July_August_1991

July/August, 1991 

•••• 

:... 

Cal's comments 

• 

I'm turning this edition of Cal's Corner over to a guest 

writer. She's Pat Roeser, a prize-winning joey who's also a 

dedicated, sharing COAi Director. Pat has taken on some 

added duties with the organization. Here's her message: 

•-------- --------------- ---------- 

Enjoying your issues of The New Calliope? Do you 

want fellow clowns to gain as much as you are? 

Recommend they join Clowns of America International and 

encourage past members to rejoin. 

Our organization has come a long way due to the 

dedicated staff, board and members. Even though we 

have grown larger and stronger, we still need your help. 

Promote Clowns of America International when you are 

hosting a seminar, workshop , camp or convention. I would 

be happy to send back issues of The New Calliope for 

samples, membership forms and brochures. Send your 

requests to: 

Pat "Bashful" Roeser 

1720 Archibald Circle 

Northfield, MN 55057 

Clowns of America International and ihe New Calliope 

are dedicated to the advancement of clown education. We 

wish to promote your upcoming events open to clowns. 

Your event will be published under the heading "Calendar 

of Coming Events." Be sure to check deadlines for 

submitt ing this information (on the bottom of this page). 

Send name of event, date, name, address and/or phone 

number of contact person to our Editor, Cal Olson. 

Again, do not hesitate to contact me for information 

concerning Clowns of America International materials for 

your event. I will help your group in any way I can. 

OUR CONTINUED GROWTH DEPENDS ON YOU! 

THE NEW CALLIOPE is 

published by Clowns of America 

International, Inc., P.O. Box 570, 

Lake Jackson, Texas 77566-0570 

for members of Clowns of America 

International, Inc. Entered as third 

class mail in Bluffton, Ohio. 

Articles and advertising for THE 

NEW CALLIOPE should be sent to 

the editorial office: 

Cal Olson , Editor 

THE NEW CALLIOPE 

3107 Summit St. 

Sioux City, Iowa 51104 

(712) 258-3075 

We are not responsible for 

unsolicited articles or pictures 

unless accompanied by a 

self-addressed envelope and return 

postage. 

Clowns of America International , 

Inc., annual membersh ip fees: 

U.S.: New membe rs, $25. 

Renewals, $20. 

Foreign: $25 (U.S. funds). 

Family membership: $1 O for 

second and additional members of 

one family. (Foreign: $10). 

Late renewals : Add $3 late fee. 

Send all membership fees to 

Clowns of America International, 

Inc., P.O. Box 570, Lake Jackson, 

Texas 77566-0570. Make all checks 

payable to Clowns of America 

International, Inc. 

Advertising rates: 

Full page $175 

Half page 100 

Quarter page 55 

Eighth page 35 

Camera-ready copy is 

requested. There will be additional 

charges for ads not camera-ready. 

Send copy and payment to THE 

NEW CALLIOPE, 3107 Summit St., 

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checks payab le to Clowns of 

America International , Inc. Only 

prepaid advertising is accepted. 

Deadline for the Sept/Oct., 

1991, isue: August 15, 1991. 

2 The New Calliope

• •• 

1:· 

• •• 

• • 

.. =ee 

Published for members of Clowns of America International, Inc. 

JULY/AUGUST, 1991 


VOLUME 8, NUMBER 4 

CONTENTS 

Cal's comments................................ .......... 2 

Letters ....................................................... 4 

Laughter: a great mental tonic.. .......... ......... 7 

In England, it's motley and slap .................... 8 

Here's how it got started .......................... ... 12 

Technical tricks of the Harlequinade ............ 16 

Just be nice ............................................... 18 

Just ask Aunt Clowney .................. ............. 22 

Calendar of coming events ............. ............ 25 

Last walkaround .......... ................... ............ 25 

Alley Update .............................................. 26 

Pres. Bush honors Richmond clown ............ 27 

Northwest report ........................................ 27 

Alrededor de la Region ............................... 27 

From the President. ........... .................. ...... 28 

'Mr. Boots' measures up ............................. 29 

Clowns in the news -- 

Petals ............ ........................................ 30 

Chuck Rinkel. ............................... .......... 32 

Carolina Clods ..................... ................... 34 

Alvin Baum ............. ................................ 35 

Cel Dryden ............................................. 36 

Gwen Teixeira ......................................... 37 

Buddy and Bubbles ................................ 37 

Brightening the corner .................... ........ 38 

ON THE COVER -- COAi's first 

Foreign Regional Vice President is 

Blue "Clown Bluey" Brattle , of 

Southampton, England, who 

attended his first COAi Convention 

at Indianapolis last April. Clown 

Bluey's report of European 

clowning begins on Page 8. 

(Photo by Cal Olson) 

BOARD OF DIRECTORS 

PRESIDENT: Donald E. Berkoski , 4149 Golden Eagle Dr .• 

Indianapolis . IN 46234. Home Phone: (317) 

299-2816. Office: (317) 248-1408. 

Fax: (317) 248-0587 

EXEC.VICE PRESIDENT: Betty Cash. 2181 Edgerton St., 

St.Paul MN 55117. Ph. (612)771-8734 SECRETARY: 

Brenda Marshall, 7128 Oldham Place. North 

Richland Hills. Texas 76180. Ph (817) 281-661 O 

TREASURER: Judy Quest, 906 S. 117th Court. Omaha, 

NE 68154. Phone: (402) 334-4857. Fax: (402) 

330-8783 

SERGEANT-AT-ARMS: Walter R. Lee, 1347 Ava Road. 

Severn. MD 21144. Phone: (301) 551-7830 

DIRECTORS 

Barbara (Maher) Amber: 10651 Steppington 

Dr.. Unit 2054. Dallas. Texas.Ph. (214) 691-7926. 

Dennis Phelps. 5340 So. 67th St.. Lincoln. NE 68516 

Phone: (402) 421-2167 

Patricia Roeser. 1720 Archibald Circle, Northfield. MN 

55057. Phone (507) 645-5595 

Hunte r Stevens. 1342 Sylvan Way, West Bend. WI 53095. 

Phone (414) 338-3569 

REGIONAL VICE PRESIDENTS 

Northeast: Leo J. Desilets. 30 Roswell St., Milford, 

Ct.06460 Phone (203) 877-3869 

North Central: Dan Lake. 13005 Lakeridge Dr., St. Louis, 

MO 63138 Phone (314) 355-0220 

Northwest: Andi Rothweiler. E. 803 St. Thomas Moore 

Way. Spokane, WA 99208 Ph.(509) 467-6216 

Mideast: Paul C. Glaros, 7820 Lisa Dr., Nortolk, VA 

23518 Phone (804) 583-1274 

Midwest: Freeman Smith Sr .. 7225 W. Higgins, Apt. 103, 

Chicago, IL 60656 

Southeast: Jack Anderson, 4560 Sussex Ave., 

Jacksonville. FL 32210. Phone (904) 778-3977 

South Central: Linda Williams, 18 Hackberry, Houston, 

Texas 77027. Phone (713) 960-8228 

Southwest: Allen Pearson. 5291 Ogden St., San Diego, 

CA 92105. Phone (619) 582-7795 

Canada: Thomas S. Oswald, RR#13, Lakeshore Dr., 

Thunder Bay, Ont. P7B. 5E4, Canada. Phone: 

(807) 983-2032 

Latin Countries: Pedro Santos, Box 3859, Bayamon 

Gardens Station, Bayamon, Puerto Rico 00619. 

Phone (809) 786-3759 

Foreign: Blue Branle, 30 Sandpiper Close. Marchwood, 

Southampton SO4 4XN England 

Competition Chairman: French Harvey. 7241 Connan Lane, 

Charlene, NC 28226. Phone (704) 541-8227 

The New Calliope 3


••• 

• • 

. ·--- 

: Letters 

••• 

They enjoyed the convention . 

