Clowns in the circus

_Elsa_

‘Circus clown is a performer which works in the circus and uses physical humor to entertain the audience. They often wear colorful clothing, makeup, wigs and exaggerated footwear. World clown comes from the Icelandic word “klunni” which means “a clumsy person”.

The first known clowns date from the time of the Fifth dynasty of Egypt, around 2400 BC. Later civilizations also knew about clowns. Early clowns were also priests and their roles were almost indivisible. Clowns of ancient Greece were bald and wore padded clothes to appear larger. Ancient Roman clowns wore pointed hats and were the butts of the jokes. Italian commedia dell'arte of the 16th century introduced masked characters Arlecchino (Harlequin) and Pierrot (Pirouette).

In time some standard types of clowns developed:

Whiteface clown was originally designed by Joseph Grimaldi in 1801. It has its face and neck covered with white makeup, mouth painted in a grin, and black eyebrows. His clothes are extravagant and he is a sophisticated character. He has the highest status in the clown hierarchy.

Auguste has his face painted in pink, red, or tan. His mouth and eyes are painted white and his lips and eyebrows are black. His clothes can be well-fitted or completely opposite. His character is that of an anarchist, a joker, or a fool.

The character clowns are parodies of different types like a butcher, a baker, a policeman, a housewife or a hobo. Standard subtypes of this type developed in North America are The Hobo, The Tramp, and The Bum. The Hobo travels and has no luck but has a positive attitude. The Tramp is the same but without positive attitude and always sad.’ (Info here)

Tiffi tells Chewy that the whiteface clown reminds her of mimes and what Odus did at the Friends’ Got Talent show. Katie tells them the clowns from yesteryear used to tease the animals and make them try to run after the clowns. That was so cruel but it was a part of the old performance. Katie asks if they have any questions about the clowns and they both shake their heads that they don’t. She wants to introduce them to the animals that used to perform in the old circus. She explains that there are a handful of circuses that still use animals but the majority of them now have a non-animal performance like her circus.   

Let’s continue - 6 BIG Reasons Why Big Cats Don’t Belong in Circuses 

Start at the beginning – The circus is coming to town!