Quiz "Why do people laugh at clowns"

[Scruffy]

Originally Posted by Snugglesnort

Third: As pointed out by everyone else, bright colors are not necessary to, nor do they garauntee laughter in clown style humor. There have been lots of clowns without any sort of make up at all, nor any praticularly bright clothing. Also as Rainbow pointed out, you could look a old black and white movies, and see that color affected the humor not one whit.

Absolutely.Emmett Kelly's Costume was nasty, dingy rags. He had no problem getting laughs OR being confused for anything other than a clown. Also in the Hitchcock classic PSYCHO, The used Bosco chocolate syrup for the blood in the shower scene. It was plenty effective

[dixonhudson1]

I do not disagree that skill, skits and persence are part of what makes people find clowns funny regardless what they wear. I just wanted to include that was a scientific test i believe done.

I will have to find the article. It does say that there are other factors that affect people with laughter when it comes to clowns.

However it pointed out that it noticed that colors, regardless whether in the form or hobos, auguste, white, character where somewhat an inluence.

I am not saying that the person has no part on it. I do not want to insult those on here that spend countless hours or training research in heart into the craft.

I just wanted to point a portion of what does effect the human mind when it comes to clowns and laughter. This study also indicated that skill and skills were important, it just focused soley on how colors and the word was a part of the mental influence to the brain when they are watcher a performer that is known as a clown.

I will find the study reference. Again i did not intend to rile anyone up, just some the reasearch i have been doing.

[Snugglesnort]

Ahhhh... declaring the game.

You should really read "Why is that So Funny?" by John Wright.

He sees a clown performance (actually all theater making) like a big game. Some times the game is "declared" and sometimes not. When Laurence Olivier played Hamlet at the Royal Theater for the Queen, he did not declare the game though he was definitly playing one. When the group that did a production of "Hamlet" in a Bouncy Air Castle, jumped around Elsinor air castle, they did declare the game.

Clowns automatically just by putting on the makeup and nose, declare the game. By doing it we say "I know this is silly, and so do you, but just go with it. Play along." and the audience does cause it is much more fun that way.

The whys of clown makeup are both pratical and traditional. My personal hypothosis of the origion of the traditional clown face is that it was a parody of the drunk. The cheeks, nose and mouth are flushed red with the rest of the face looking rather pale. It was kept around because it attracts attention and is easy to see and read from a far way away. The baggy, colorful, and often mismatched clothes are also easy to see, and also can be funny simply becuse they are wrong, (wrong size, wrong color, wrong style and so on) but the clown doesn't think so. If he went around knowing it was all wrong, it would break the rules of the game, then it wouldn't be funny.

You really should find that article. There are many intellectually inclined clowns here who are always looking to discuss (or tear into as you found out ) stuff like this, and it helps to have primary scources.

[Luki Loki]

Research has proven over and over again that the result of research can and has been swayed by preconceived notions.

The media does quite a good job of it when they report on "pit bull type" dogs. test results by the ATTS - American Temperament Test Society, Inc. - Home has shown that these dogs have a lower aggressive tendency than other "family dogs"