We just returned from the COAi Convention at 

Indianapolis and wanted to let everyone know how much we 

enjoyed our trip. We learned a lot and saw a lot and met a lot 

of cld and new friends, and slept a little, of course. 

While not everything was PERFECT, what ever is? 

The dealers were GREAT. The lectures were both 

educational and entertaining. Steve sm;th was his usual 

dynamic self. The hosts were very helpful and friendly; we 

send our special thanks to "Mud" for taking his time and 

van to make sure we had a chance to see the 500 track, 

even though we were unable to make either of the 

scheduled tours. 

We renewed old acquaintances, and spoke more 

"Spanglish" than ever before. How wonderful to have such 

good friends all over the world! It is good to know tha~ next 

year our Hispanic members will have interpreters available. 

Let's all hope that we continue to grow each year and 

continue to work toward making this a truly International 

convention, too, not just an international organization. 

Many thanks to all the hard workers from the Smiles . 

Unlimited Alley for putting on a good and fun convention 

for all the members. 

Mauri "Binkie" Norris and 

Lisa "Twinkles" Ezell 

Houston Cheerful Clown Alley #166 

Houston, Texas 

You think you've got problems'! 

I would just like to let you know how one of my days 

went. 

I worked at my regular job from 7 to 4 on this day, and 

then went home like every one else does, expecting to sit 

down and enjoy a quiet cup of coffee and a sandwich. 

Then the phone rings. 

It was an agent, who said one of his other clowns got 

sick and couldn't make a show. He wanted to know if I 

would do it for him. It was 4 p.m., the place of the show a 

half hour away from my studio and the show was scheduled 

for 4:45 p.m. Not too bad. But it gets worse. 

I called the people and told them I would be a little late. 

They said they wanted me to come anyway. My van was in 

the garage, so I asked my friend to take me to the show. 

We got everything in her car, and it wouldn't start. So we 

got a car off a friend, loaded it up and started off. About a 

mile away from the show address a rear tire blew. So, all 

dressed up in my clown costume, carrying balloons and my 

magic box, I walked the rest of the way. 

The show went beautifully. The children loved it, and 

we left with everyone happy with their balloons and party 

stuff. 

The tire was fixed. We started for home. We got a half 

mile from home and discovered the gas gauge was not 

wurking. The way we discovered it was, we ran out of gas. 

So here I am, a roly-poly clown, pushing a car down the 

road to the gas station. It's a good thing I am a clown with a 

good sense of humor. 

I wish you all were there to see the man's face when a 4 

by 4 clown comes in to the station. All I could do was wave 

and say "fill her up, please." 

Hazel "Riddles" Hardy 

47 Green St. 

Somersworth, NH 03878 

She appreciates backstage help 

First, let me congratulate you on a job well done in 

putting The New Calliope together. The articles are most 

informative, and Aunt Clowney gives great advice. 

The reason for this letter is to thank the people who 

worked backstage for skit competition at the Indianapolis 

Convention. They were really great! I don't know all their 

names, but they sure went out of their way to help us set 

up props, calm us down and clean off the stage, when 

necessary. 

What a joy it was not to have to rush setting up and 

getting your props off stage, rushing against the clock so 

you're not penalized. I wish other conventions would take 

notice, so those who do skits can concentrate on giving a 

good performance and not worry about time limit for set up 

and break down. Frankly, I think it takes away from the 

performance for the audience. 

I especially want to thank Bob Hamilton for getting a 

screen that I needed tor my skit. He brought it from his 

home because the hotel didn't have one. Now, that's 

beyond the call of duty. 

Also, those who helped calm me down before I went 

on. I love to compete; however, I'm a nervous wreck waiting 

Continued next page 

4 The New Calliope

1# 

I 


~ THIRD ANNUAL NORTHWEST FESTIVAL OF CLOWNS ~ 

I 

~ SEPTEMBER 27, 28, 29 1991 ~ 

I 

I 

~ TRAVELODGE HOTEL ( 503) 233-2401 PORTLAND, OREGON ~ 

I 

I 

~ Festival Contact Number: ~ 

~ (503)620-3473 ~ 

~ COAJ ~ 

~ ~orlt1weSI Fos,; Re0 istration Fee ~ 

I

JUIY/1'\U!:JU:Sl, 

I~~ I 

Letters -- 

From preceding page 

to go on and they were all very supportive and tried to keep 

me calm. Maybe someday I'll be calmer, but until then, 

thanks to the gals and guys backstage. I wish I could take 

you with me to other conventions. 

Remember, smiles and laughter are contagious, so 

keep your mouth turned up. 

Jan "Twillibee' Bohan 

505 Burno Dr. 

Palatine, IL 60067 

He's willing to walk in '92 

I'm writing to let you know I really enjoyed the COAi 

Convention in Indy. This was my first convention, but not 

my last convention. 

A friend, "Winchester," and I have started our J.O.B. 

fund: Jacksonville Or Bust! We will be there if we have to 

walk all the way. 

Paul "Skipper" Warwick 

Box 173 

Miami, IN 46959 

Peggy King needs help 

I am writing to inform COAi members of a clown 

colleague who has fallen upon some hard times this past 

year. 

Peggy King is a 1977 Ringling Bros. and Barnum & 

Bailey Clown College graduate, who performed with 

RBB&B for seven years. She also worked at the very first 

Circus Fantasy at Disneyland in 1986 and in Tokyo, Japan, 

where she spent almost a year and a half at the Carnival 

Plaza Restaurant. 

In the spring of 1990, Peggy began learning a single 

trapeze act. Within a month's time Peggy was performing at 

1 fair in Reno, Nev., and fell approximately 20 feet to the 

pavement. She broke her pelvis and suffered other 

fractures. Although most of her medical bills for the 

accident have been paid, Peggy still has some debt unpaid 

due to her inability to work while recuperating. 

To make matters worse, Peggy was diagnosed with 

breast cancer last March. She had surgery and has finished 

her radiation treatments, but will continue taking hormonal 

treatment medicine for at least five years, possibly for life. 

Fort Wor1h, Texas• Aug. 9-11 

Buffalo, New York• Aug. 16-18 

Orange County, California• Sept. 20-22 

Edmonton, Canada• Oct. 11-13 

Wsshington, D.C. • Oct 11-13 

Chicago, Illinois • Nov. 15-17 

Instructors will include some of the following: 

Kenny Ahem • Don Burda. Lee Mullally 

Irene Doll • Vnce Pagliano • Bany DeChant 

Frosty Uttle • Dave Mtchel • Leon McBryde 

I Eal Q1aney • Paula Biggio • Richard Snowberg 

r-----------------~ 

For brodlures, write 

-Clown Camp 

c/o University of Wisconsin-La Crosse 

I 

I 1725 State Street • La Crosse WI 54 

Attention June 1991 Camgers 

Be sure to send in your best photo.s from any of 

the four weeks last June - Prizes up to $200.00 1 

I 

1 

Peggy does not have medical insurance that will cover 

her cancer, and her medical bills are nearly $19,000. 

Some of her friends have set up a trust fund to help 

pay some of her medical debts, and I am hoping some of 

my fellow COAi members will want to contribute in getting 

Peggy on her feet again. Although she has resisted this 

idea, those of us who have had the pleasure of knowing 

her over the years have insisted on trying to help. 

Funds received will be used to pay Peggy's medical 

bills and the other debts that have mounted since her 

accident and cancer surgery. Everyone involved with the 

Trust Fund is donating their time and efforts, so please 

know that 100 percent of your donation will go to this 

worthwhile cause. Make donations to: 

Peggy King Trust Fund (#6340-686757) 

Wells Fargo Bank 

P.O.Box 1259 

Sacramento, CA 95806. 

If you have any questions, please call me at (913) 

648-5664, and though I'm currently on the road clowning 

at fairs and festivals, I will get back to you as soon as I can. 

