible. I just try to sip when I'm not being engaged in something.
The safe room is a great idea. When I do fun fairs I do that. The bathroom, is always a challenge thought. I've generally used one in a class room that isn't being used, fesstivals though, It's hard to deal with sometime.
Mindy, I too was taught that a clown does not eat or drink in public. Often , I get my food at McD's on the way home. Twist a couple of balloons in the drive thru, and ask if Ronald can come out and play 8) Jamz and I were talking about this the other day, and he reccommended going in sometime. I intend to try it, I'll just order it to go. I do often agree with the adage that rules were made to be broken. I don't think it's such an issue to eat in public, as it it to eat like a clown. So Here's a couple ideas...
1. eat dessert first. (This is a given. :wink: )
2. Use a straw to save your make up.
Sit down sometime and observe kids eating. I think it my be the best way to learn to eat like a clown.
Premier Sparkles has the main idea. YOu must at all times remain in Character. I think stepping out of character does more to damage the illusion than eating in public. Drinking Alcohol, smoking, and bad language, I consider those to be Big no no's in costume and makeup. If you wish to partake, It's your business. But in public, it could ruin your career real, real fast. SO I think it best to do your partying out of character.

Welcome aboard, Mindy. I hope we can learn from you. It's alway great to see fresh faces around here.
Scruffy

I've always wanted to go inside in costume/character.

But in these days after 9/11 it isn't such a good idea,
folks think "masked badguy" --

When I was in high school, we used to go to this drive-thru
at a Jack-In-The-Box...

We tried EVERYTHING to get them to laugh, but it never worked.

We backed through the drive-thru
We went through the drive-thru with a friend of mine laying on top of the roof.
We did it in various karate gis and halloween costumes.

Nothing.

I'm sure they were saying "here come those darn fool kids again."

Ashes

like you guy, generally I don't eat in front of a crowd, but there have been times, but I have sat down to eat when I thought it was approp., kinda what ashes mentioned when it was a special group.

this is out of place but my 9 yr old likes to watch "that so Raven"
When she gets frustrated she says "old snap" she learned it from that show. What we say and do will be repeated by the young, make sure it something that's good.

I've always wanted to go inside in costume/character.

But in these days after 9/11 it isn't such a good idea,
folks think "masked badguy" --


Ashes

True, but generally, there are kids in there so if they see you and you're in character everything will likely be all right. Also, most bandits aren't going to look as good as a pro clown. So, I think they would be less suspicious of you than somebody in with a bad face and no real costume.

Just my 2 cents.

McDonalds is one thing, but going into a different kind of establishment
might be a problem.

I do know a clown family that went into the bank together in costume--
Mom, Dad, and at least 2 of the 3 kids in costume...

Anyway, I just know that store managers can be more nervous these
days.

Perhaps I'm just more cautious than I need to be.

Ashes

By the way, Scruffy, I'm not trying to be contentious - you are right
that it would probably be OK. IN fact, it probably would be FUN.

But, I come from a pretty conservative background...

Ashes

dying of thrist after an outdoor B-party, My middle girl works at our new Dunkin donut, went through the drive through, they go so tickle, I got a Med. drink for the size of a small..... :D

I don't usually eat in front of anyone while in costume but I have definitely gone through many a drive thru.

GiGi :)

Mindy, I too was taught that a clown does not eat or drink in public. Often , I get my food at McD's on the way home. Twist a couple of balloons in the drive thru, and ask if Ronald can come out and play 8) Jamz and I were talking about this the other day, and he reccommended going in sometime. I intend to try it, I'll just order it to go. I do often agree with the adage that rules were made to be broken. I don't think it's such an issue to eat in public, as it it to eat like a clown. So Here's a couple ideas...
1. eat dessert first. (This is a given. :wink: )
2. Use a straw to save your make up.
Sit down sometime and observe kids eating. I think it my be the best way to learn to eat like a clown.

