Clowning Around

Every so often we bloggers hit on a topic that creates lots and lots of comment. The most comment I've ever had on any entry was on my "Bitter Hack" blog, on a negative review that has generated (to date) 35 different comments. If I get five comments on Funny the World I'm happy.

Mary (author of "Girl Clown") recently posted an entry about clowns in which she asked people whether they were afraid of clowns, and if they were, why? She's had a lot of response, mine among them.

I've always had a fear of clowns. I'm a 66 year old woman and I am still afraid of clowns! And bringing all the rationale you can into it doesn't diminish that clutching in my stomach whenever I see a clown off in the distance performing for the crowds. I always make sure to give him/her a wide berth.

I'm not sure why I'm afraid of clowns. I always loved listening to the Bozo the Clown records (that's Bozo on the left). I can still even hear some of them in my head. When I was in Australia and we were touring the Perth zoo, I saw lots of strange birds that I remembered from Bozo and the Birds. I also loved Bozo at the Circus and Bozo Under the Sea. (I think we still have those 78 rpm records around here somewhere).

But, you see, Bozo was safe. He was a picture in a book and a voice on a record. He wasn't this live clown-faced person standing in my living room.

It was OK to like Bozo the Clown.

It was OK to like Jimmy Stewart as a clown in "The Greatest Show on Earth" because that was a movie.

It wasn't the same as running into a real clown at a real circus.

I've tried to figure out why I'm so afraid of clowns. I know clowns in person. I know Mary. She's a very nice person and not at all scary, but, as I told her, if she put on clown face, I'd probably be uncomfortable.

In spite of that, I find clowns fascinating -- at a distance. I loved the episode of The Avengers which spoofed the egg collection at Clowns International (which registers each clown's unique face, painted on eggs).

I suspect that while as a child it might have been outright fear of the strange looking clown, as an adult the fear is more being thrust into the public spotlight by being a target for a clown's attention.

My last close up and person interaction with a clown was with Sacramento's own "Timo." (I found his web site while looking for a photo of him--it's a fascinating site. I encourage the people in my family, and other people who know Timo to check it out. Especially the part "about Timo."

We had gone to the state fair and were riding the sky tram to the other side of the fair. When we entered the car, there was Timo, sitting with his son. He was bawling the son out for something. Walt and I had to keep from laughing at the sight of a funny clown very seriously scolding his real-life son. But it didn't keep me from being uncomfortable being around a man in a clown suit. That includes Ronald McDonald, whose appearance at a local restaurant is enough to make me eat at Jack-in-the-Box instead of McDonald's!

So I don't know why I'm afraid of clowns, but I am. How about you? Are you afraid of clowns? If so...why?

My Worst Nightmare!