Terry Davolt 

8764 W. 79th Circlet #93 

Overland Park, KS 66204 

6 The New Calliope


SCHRAGER 

AUCTION GALLERIES 

AN IMPORTANT TWO-DAY AUCTION 

Collection of Circus and Movie Material from the Estates of 

Roland Wilde and Wenceslas Konieczny 

SATURDAY and SUNDAY, AUGUST 17 & 18, 1991 

2:00 p.m. - Each session 

in our Galleries 

2915 N. Sherman Blvd. - Milwaukee, Wisconsin 

CIRCUSIANIA IS REPRESENTED in many areas: Over 100 Posters, 

Broadsides, Programs, Books, Route Books, J oumals, Two Autographed Letters 

of P. T. Barnum, Two Clown Suits, Circus Wagon Wheel, Coffee Table, 

Antique Cast Iron Circus Toys, Lithographed Tin Circus Toys, Venetian Glass 

Clowns, Oil Paintings, Lithographs, Ephemera. 

CINEMANIA IS REPRESENTED FROM THE EARLY DAYS OF 

MOTION PICTURES: Reels and reels of 35, 16 and 8 mm film, going back 

to Silent Serials, - 1913 through 1960s - Movie Magazines, Cutting Continuities 

Scripts , Trailers, Sound Track Records, 8 X 10 Stills, Advertising 

Posters, Broadsides, Ephemera. 

YOU WILL WANT TO BE THERE IN PERSON - DON'T MISS IT 

FREE PUBLIC INSPECTION 

Saturday & Sunday, August 10 & 11, 1991 - Noon to 6:00 p.m. 

Monday to Friday, August 12 to 16 - 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. 

Bidding by Catalog holders only 

Price $5.00 at the door - $6.00 first class - $13.00 overnight 

SCHRAGER AUCTION GALLERIES, LTD. 

Mailing Address: P.O. Box 10390 

FOR FURTHER INFO: Phone (414) 873-3738 - Fax (414) 873-5229 

The New Calliope 7

JUIY/1-\Ugu::;r, 

I l:1l:1 I 

BLUE BRATTLE:" ... A lot of the circus and 

clown skills are still self-taught or passed 

down from one family member to the next." 

In England, 

it's motley 

and slap 

Editor's Note: Earlier this year, an English clown was 

appointed to the new position of COAi Foreign Regional 

Vice President. He is Blue Brattle, of Southampton, who is 

also chairman of Clowns International. In the following 

article (excerpted from a presentation given during the 

1991 COAi Annual Convention in Indianapolis) "Clown 

Bluey" discusses English and European clowning. 

By Blue "Clown Bluey" Brattle 

Before 1945, there were no clown clubs or 

associations in England. Clowns only met and worked in 

the big circuses of the day. It was common for them to be 

family affairs, with the clown's offspring joining the act at a 

young age. Thus the Joey's knowledge and experience 

was passed down from father to son and/or daughter . 

England had no colleges for circus or clown skills, 

unlike Europe, where the Eastern Bloc countries have 

always regarded clowning as an art form comparable to 

opera and ballet. For example, Russia has its Moscow State 

Circus School, and Hungary taught artists through its own 

state circus school. 

In England, if you wished to become a clown and were 

unlucky enough to be born outside the circus, it really was 

a case of running away to join the circus. If you were lucky 

(or unlucky, dependant on whom you worked for), you• 

might get yourself apprenticed to a Joey to learn the trade. 

You would be a jack of all trades, expected to clean up after 

your master, clean and paint the props, help haul up and 

break down the Big Top, as well as learn the many clown 

entrees and run-ins that the Master Clown, the Chief 

Clown, ordained that you would be part of. 

8 The New Calliope


It was an extremely hard life, both for the clown and 

even more so for his apprentice. He could expect to stay in 

that junior position for some number of years unless he 

had exceptional talent and got the lucky breaks to allow 

someone to see his talent shine. 

In the 1940's, the circus in Britain was in its heyday: 

apart from the cinema and the good old steam "wireless," 

the only other entertainment around were the Music Halls, 

which even then were in decline. Each year, one of the 

largest of the English circuses, the Mills Bros., used to 

mount a Christmas Circus at the Olympia in London, run by 

Bernard and Cyril Mills. 

During this time, a Victorian gentleman by the name of 

Stan Bult, who was a circus buff and had a great love of 

clowns (he often entertained the rather poorly paid clowns 

at his own expense, and became a great friend to the 

clowns), decided that they really ought to have a club 

where they could all meet up and socialize. In conjunction 

with Edward Graves, the then circus editor of the "Worlds 

Fair" publication, and Michael Poliakoff, better known to 

thousands as Coco the Clown, he founded the 

International Circus Clowns Club in 1945. Most of the 

original early members came from the Olympia Christmas 

Circus: Chester Field, Harold "Rainbow" Whitely, Trevor 

"Tommy" Bale, Toni Gerbola, Albert "Bandbox" Austin, 

Carlo Cassan, Butch Reynolds, Percy Huxter, Bertram 

"Smokey" Townsend, Albertino and long-serving 

Organiser Jack Gough. 

Sadly, few of these founder members are still with us. 

Smokey is still clowning, even though past the state 

retirement date, and was this year made Clowns 

lnternational's Clown of the Year, a new award sponsored 

by the Clown Hall of Fame, as a tribute to his contribution to 

both clowning and Clowns International. 

The International Circus Clowns Club used to meet 

each year at St. James Church, Pentonville, London, for 

their annual general meeting, and to hold a service to 

honor the memory of Joseph Grimaldi. In those days, they 

were not allowed to take part in the service in Motley and 

Slap (costume and makeup). This was finally allowed when 

Smokey succeeded in getting permission from the church 

authorities in 1967. 

St. James Church was demolished in 1958, and it was 

during this year that a long-standing member, Tommy 

Keele, successfully moved that the club's name be 

changed to Clowns International, to reflect the wider 

spheres of life inhabited by clowns due to the decli_ne in 

the number of clowns appearing in circuses . The site of St. 

James Church, which still contains Grimaldi's grave, is now 

a park named in his honor. Each year a Clown Festival takes 

place in it. 

Clowns International remains the oldest clown 

organization in Europe. It has a steadily increasing 

membership which is truly international and currently 

embraces most of the countries of Europe, plus Canada, 

America, Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand. The aims 

of the organization are similar to COAi; it is non-political, 

non-profit making, and non-sectarian. (COAi's Board of 

Directors, at its annual meeting last April, voted to affiliate 

with Cl. Work on formal affiliation is currently under way.) 

Training and education facilities 

There is no doubt that a lot of the circus and clown 

skills are still self-taught or passed down from one family 

member to the next. Clowns International has started 

taking more responsibility towards its members than it has 

done in the immediate past by providing workshops and 

lectures at its conventions (which didn't happen in the early 

conventions). In addition, more emphasis on education 

has started to appear in Cl's quarterly magazine, "The 

Joey." There are also plans to incorporate education spots 

into the various clown festivals that Cl organizes around the 

United Kingdom. 

There is still no state-run circus school in Britain, 

although there are plenty of drama schools to choose from 

(all privately funded). On the private sector, Fool-Time in 

Bristol runs various circus-related subjects and courses 

lasting up to a full year, and I hear that there is now another 

company called Circus Space operating both full and 

part-time courses in London. 

On the European front, there are circus schools in 

both France and Germany and, of course, the Moscow 

State Circus school is still flourishing. It is interesting to 

note that in conversation with members of the Mimikrichi 

Clown Ensemble from Kiev in Russia, that all had had to 

achieve good results in ballet, tap, mime, movement, 

unicycling, stilts, juggling, slack wire and high wire before 

they were even allowed to start formulating a clown 

character, let alone be a clown. 

