Clown Names

[Nettie Belle]

I hear all these clown names and I'm just curious as to they all came about. My name (Nettie Belle) was just a takeoff of what my dad and mom used to call me when I was little. With my real name being "Lynette", Nettie was a cutesy name and my friend and husband added the "Belle" to my name ... and there you have it ... NETTIE BELLE. It has a nice "RING" to it, don't you think?

One thing you all may not know, is that I have another character that I do quite a bit ... an auguste clown by the name of "Blondie". The name "Blondie" came about ... well, because she gets confused a lot. She is where blonde jokes came from ... but she has a great time and lots of fun. Here's a picture of her ... you've seen Nettie Belle, but this is Blondie.

blondie up close.jpg

Anyway ... I'd like to hear how all of you came up with YOUR clown names.

[Scruffy]

The first time I dressed up as a hobo it was for halloween of 1982. My aunt saw me and said "What a scruffy looking character".

..... The rest is history.

That means I turn 25 on the 31st of October. At least in clown years

[Wowza]

I originally intended my clown character to play up my New York accent. In truth, I don't have a New York accent unless I'm speaking with a New Yorker or talking about New York sports teams, but I am able to channel a cross between Vinnie Barbarino (Welcome Back Kotter) and Henry Winkler (Happy Days). Those of you with kids can get a semblance of my accent by watching Norville the bird -- Henry Winkler's voice on Clifford's Puppy Tales.

In any event, I wanted a name for myself that described the character I was going to portray: a loud, confident, flashy clown. What, I ask you, is a more apt name for that clown than Wowza?

[Dylan]

Dylan is my real name, I found my name to be unique enough that it has worked.

[ibimus]

Dottie is named Dottie becuase........................................



......I like dots.

[Fitzwilly]

When I started I was told to think of the names of pets I had growing up as well as nicknames. Well at showtime I had not found a name I thought fit so thanks to my comrades I became "Sparky." I eventually got tired of the jokes where kids told me that was their dog's name, and I real did not feel it fit my clumsy but precocious character. I remember watching Dick Van Dyke in the 1968 flick Fitzwilliam where he plays a not quite correct English butler. That was it! It fit, was unique and was easy enough for people to remember.

[SuitcaseSam]

My first Clown name was Boxcar but there were so many with the same name at the WCA convention in '93, I wanted something different. So, back in the 1990's I Clowned as Hayseed the Hobo after my hero Freddie the Freeloader (Red Skelton).

When I returned to performing after the birth of my 2nd daughter, I did a singing Cowboy act called Southwest Sam which lead to my Kids Cowboy character, Southwest Sam & the Wacky Wild West Show. I still perform as SW Sam but wanted to create a Vaudeville type character and keep the name similar so I wouldn't forget it. That's when Suitcase Sam was created, a Happy Go-Lucky Hobo of Beverly Hills. Besides, my whole show is carried in an old tweed suitcase and my ukulele.

~Sam

[littleprofessor]

My uncle came inside our house, looked at me. and started to laugh! I was reading a comic book (back then, featherlites lenses wasn't introduced) my eyeglasses were heavy and kept sliddidng down. anyway, my uncle said that i looked like a little professor. Nickname stucked on me.. Little Professor is also a book store, gone out of buisiness.

[Nettie Belle]

But where did Ibimus come from???

[tim]

Originally Posted by NettieBelle

But where did Ibimus come from???

The stork brought her here.