Big Shoes, Straight Facts
Sunday
Clowns are old. Humorous progenitors of modern clowns can be found in ancient Greece, Rome, and Egypt.
Monday
Though each have sub-categories, modern clowns fall into three major classes: The whiteface clown, the Auguste clown (often a duo who play off each other), and the tramp, a hobo-like American invention in the Charlie Chaplin mold.
Tuesday
The most famous modern whiteface clown (at least to people of a certain generation) was Bozo. Known mostly for his long-running TV show, Bozo was originally a character created for the world’s first “read along book,” in which a record was included with a children’s book that they could listen to as they read along. It sold unexpectedly well for the then-young Capitol Records, and this led to the creation of Bozo shows in many cities, each with different actors playing the clown.
Wednesday
While naughty or evil clowns have been known in popular culture for centuries, the idea was accelerated by fictional clowns like Pennywise and, unfortunately, real-life killer clown John Wayne Gacy. The largest and most recent survey on fear of clowns (AKA “coulrophobia”) found 53.5% of respondents had some degree of clown fear.
Thursday
The most obvious ancestor of modern clowns was Joseph Grimaldi, a 19th century British performer whose whiteface clown was part of a wildly popular act. To this day, many clowns are called “Joeys” in his honor. Unfortunately, he was privately very sad. Having lived through the deaths of his wife and son and taxed by his physically demanding act, he wrote: “I make you laugh at night but am Grim-all-day.” Charles Dickens later edited Grimaldi’s biography.
Friday
Clowns and jesters are different. Jesters often used improvised comedy and entertained their audience (historically in royal courts) with music, wit, and tales. Clowns have a routine and make themselves the object of laughter, typically with exaggerated dress and physical comedy.
Saturday
Clowning as a career has been declining somewhat in the US and Europe, but clowns in Asia are seeing a rise in popularity.