European clown conventions 

Cl is the only body holding conventions in the United 

Kingdom (or Europe, for that matter) at the present time, 

although the World Clown Association held its own 

convention under the umbrella of the World Clown 

Convention in March, 1991. 

One of the fundamental differences between 

American and U.K. conventions is that the American 

conventions are mainly if not totally closed to the public. 

The European convention, in contrast, is geared and 

organized to open to the public at every opportunity, and 

indeed involve the local townspeople in the event as much 

as possible. This has been helped by the fact that the 

convention has stayed put in one place, Bognor Regis, 

West Sussex, for seven consecutive years. 


The New Calliope 9

July/August, 1 ~~, 

Clowning in England -- 


The organizing committee, with one or two exceptions, 

has remained a fairly constant nucleous. This has enabled 

a great rapport to be built up with the district's 34 schools, 

the local hospitals, the Chamber of Trade and all the 

businesses they represent. The cost of hiring the Regis 

Centre, an entertainment complex consisting of a theatre, 

exhibition hall, cafeteria and bar, is underwritten by the 

local District Council acting as a major sponsor. 

Another major difference between European and 

American conventions is that no competitions whatsoever 

are held in a European convention. The members of Cl 

have firmly voted against competitions in the past. 

Recipients of the awards that are given are normally voted 

by the Committee, based on a clown's achievements 

during the previous year. It is not a totally satisfactory 

system, but it has at least provided a subtle type of 

competition, which may bear dividends in the future. 

One result that competitions have given Americans is 

superb makeup techniques and colorful costumes. 

However, some Europeans traditionally do not wear very 

much makeup. Popov, Russia's most famous clown, is a 

good example. 

Many of the continentals wear a minimum of makeup. 

The art of clowning, they say, is from deep inside: your face 

and body should be able to show expression -- they call it 

body language. 

Another Americanism is that of not showing any flesh - 

not to break the illusion of fantasy. Most Europeans will 

disagree with this. They will argue that it is what the clown 

feels, or does, or expresses, that is important, and not what 

is painted on, or what he is wearing. 

Provided the makeup is adequate to accentuate the 

face, and the clothes are clean and fit into the character 

that is being portrayed, Europeans argue that skill, 

technique and (to borrow an American expression) 

"clowning from the heart" are far more important. 

Children are not silly or stupid; clowns are humans , 

and children expect clowns to act human , albeit in a very 

silly or stupid or exaggerated, non-conformist way. There 

has been concern expressed that there could be a danger, 

perhaps, with too much makeup, too gorgeous a costume, 

that the fantasy figure becomes too inhuman, perhaps 

coming between you and the clown inside you trying to get 

out. 

LOTSA SUPER 

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10 The New Calliope


i99i 

North Central Reeional Convention 

hosted by 

19 Lecturers/ Dealers 

Peachey Keene 

Pricilla Mooseburger 

Paul and April Glaros 

St. Louis Clowns of America 

************* 

T. Myers 

Comanche Shoe 

Others 

BRECKEHRIDGE FRONTENAC GRAND HOTEL 

1335 South Lindbergh Blvd. 

(at Hwy 40) 

St. Louis, MO 63131 

Call the hotel direct for room reservations. Mention you are with the St Louis Clowns of America 

to receive the special flat rate of $55/night for 1-4 per room . 1-800-325 -7800 or (314)993 - 1100. 

========= 

You need not be a COAI member to attend the convention, but you must be a COAI member to 

compete . 

\fake check out to St. Louis Clowns of America and mrul. with registration to: 

Bev Hanson 

~ 469 Chamberlin Dr. * . - . 

r, Manchester. MO 63021 Send a SASE to receive conhrmauon. 

(314)391-1465 for additional infonnati::::1 

Registration 

(Includes Sunday Brunch) 

Name ____ _ __________ Clown Name _____ ___ _ 

Address ___ _ _____ _ ______ Phone ( ). _ _ ___ _ __ _ 

City. S~te . Zip ___ __ ____ _ ________ _ ____ _ 

Amount Enclosed _ _____ __ _ Current COAI # _ _ ____ __ __ _ 

Registrations postmarked by Sep. 14 ........ S55 Sep. 15 and later ....... ... $60 

Registrations at the door .................•...•• $65 

• • • • • • • • • • • • 

I wish to compete in the following compe titions : Circle selection(s) 

Auguste White Face Tramp Paradabi lity 

The New Calliope 11

Y .... 1,11 ..... ~ .... ,._,.,I ,,._,..., I 

Here's how it got started 

By Bruce "Charlie" Johnson 

P.O. Box 8183 

Long Beach, CA 90808 

The father of mpdern clowning , Joseph Grimaldi, spent 

his entire career on stage in Pantomimes, also called 

Harlequinade, a specific type of show incorporating 

traditional Commedia Del Art characters. An understanding 

of Pantomime and Harlequinade can give today's clown a 

greater appreciation of our art and of our traditions. 

Clowning had its start well before the advent of Joey 

Grimaldi, who won fame and affection as a national 

character in England between 1806 and 1823.His 

clowning, and ours, has roots in Commedia del Arte, 

meaning Comedy of Professional Actors, which started as 

Italian street theater in the 16th century. 

The basic Commedia story formula was that two young 

lovers were frustrated by the intervention of her aged 

father or guardian and his friend, also an old man. The old 

men were then thwarted by their servants. There usually 

was a pair of male servants, a clever First Zanni and a stupid 

Second Zanni. (This pairing continues today with the 

clever Whiteface clown and the stupid Auguste.) Often 

there was a female servant, played by a woman , who had a 

romantic subplot with a male servant. Dancing and 

acrobatics were an important part of the Commedia 

repertoire, and a chase scene concluded many of the 

stories. 

There were many different stock characters inspired by 

Italian folk culture and identified with specific regions and 

dialects, but only a few were most important and enduring. 

The most famous old man was Pantaloon, a stingy, 

lecherous Venetian merchant. His best friend was Dottore 

(doctor), a pretentious professor, or sometimes a 

physician, from Bologna . A young master was Capitano , a 

boastful, cowardly Spanish soldier. The female servant 

would be the lady's maid. Variations on this character were 

Rosetta, Carmosina, Diamantina, and most importantly, 

Columbina. 

The First Zanni was originally Brighella, who came from 

Upper Bergamo, and was a liar, thief, braggart and cheat, 

willing to do anything, provided he was paid enough for it. 

The Second Zanni characters refused to stay the 

dumb butts of jokes. Gradually they became more clever 

and sophisticated. Pedrolino evolved into the romantic 

figure of Pierrot. Harlequin also evolved, becoming the 

instigator of pranks instead of their victim. This process left 

a void for a dumb victim, and new characters were added 

from stock characters where that particular troup was 

performing . In England, the country yokel known as 

Colonus, meaning a farmer or rustic, was incorporated , and 

eventually evolved into Clown. 

Except for the female servants and young lovers, the 

characters were portrayed while wearing leather 

half-masks. Each character's mask was a spectic color with 

identifying features ; for example, Harlequin wore a black 

mask. Pantaloon's mask was olive green with a wart on the 

nose. (The modern equivalent would be the Teenage 

Mutant Ninja Turtles.) The masks left the lower jaw free for 

expressiveness and clear diction , and their light weight 

didn't interfere with acrobatics . As Pedrolino evolved into 

Pierrot, the mask was replaced with white makeup. This 

white makeup later was adopted by the English clowns. 

Improvisation played an important role in the 

Commedia. The stories were not scripted, but a basic 

scenario indicating entrances, exits, and bits of business 

was posted backstage. The actors then improvised based 

upon this framework, and where appropriate incorporated 

Lazzi, standard speeches and comic sequences. Each 

character had its own Lazzi, including stock gestures and 

stylized movements. These Lazzi were taught to 

succeeding generations of Commedia actors, and some of 

them, for example the Broken Mirror and the Dentist pulling 

the wrong tooth, are still being used by clowns. 