I actually sorta did this a couple of weeks ago. I wanted to walk over to McDonald's for breakfast. I happenned to be wearing my bright red sweat pants. So I just grabbed by blue juggling hat, hiked up my pants a bit, and off I went. I even played around with a pair of headphones so I could listen to the radio while walking. No makeup, however. Just looking and acting kinda clownish. Four blocks to Mc Donalds. Breakfast there (including poking my fork through the orange juice cup to drink it and using my straw to imbide a muffin. Some clownish movement while eating. Making playful faces to people who walked by outside the window. On the way home, I chose to goof off a bit more. I would play around with my hat, greeting people I passed. Waving hi to passerby in their cars and busses at stoplights. One kid even knocked on the window of the storeront shop he was in to stop me and wave hi. It was fun!

Wow tim, my guess is you are living in a fairly small sized city or town? I know this is strange, but anytime I wear my red, white, and blue WITHOUT the face paint, people give me a strange stare and cross to the other side of the street. This is even when I display behavior such as what you described. Now, I do the same thing (including walking into a take out, mini-mart, etc) WITH clown make up on, and I get a great response (happy and curious) even when I really don't exude any clown-like antics.

Now I am from big ol' Southern California, and there is less down-home interaction in public, so maybe that is the difference. Curious, if any other clowns have had this type of experience?

RED CLOWN FRED

Wow tim, my guess is you are living in a fairly small sized city or town? I know this is strange, but anytime I wear my red, white, and blue WITHOUT the face paint, people give me a strange stare and cross to the other side of the street. This is even when I display behavior such as what you described. Now, I do the same thing (including walking into a take out, mini-mart, etc) WITH clown make up on, and I get a great response (happy and curious) even when I really don't exude any clown-like antics.

Now I am from big ol' Southern California, and there is less down-home interaction in public, so maybe that is the difference. Curious, if any other clowns have had this type of experience?

RED CLOWN FRED

Chicago, actually. But I would agree that the public interaction in my big city is much greater and something to which people are accostomed to than in a place like So. Cal. You run across strange people everyday, what's one more clown? You just kind of blend in. In fact, one of the things I noticed when out like this was how many people just turn their heads downward or act ambivilent, as if this is no big deal. Well, maybe it isn't to them. Or maybe they have been so trained to "be nice" that they are afriad to honestly recognize the fool for what he is and make the appropriate response, which is to laugh. Everybody else is supposed to be recognized, afterall, as just unique in their own way and not to be criticized by our society. So everything is normalized. It is just that the clown isn't trying to look normal and fit in. He goes about his business like nothing else is the matter, but knows very well that he is out of place and is willing to play that up rather than play pretend and nicey nice like we aren't supposed to even notice. So, in a world of odd people (all of us, ultimately) who we aren't supposed to "offend", the clown points out the contrast of the foolery of this all. And, to the wise, this will be recognizable as something common to all mankind and that it is, therefore, ok to let themselves be drawn in to the playfulness.

Thanks for all your input. Since I wrote, I have had only one occasion where I had to eat. It was a two day event at my church. One day I just found a quiet place and ate a hamburger with the other workers. The next day there was a barbecue lunch and I got a plate and sat with a table where there were several children. Most of the time I'm clowning at nursing homes every week and eating is not an issue.
Mindy the Clown

Maybe they missed that step in my clown education or (more likely) I disagreed with this ideal of clowning. I agree that smoking=stupid in or out of clown and that alchohal whilst clowning is about the dumbest thing you can do. I fail to see where eating while in clown breaks any sort of barrier.

On of the posters said that they tried not to do anything human while in clown. In my opinion that is one of the reasons that people are afraid of clowns. If they view clowns as being unhuman and that is a reason they are afraid then by not doing human things while in clown you are furthering that image.

Now when eating in public it is important to make sure that you stay in character, just as it is important no matter what you do while in clown makeup. I don't necessarily think that it is important to act goofy while eating but sitting down in you clown makeup and reading the new york times while eating you lunch when you charactor is a little kid wouldn't make since. Same goes for a tramp who orders a happy meal and sits on the playground.

As another poster stated she makes sure that she gets a break every X hours in her contract. I think this is a great idea and anyone who doesn't give themselves a break is crazy. As part of booking a party or event that is longer then four hours just let it be known that I take a 15 minute break every four hours. This lets them know as well as covers me when I am taking that break.