By the end of the 17th century, in France, troupes 

known as Fourains, portraying the Commedia characters, 

were extremely popular in booth theaters at the numerous 

fairs. The Comedie Francaise, a permanent theater in Paris 

resenting the competition, demanded the sole right to use ' 

the spoken word, and the Fourains were forbidden by royal 

decree from speaking. 

Various subterfuges were tried to get around the 

restriction, but eventually Harlequin lost his voice. In 

England, the London Patent Houses, a few theaters 

established by royal decree, also acquired exclusive rights 

to spoken drama. 

The Patent theaters at Lincoln's Inn Fields and Drury 

Lane w.ere extremely competitive, providing a full evening 

of varied entertainment which eventually included the 

Pantomime. 

This type of pantomime did not have our meaning of 

silent acting. Pantomime originally referred to a type of 

performer that originated in ancient Greece and was 

popular in Imperial Rome. Lucian of Samosata, in the 2nd 

12 The New Calliope


century A.O., wrote of seeing a pantomime performance. 

Five masks were laid out in preparation, but there was only 

one entertainer. When he asked where the other four 

entertainers were, he was told that all five parts would be 

played by one person. 

Pantomimus meant "imitator of all." Pantomime actors 

wore masks to portray more than one character, telling their 

stories through dance accompanied by music and backed 

by a chorus which sang the story's narrative. 

In 18th century England, dance was held in low 

esteem as a performance art. John Weaver felt one cause 

was that no serious history of dance had been written, so in 

1728 he wrote the History of Mimes and Pantomimes. He 

described pantomime actors as those whose "chief art lay 

in acting, and silently demonstrated all sorts of manners 

and passions" who might "on the same day at one time" be 

required to play "Athamus mad, lno trembling: now Atreus, 

then Thysestes, and all this by one man." 

difficulty memorizing lines. His goals were realized when, 

adopting the stage name of Mr. Lun, he began portraying 

Harlequin as a silent character. Utilizing his full talent as a 

dancer, he made the role peculiarly his own, turning it into 

the dominant character in the Pantomime. Most 

Pantomimes had two titles, the second containing the 

name Harlequin; for example, "The Necromancer; or 

Harlequin Doctor Faustus." 

Rich's Harlequin dressed in the traditional Commedia 

style of a loose-fitting, thigh-length jacket buttoned from 

top to bottom, belted, and covered with irregular-shaped 

colored lozenges. He wore matching trousers and a black 

mask. 

Rich transformed Harlequin into a witty, mischievous, 

magical character. He drew upon his inventivness as a 

theater technician and his flair for mounting stage 

spectacles to make Harlequin a magician with vast powers. 

Weaver was dancing master at the Royal Theater Drury 

Lane, and decided to try to emulate the pantomimes by 

presenting what he called "Scenic Dancing." He produced 

his own version of The Loves of Mars and Venus, which 

was described by Colley Gibber as "a connected 

presentation of dances in character, wherein the passions 

were so happily expressed, and the whole story so 

intelligibly told, by a mute narration of gesture only, that 

even thinking spectators allowed it both a pleasing and a 

rational entertainment." Weaver tried to create a language 

of dance in which stock gestures represented certain 

emotions. He sparked a dance renaissance, and 

popularized the word pantomime. 

John Rich, at Lincoln's Inn Fields, following John 

Weaver's example, began producing stories told 

exclusively with dance. They were set in the evening in 

some place of pleasure, such as a tavern, and were 

knockabout comedies involving misunderstandings 

between ordinary townspeople and the Commedia 

characters. He called these stories Italian Night Scenes, 

and they were a frequent feature following a dramatic play. 

The management at Drury Lane didn't approve of 

these scenes, but felt forced to include them to stay 

competitive. In April 1717, Weaver staged a piece titled "A 

New Dramatick Entertainment of Dancing in Grotesque 

Characters call'd 'The Shipwrick; or, Persues and 

Andromeda.'" Harlequin, played by Weaver, was cast in 

the role of Persues, and Columbine, played by Mrs. 

Bicknell, was cast in the role of Andromeda. This 

combination of the Commedia characters with classic tales, 

and later fairy tales, was to be a dominant pattern in 

Pantomime. 

John Rich aspired to be an actor, but couldn't because 

his lack of education resulted in poor pronunciation and 

The New Calliope 13

How it started -- 


other fabulous writer. Between the pauses or acts of this 

serious representation, he interwove a comic fable, 

consisting chiefly of the courtship of Harlequin and 

Columbine, with a variety of surprising adventures and 

tricks, which were produced by the magic wand of 

Harlequin; such as the sudden transformation of palaces 

and temples into huts and cottages; of men and women 

into wheel-barrows and joint-stools; of trees turned to 

houses; colonnades to beds of tulips; and mechanic 

shops into serpents and ostriches." 

Satire and topical allusions were an important part of 

Pantomime. In the spring of 1721, the directors of the 

South Sea Company, including some members of 

Parliament, were under investigation for stock fraud that 

left many•investors facing ruin. Public interest and 

animosity towards company directors was high. If Rich were 

producing that show today, it would be called "The 

Magician; or, Harlequin a Savings & Loan President." 

In addition to his success with Pantomimes, Rich 

produced "The Beggar's Opera," England's first 

successful musical, making him London's most successful 

theater manager. In 1732, Rich moved to a new theater he 

had built, the Theatre Royal in Covent Garden, very near 

Drury Lane. Rich died in 1761, and although Harlequin 

continued to be played by many different actors, none 

approached his talent and popularity. 

Pierrot (beginning in 1717) and Clown (beginning in 

1725) had been occasionally included in Pantomime as 

supporting characters. The person who lifted these two 

characters to prominence was Carlo Delpini, who started at 

Drury Lane as Pierrot, and later was the first actor to 

become famous playing the role of clown. 

Delpini appeared in the 1781 production of "Robinson 

Crusoe; or, Harlequin Friday," written by Richard Sheridan. 

This production introduced a new structure for the 

Pantomime which would remain for over a century. The 

dramatic and comedy scenes were separated instead of 

alternating. Rrst, the dramatic story was presented, and 

then in a transformation scene the original characters 

were changed into the Commedia characters, and the 

comedy story concluded. The actors in the first part played 

new roles in the second. Delpini played Robinson Crusoe 

and Pierrot. The roles of Friday and Harlequin were played 

by Guiseppe Grimaldi, whose son Joseph was two at the 

time. 

The opening scenes, based on a classic or fairy tale, 

followed the old formula of young lovers being thwarted by 

old men and servants. When the story reached an 

impasse, a good spirit such as Mother Goose or a fairy 

appeared to transform the young lovers into Harlequin and 

Columbine, and to transform the old men and servants into 

Pantaloon, Clown, and other Commedia characters. The 

benevolent spirit would present Harlequin with his bat, 

which gave him his magic powers. 

Before the transformation, the actors wore "big 

heads," large carnival style papier mache masks and loose 

costumes . In preparation for the transformation, the actors 

would surreptitiously loosen the ties on the costumes' 

center back openings. On cue, their masks would be 

swept away, and their outer costumes would be shed and 

dropped down a trap door, revealing their Commedia 

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costumes and masks or makeup. 

The rest of the scenes, the actual Harlequinade, were 

a knockabout chase with Pantaloon and Clown pursuing 

Harlequin and Columbine. Harlequin was famous for his 

magical acrobatic escapes. He might leave by jumping 

through the face of a grandfather clock, and when the door 

was opened a miniature Harlequin sitting on the pendulum 

fired a pistol at Clown. Eventually Harlequin and Columbine 

would be cornered in a dark scene, and the benevolent 

spirit would again return to save the lovers and transform 

everything into a spectacular finale. 

Traditionally, Harlequin carried a wooden sword, but in 

Pantomimes he used a flat wooden bat which was actually a 

slapstick, two pieces of pliable wood with a separator in the 

handle. When the slapstick was swung, the wood slapped 

together creating a loud bang. Normally the slapstick is 

used for "hitting" another character, causing the sound of a 

hard blow with minimum contact. In Pantomime, it had an 

additional use. Magic transformations were caused by 

Harlequin swinging his bat much like a magician's wand. 

The noise of the slap could be heard behind scenes, 

under the stage and overhead, even with music playing, so 

it was used to cue the theater technicians, coordinating 

their actions. 

In addition to being an acrobat and magician, Harlequin 

was a thief and practical joker. He would leave a red hot 

poker (painted red) where another character would be sure 

to sit on it, getting "burned." Eventually Harlequin would 

forget where it was, and get burned himself. He would 

grease the floor with butter, causing other characters to slip 

and fall. He would knock on a butcher's door, and hide. 

He'd do this twice. The third time he'd lay down on the 

threshold so the enraged shopkeeper, rushing out to 

catch the culprit, would trip over him. Then he would dash 

inside and instantly re-appear with his pockets full of 

sausages and arms full of hams. 

Later, knocking Pantaloon out to steal wheels of 

cheese, Harlequin would push a mop handle through a 

cheese and place it in the hands of the prostrate 

Pantaloon. Then, piling the rest of the cheese on 

Pantaloon's back, he would use his victim as a 

wheel-barrow to cart off the booty. 

All that changed in December 1800 at Drury Lane, 

when James Byrne introduced a new style of Harlequin in 

the production of "Harlequin Amulet, or, the Magic of 

Mona." The change was symbolized by a new costume, 

the one we picture Harlequin in today. Byrne wore a 

skin-tight white silk body suit covered with 

diamond-shaped silk patches, sewn with tinsel and 

covered with spangles. He simplified Harlequin's mask to 


00 

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Aug. 23-25, Raleigh, N.C. 

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Dave "Happy Go Litely" Ebel 

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The New Calliope 15

How it started -- 


one just covering the eyes. 

Thelma Niklaus said, ''The Bergamask yokel was now a 

very fine gentleman indeed, as he flashed about the stage, 

a glittering quicksilver figure that caught every eye." In one 

scene he appeared to run up a vertical wall, and then 

across the roof of a house. Byrne's interpretation was too 

elegant to engage in the rough and tumble of the comedy, 

and too much the gentleman to be a thief. The character 

had evolved even past being the instigator of pranks, and 

would no longer be the driving force behind the plot or its 

star. 

This left an opening for a new character to fill the role 

formerly occupied by Harlequin. Another actor appearing in 

"Harlequin Amulet" was ready to seize the opportunity: 

Joseph Grimaldi as Clown. 

Copyright 1991 by Bruce Johnson. All rights 

reserved. 

Technical tricks of the Harlequinade 

In the Harlequinade, spectacle, acrobatic escapes, and 

magical transformations were expected by the audience. 

The leading actor, whether Harlequin or later Clown, was 

responsible for devising these tricks, which depended 

upon technical theatrical ingenuity. 

To facilitate Harlequin's escapes, the flats and walls 

often contained Vampire traps. These were two-part doors 

which opened in the center, with spring hinges closing 

them quickly, enabling Harlequin to dive through 

apparently solid objects. 

Harlequin would do a high dive roll through the 

•iii~ 

·:, '\i.;;\~miiu1 ·:;::: ta.B::11.=. tr~1::::·:,:,:; 

.. : ·. ·. Mehro*· mai~u:g · 

: . •:-: -:-:-::-.-.-.- 

\'i·:; 

.'.. 

,. ·· 

;:;::::::::::::::::::::::?:fiiJ?\t;=·=·i::•:❖:•:-:-:❖--:-;-:-:,:-:-;,:❖:::•:-:-:-:.;-:.:,::•.•-•-❖-• 

Vampire traps, which was a hazardous stunt. If he tucked 

his roll too soon, he would bang his knees on the edge of 

the trap. If he moved too slowly, the trap would close on 

him before he got through. High spectacular jumps were 

expected, and stage hands using a blanket caught the 

performer backstage. Some performers were injured or 

killed when stage hands let them fall because they hadn't 

paid sufficient "catch money." 

Another type of trap was a thick leather or India rubber 

mat which would bend downward when stepped on, and 

then spring back. The performer landed in a hammock 

hung beneath the stage. 

A trap used for appearances was the Star trap , a 

circular trap made of 16 triangular shapes cut from 1 

1 /2-inch planking and hinged to the floor in such a way that 

it wouldn't open downward when stood upon, but would 

open upward when slight pressure was applied from 

below. The performer would stand beneath the stage on 

an elevator platform with arms held over head. When 

counterweights were released, the performer was 

propelled rapidly up through the trap, appearing suddenly 

in midair, and landing on the trap which had closed 

beneath him. 

Some performers were catapulted more than 14 feet 

above the floor this way. Perfect poise was required 

because if the performer was standing off center, leaned in 

any direction or had his arms spread too wide, he would be 

smashed against the bottom of the stage. Another hazard 

was the possibility that the platform ropes might break 

before the performer reached the stage , and so would 

drop back into the cellar . Grimaldi was injured in two 

successive performances in such an accident. 

A similar platform used in reverse allowed Harlequin to 

hammer Clown down into the stage floor . 

-:-;:;:t}f{}/•':•. ·' 

Another common gag using the traps was for a 

character to wear a dummy head on built-up shoulders. 

Harlequin would knock off the head, which would roll down 

16 The New Calliope

a trap, and a live head would appear out of the trap asking 

what had happened to his body. 

Especially popular in Pantomime were trick changes 

where a box might change into a table sumptuously set for 

dinner, a lighthouse into a ship, or a baggage wagon into a 

stage coach. Sometimes the entire location would be 

instantly transformed. Many of these transformations were 

accomplished by hinged flaps on the scenery. The flaps 

would be allowed to fall down, or have spring hinges to 

force them up or sideways. 

A typical trick was to change a post-chaise into a 

wheel-barrow . The chaise was a flat cutout with a hanging 

canvas behind it giving the appearance of depth when the 

door was opened. Entering the chaise, Pantaloon stepped 

into a wheel-barrow hidden behind it. When he unfastened 

a brace, the top half of the chaise flew upward while the 

lower half dropped rapidly into a cut in the floor, exposing 

the wheel-barrow. 

The floors of the theaters were designed for flexibility. 

Every few feet between the proscenium and back wall, 

planks ran the width of the stage. These planks could be 

slid apart or removed, leaving just enough room for flats to 

slide up and down. The space between the planks could 

be removed completely when traps were needed. 

Sometimes more than a dozen traps were opening, so the 

actors had to be careful where they moved on stage. 

Springs, counterweights and clockwork machinery 

were sometimes used for effects. For Rich's production of 

"Orpheus and Eurydice," Sam Hoole built a giant 

mechanical hissing serpent covered with gold and green. 

scales that slithered sinuously across the stage, killed 

Eurydice, and then rapidly slid off stage. Later, learning 

Eurydice was dead, Orpheus retired to a rocky grotto to 

play his lyre. As he played, bushes sprouted from the 

rocks, grew into trees, blossomed and lost their blooms, 

and finally grew fruit. Wild beasts crept out of the forest. 

attracted by the music. 


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Sometimes real or mechanical animals were used in 

Pantomime, but most often the beasts were costumed 

actors, frequently children. Their roles, known as Skins, 

included cats, monkeys and bears. Almost any animal 

might be attempted, even a frog. Horses and elephants 

wf!Ke played by two men in a costume, and·a two-man 

animal costume is still sometimes referred to as a 

pantomime animal. 

Joseph Grimaldi began his career as a child 

performing in Skins, and grew up backstage observing 

how the tricks weKe created. As well as a great performer, 

he was an expert in all fields of technical theater. 

Copyright 1991 by Bruce Johnson . All rights 

reserved. 