I have found, as many poster have, that going to a restaurant in clown is a great way to spread the word about yourself. I would say rather then say that clowns shouldn't eat in clown or shouldn't do this that or the other while in clown, it should be said that as a clown you are responsible to carry yourself with dignity and to be cognizant of your actions and how they speak to the public of clowns in general.

Sorry, lost control for a moment, I am off of the box now, going to get back to work.

At our local Shrine circus, a special area is provided for the clowns to eat / drink and even a bathroom to ensure they are in their own space and don't have kids around.

I recently had occasion to have lunch with sassy (Out of character) While I was in Character. It was at a Steak and shake. it went smoothly. Essentially, I acted like I was in a "fine" restaurant. "Gee, this is a fancy place lady, There's no gum under the tables..."When seated, I asked the waitress If I could see the wine list, and when they served the cheese course. I made contact with all of the kids, and played peak a boo with a couple of small ones from my table. There was a kid across from us and with my extendable fork, I pretended to make a play for the pineapple on his cottage cheese.
I also recieve a compliment from the manager, and a customer said I was an excellent clown and that she was an "expert".

Her son is a Ringling clown. Not, that that alone would make someone an expert, but, I guess I did a pretty good job of eating like a clown. Especially since I was eating with a person.

Scruffy, The lady whose son is a Ringling clown, did you continue to talk with her? Was she a local? I was running through the clowns that I know of and was wondering if there is someone with a local connection that I was not aware of. There is certainly a lot out there I don't know. But if so then after he leaves Ringling he might like to teach some of those hard earned skills...

Dan,
Yes, I turned the lamp of the third degree on her. Her son was a clown, became a flyer, hurt himself, returned to clowning and now works as a suit. He still lives in Florida and they were passing through from Detroit. I didn't get his name.
Sorry

Thank you, thank you. All information is good information. Now if he lived in Sturgis or there 'bouts...

Now if he lived in Sturgis or there 'bouts...

... I'd be sleeping on his doorstep.

I've always wanted to go inside in costume/character.

But in these days after 9/11 it isn't such a good idea,
folks think "masked badguy" --

When I was in high school, we used to go to this drive-thru
at a Jack-In-The-Box...

We tried EVERYTHING to get them to laugh, but it never worked.

We backed through the drive-thru
We went through the drive-thru with a friend of mine laying on top of the roof.
We did it in various karate gis and halloween costumes.

Nothing.

I'm sure they were saying "here come those darn fool kids again."

Ashes
This reminds me of a time I was out eating at a Burger King with my family(out of charactor), and a man dressed with spooky kid/scary clown face make up came in. Towards the end of our meal he went to use the rest room. My mother said to me, "don't even think about using the restroom. we'll all go at Wal-Mart." She didn't want me alone with such a charactor. I told her that I wasn't planning on it anyway. That made up guy was so scary looking that even a clown like I was afraid of him.:shock: So you might want to wait to use the restroom until after you leave the resturant. Some parents might be afraid to have there kids around you, by themselves anyway. They shouldn't feel afraid of us. But with John Wayne Gacyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wayne_Gacy having been a clown, some may still be suspicious of us. Of course if you have to stop to eat, and or use the facilities, by all means do so. I've just read that one should get out of charactor as soon as possible, following a performance. Because if you were to do someone embarrassing, and or offensive while in your costume, it will reflect poorly on you as a clown. So try to make sure to have good table manners. And also try not to burp or pass gas while you are there. But once when I was at Bob Evan's in the Detroit area, I saw a couple of clowns there, and no one was bothered by them. Only those clowns were normal looking, for clowns anyway, not scary looking. It's just that parents, like mine anyway, tend to think that whitefaced "goths" are freaky looking. And so they distrust them.

Some of the first "rules" I learned in theatre were to never let the audience see you in costume, unless you're onstage performing. That way something you say or do won't reflect poorly on your character, co-stars, or show.
Second, was never eat in costume! What an easy way to ruin a good costume FAST!

So I stick to those two rules. They seem like good ones to follow.

If the function is not too long, I eat before and/or pick up something after.