❖:•:•:.: - ;.:-:-;-;.·:·.;, :::,: 

I t,eu~~~~~ke _w~·p~o'.,Boi'160 • Syracuse; NV 

L ·· . · 315 • 492-4523 , 

-----------~-~---J 

13215 I 

The New Calliope 17

Marti Vast-Binder: " ... Character is 

not something that can be taught." 

Just 

• 

e nice 

By Marti "Minnie" Vast-Binder 

According to my dictionary, "ETHICS" means the 

system of morals of a particular person or group. The 

particular group we are concerned with here is clowns, and 

more particularly, members of Clowns of America 

International. 

In this group we strive for our clowning morals to be the 

highest possible. By being a member of COAi, you are also 

expected to aim for perfection in your clowning. 

COAi asks its members to subscribe to "A Clown Code 

of Ethics." There are seven commandments in this code, 

that I'd like to examine one by one: 

1. "I wi II keep my acts, performance and 

behavior in good taste while I am in costume and 

makeup. I will remember at all times that I have 

been accepted as a member of the clown club 

only to provide others, principally children, with 

clean clown comedy entertainment. I will 

remember that a good clown entertains others 

by making fun of himself or herself and not at 

the expense or embarrassment of others." 

"Good taste" is a matter of individual interpretation, but 

I'm sure that we will all agree that this means staying away 

from dirty jokes and suggestive comments while in 

costume. A clown is meant to be a good, clean character. 

Don't try to entertain by picking on other people. The 

best entertainment by a clown is to be the brunt of your 

own jokes. Make it appear that the person who is assisting 

you has made a fool of you, not the other way around. 

2."I will learn to apply my makeup in a 

professional manner. I will provide my own 

costume. I will carry out my appearance and 

assignment for the entertainment of others and 

not for personal gain or personal publicity when 

performing for either the parent club or Alley 

events. I will always try to remain anonymous 

while in makeup and costume as a clown, 

though there may be circumstances when it is 

not reasonably possible to do so." 

It is imperative that we all apply our makeup in the most 

professional way possible. We are not people who are just 

dressed up for Halloween, so let's not look like we are. This 

applies to your clown character as well. In order to set 

yourself apart from Halloween clowns , you have a 

perfected character. 

Each of you is a living, walking, talking cartoon 

character. I am a real purist when it comes to this aspect of 

clowning. Those of you who oortray Santa understand that 

you would never do anything to destroy the image by 

removing your beard, hat, etc. , in front of kids. The same 

applies to your clown character. If you have perfected that 

character, it shouldn't matter how uncomfortable you are, 

you should be complete until you are sure that none of the 

public will see you . 

I have spoken with a number of very good clowns over 

the years who contend that character is not something that 

can be taught. I tend to agree , and feel that Character is 

what happens when a person is able to relax enough to let 

the silly out. There is a lot more to making people laugh 

than being dressed like a clown with clown makeup. Rather 

than worrying about who your ancestors are, work on 

relaxing and not being self-conscious in front of a group. 

Clowns are expected to be foolish, so do it. 

3. "I will not drink any alcoholic beverage 

prior to any clown appearance. I will abstain from 

drinking alcoholic beverages while in makeup 

and clown costume. I will conduct myself as a 

gentleman/lady, neither molesting nor 

interfering with other acts, events, spectators, 

or individuals." 

In my opinion, not only should you not drink alcoholic 

beverages , but it is not keeping in character to eat in front 

of the public. If you must eat, it is best to find a place where 

you are not noticed . I don't even like to drink water in front 

of the public. 

When you are working with other clowns, be very 

careful about upstaging other acts. Try to have all clowns 

participate equally in the event. And don't invite yourself 

18 The New Calliope


into another clown's walkaround. If someone says your 

name and invites you to join in, that's fine, but if another 

clown has a one-on-one going with a child or adult, find 

your own audience. 

4. "I will remove my makeup and change into 

my street clothes as soon as possible following 

my appearance, so that I cannot be associated 

with any incident which may be detrimental to 

the good name of clowning. I will conduct myself 

as a gentleman/lady at all times." 

This doesn't mean to get out of costume in front of 

your public. Each of you is a living, walking, talking cartoon 

character. If you have perfected that character, it shouldn't 

matter how uncomfortable you are, you should be 

complete until you are sure that none of the public will see 

you. 

5. "While on appearance, in makeup and 

costume, I will carry out the directives of the 

producer or his designated deputies. I will abide 

by all performance rules without complaint in 

public." 

Let the boss clown, if there is one, do the negotiating, 

etc. Again, stay in character at all times. If there is a 

disagreement in the performance, handle it away from the 

audience. 

6. "I will do my very best to maintain the best 

clown standards of makeup, costuming, 

properties, and comedy." 

Maintaining your props is as important as having good 

makeup and costume . 

7. "I will apear in as many clown shows as I 

possibly can." 

After all, the whole purpose in being a clown is to make 

people laugh , right? How can you do that if you don't 

perform? There is so much in this world to make people 

unhappy, it is our directive to help them be happy, if only 

for a fleeting moment. 

OTHER THINGS TO THINK ABOUT 

In addition to the seven commandments in the Clown's 

Code of Ethics, there are numerous business ethics which 

must also be taken into account. Most are just a matter of 

using good common sense. For instance, if a large 

corporation asks you to make an appearance, you may be 

sure that there is a budget to be worked with. Remember 

that you represent all clowns, not just yourself, in your 

business dealings. 


BALLOON BOX. INC. 

Jessi St. John 

St. James·s Park 

2416 Ravendale Court 

Kissimmee. FL 34758 

(401) 933-8888 

TYPE I BALLOON PRICES QTY. 

130 P•ncl, r • 30"' 

1 .. 

200 Pencl,7•3r 

1 .. 

245 Pencl , 7",: 45· 

1 .. 

280A Pencl, T 1 80" Euy to 81ow 

1 .. 

280E Pencil, 7 • 6lT Pto1 .. 1bn&I 

1 .. 

'1600 Penc il 2· 11: 80"' OualalH 

1 .. 

280E"" P.nc:1. 7 a eo· Al WhNa 

1 .. 

280EIIK P•nc ll. T • eo-Al Black 

1 .. 

260SW P•nc•. 2" • 80" Splnn•rt 

1 .. 

,eo.u Pencil. 2" 1 80" Uutllcob ed 

1 .. 

280A Pencl. 7 1 80" long. Eur Blow 

1 .. 

280E P..-.cll 7 a tr:r long. ProfeHi:>n&I 

1 .. 

312 Al,.ht,J" I' IT 

315 AJ,.hp 3" I 1~" 

321 a ... 6 Pattotl 

327 Splt&I .r 1 27 Knobby 

340 Alnht, :r 1 4(7' 

344 Alrtht, 'Y' I ,u• 

360 Al,.ht, :r 1 80"' (Hundttd PactQ 

434 For Spliced BaJoof'I 

524 Fo,TurtrJth Turmol 

615 ._ a Body Shlpod r, 1&· 

625 Alrtht, r 1 25• 

747 J .. , •• 2,· 

ClrcvtSl~T•5r 

o;>O 

HNd I Body S- 9" 1 'lO' 

10

JUIY/1'\U!::fU;)l, 

I~~ I 

Just be nice -- 


In an effon to convince the general public of the 

imponance and seriousness of our profession, we cannot 

give away our hard-earned skills and expenise. This is not 

to say that the brand new clown should charge at the same 

rate as those who have been at it for a number of years, but 

please do not sell yourself and all of us shon by not 

charging for your hard work. 

However, if you are asked to contribute time to a 

non-profit organization, don't hesitate to help out. But 

remember, as an entertainer, you may still ask for 

reimbursement of a ponion of your costs, or ask that the 

organization find a sponsor for your appearance. This is 

only good business sense. Once you make a reputation 

for yourself that lets people know you will clown for free, it 

is difficult to break that reputation. 