But, I'm diabetic. If the job is 4 or more hours, I do need to eat at some point. I try to keep bitesize snacks handy so I can take a few bites without being too obvious. Which is worse: eating or having a low-sugar reaction? I don't know what would happen with a seriously low drop in blood sugar but I've let it get low enough to cause my hands to shake uncontrollably. Never again!

I have a 6 hour job coming up. I will eat before and plan a snack for breaktime. If I can't take a break, I'll discretely munch while I work.

Stitches, would hard candies (like Creme Savers, Jolly Ranchers, etc...) work? Those are pretty discreet...

I don't see why a clown should not eat and drink. I even have a eating and drinking act. This way I can eat, drink and work at the same time. I'm also a smoker and I don't mind a bear but never, never while in clown!

Recently I performed at a local hometown fair, the area was one that I use to be a school bus driver in. a couple of my old riders and their mother asked if Bable and I would join them for lunch and visit. We did join them and by staying in Character we had a great time. everyone knows that real people need to eat and those kids in that resteraunt now know that clowns are real. the trick is to know what you can eat without ruining your make-up and/ or costume. and still be your character.
in my humble opinion.

When i gig my gig as Hobo Bob at the sams club while everyone was eatting i went & got a plate my self. I was sitting there in clown Cutting corn off the cob so i could eat it with out messing up my grease paint & made sure my food was cut so not to touch my lips. While i was doing so i was thinking "What are these people thinking seeing me cut corn off the cob to eat it but no one said anything so i guess it was fine

I'm a volunteer clown with a group that clowns for non-profit organizations. Our group, Gentle Jesters at www.gentlejesters.org , eats out as a clown group all the time. Typically, we clown at an event and then we all head for a restaurant to eat together. You wouldn't believe the smiles we get when 8-12 clowns walk into a restaurant. Everyone wants to know if there is a clown convention going on. People are curious and want to know all about our group. They ask us to pose for pictures, sing for someone's birthday, etc. One time an older couple was so pleased with what we do for the community they picked up our tab (without telling us) and left. Imagine our surprise when we all went to pay. Also, restaurant workers, as well as the guests, always welcome us and ask us to come back ... and we do frequently. We've never been turned away. If I was clowning as a 'job' I would definitely bring cards because we are asked over and over if we would do birthday parties, etc. In fact, this has also been another way that we've made new contacts to clown for other non-profit organizations.

As far as eating at the event, we rarely do that. Periodically, we'll have an all day event (like Burn Camp) and we'll sit and eat with the kids and we all enjoy it.

Blossom the Clown

My wife & I had a gig one time & went into a resturant afterwards, about 8:00, because she is a diabetic and I was really hungry too, so we went into a local resturant to grab a bite to eat. When you walk thru the door we get a lot of chuckles & we tell them "GEE, clowns have to eat too". There was a little girl there that started to get distressed and said she was afraid. Of course I had balloons & made her a flower. She right away took a liking to the balloon, the parents were happy, asked for a card, and we got a nice booking out of it. I guess you have to take all the factors into consideration if this happens. As a general rule, it's do the job & get home and clean up. But gee, sometimes its hard to go straight home when your really having a good time.....

I try not to eat, but like many above this post - there are exceptions that can't be circumvented. Birthday Parties and such are no problem - as they are generally only a couple of hours.

Corporate events, Grand Openings, Promotions, and the like are a different story - I did a community Halloween Party that was around 8 hours of non-stop balloon twisting. My fiance' fed me some jalapeno poppers (bite size) and would hold my drink up to where I could reach the straw. I'm sure it looked unprofessional, but what else can you do when there are 450+ kids coming through your line?

Same with stilt gigs - sometimes I'm stiltwalking all day. I try to hide a camelpack on me somewhere - but I often need food. I try to hide food stuffs on my person and sneak them in when I can; but other times I may only get 10-15 minute pauses in action - and during those I just want to find a place to set down and give my feet and knees a rest - so I rarely get a meal in then, and opt to eat on high later in the day.

Personal parties, it's easy to go without a bite - I find it impossible to do for block parties, street festivals, and the larger and longer business events. I'm open for suggestions though ;)

Well, I suppose when your stilt walking it's easier to hide your cup. It would be out of most peoples line of sight!

Would that be a "tall drink of water?"

Ashes