I don't mean to sound greedy here. Just keep in mind 

that if you give your talents away, people are less likely to 

appreciate the fact that you are a professional. The more 

you conduct yourself in a professional manner, the more 

people will accept you as a serious entertainer. 

Other ethics are involved in the procuring of jobs and 

Brass 

Whistle 

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2 beautifully-recorded professional quality audio tapes 

Each tape features Pop Tunes from the 1920's on one 

side and Marches on the other. Volume 1, $9.98; 

Volume 2, $9.98. Instant refund if you're not pleased! 

To order, send S9.98 per tape to Marion Roehl 

Recordings, 3533 Stratford Drive, Vestal US NY or 

call (607) 797-9062. VISA/MasterCard welcome. Add S2 

per order for shipping. (NY residents add 7% sales tax) 

Ask for a copy of our complete catalog of recordings 

of carousel organ music, player pianos, music 

boxes, saloon pianos, etc. 

your interaction with your fellow clowns. If you are informed 

that another clown has been doing a cenain job and the 

employer calls you instead, it is only polite to ask if the 

other clown was busy and unable to do the job. I wouldn't 

turn down the job, because apparently they want new 

entertainment for some reason. If any of you got a call 

where I had been doing the job, I would like to know so that 

I could call the employer and get suggestions and ideas on 

why they are not calling me back. 

If you overhear someone say they are going to try to 

get a certain job, of course it is not good clown ethics to 

beat them to the punch. There have been clowns who 

have done just that and have found out that they don't 

have many friends for long. On the other hand, if we all 

work together there are plenty of jobs, and usually in the 

summer, too many jobs. 

We have quite a network for passing the work along. 

You will find that ,he recommendations go to those who 

display a high degree of professionalism. If someone calls 

me to do a job and I cannot do it, I would simply turn down 

the work and not pass it to anyone rather than 

recommending someone who wouldn't reflect favorably on 

me and on all of clowning. 

In dealing with people who are offering you a job, it is 

best not to bad-mouth other entenainers. This only serves 

to make you look bad. A good phone voice is imponant so 

that you sound pleasant to those who would like to hire 

you. Conduct yourself in a businesslike manner at all times 

in your negotiations. To make a good impression, have an 

idea what you will charge for different types of jobs. Then 

when you get a call, you sound much more professional 

than if you have to hem and haw around to come up with an 

answer. 

If you get a call from someone who isn't sure what they 

want, have a list of different types of shows that you have 

done in the past, and be willing to offer a list of references 

from previous jobs. 

There are so many more things involved in clown 

ethics. Like: 

+ Don't steal material. 

+ Help your fellow clowns in any way possible. 

+ Get as much education as you can. 

+ Keep your show fresh and current. 

+ Don't harrass people who want to be left alone. 

+ Don't forget that when people see you, they are 

seeing all of us. 

Marti "Minnie" Vast-Binder has been 

clowning for 15 years, and teaches a class in 

clowning at Kellog Community College in Battle 

Creek, Mich. This article was excerpted from a 

seminar presentation. 

20 The New Calliope

July/August, 

*•*************J*,****************************• .. 

~~ tEt(e4t£~, ! 

! t: /tt "/li,e, !Otlt AliMilltl'fltl'i tdlt/011,, ! 

E CL9WHllST~9iL i 

~f!,,t,,-22,,, ~ NJ(t:t ~ 

..,. ~- SEASIDE HEIGHTS, NEW JERSEY ~ 

: SUN AND FUN RESORT : 

rn~, 

: 4 BIG DAYS OF CLOWN FUN! PRE-TRAINING DAY SPECIAL : 

il • SEMINARS & WORKSHOPS At your request training in "ministry clowning" and * 

~ • DEALERS • COMPETITIONS "novice clowning" will take place one day prior to ...._ 

..,. the main events on Sept. 18, '91. Choose one of ~ 

il • BOARD_WALK CLOWN PARADE thesesubjectsforaonedayintensivestudy. These il • FULL CIRCUS UNDER THE BIG TOP courses include lunch and are limited to the first * 

il • • • AND MORE fifty people to sign up in each course. Can- il cellations for this special day are non-refund- il FEATURING able. ~.''~ * 

: NATIONALLY KNOWN SPEAKERS Register NOW for Sept. 18th t.,_,: $30.00 : 

il IN THE CLOWN ARTS * 

: ACCOMODATIONS ~~~~~!!~!~?.~orkshops, : 

il AZTEC MOTEL dealers, competitions, hospitality, -tl 901 BOARDWALK awards buffet, boardwalk parade, il SEASIDE HEIGHTS, N.J. 08751 

circus and more for September 19-22, '91 * 

! 908· 793-3000 Register NOW! $55.00 ! 

..,. Postmarked after June 30th $60.00 ~ 

,tt Two, three and four day package rates available. Ask for the "Clownfest Special Rates". Accomo- PoS t marked after August 18th $65.00 : dations at the headquarters motel are·lrtnited. You At the door $70.00 will be directed to other lodging once this motel is No cancellations or refunds after Aug. 18th, ·91 : filled. A deposit is required. Make checks out to: N.C.A.C., Inc. * 

.. 

il ........ ...................... MAIL TO: N.C.A.C. Inc., 49 Dodd Street, Suite One, Bloomfield, NJ 07003·4617 ...................................: 

. 

i( Please Pnnl * 

Name 

,. I I I 

• il Street Address ,. I I I I ~ City State Zip Code :; I I I I I I I I I i( Area Code Phone # ,. I I I I L....-...1,__.___,_......, * 

-tl o Clown Ministry o Novice Clown ,t( •- MasterCard D ll!:) VISA D [:TI American Express {)f16{)( * 

! ~'.d I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I Expu~~~ [Il]J ~, ~~~~ L ; 

..,. Authorized Signature r J~ ~ ""'!: ~ '- ~ 

-'-, ! 

!.... Total Registration E nc I ose d $ 

Vlvwn.vr//(/ 

/l l,,,mufu ,,:1 :=,M.'A, 

LVvrtvo ~ 

.. Dated _ _______ __ additional registrations 

Jf,- 

0 

Please photocopy for * 

Produced by the National Clown Arts Council. Inc. 

********************************************** 

The New Calliope 21 

-tl


Got a question for Aunt 

Clowney? Write to tier c/o: 

Pat Lay Wilson 

Books by Mail 

P.O.Box 3128 Dept. COA 

Santa Ana, CA 92703 

Just ask 

Aunt Clowney 

First of all, let me tell you what a joy it was to meet so 

many of you at the COAi National Convention in 

Indianapolis, Ind. It was a wonderful time, with excellent 

classes and exciting competit ions. You guys are really 

terrific looking clowns; I'm sure the judges had a difficult 

time trying to select the winners in all categories. 

It was such fun chatting with all of you, and talking 

about problems in clowning you've had in the past. I was so 

happy to learn that you do enjoy the "Just Ask Aunt 

Clowney" column as much as I have enjoyed hearing from 

each one of you over the past two years. Keep those cards 

and letters coming! 

One thing we talked about in Indianapolis was, "What 

was the absolute worst show you've ever done?" A whole 

lot of clowns said that their worst shows were at Blue and 

Gold Banquets. How about you, clowns? Have you done 

Blue and Golds? And what were your experiences? Please 

write to P.O. Box 3128, Santa Ana, CA 92703. I'll print all 

the answers, and award a prize for the best. 

Dear Aunt Clowney: 

We're moving to a new state and are very 

excited to resume our clowning. We have just 

discovered that a grandma in our new 

state clowns for $19.95. How do we compete 

with that? That fee just won't cover makeup, 

balloons and insurance. We have always been 

priced fair with the local performers, but 

this ... it's just not fair. How would you handle 

this situation? 

Huggs & Sammy 

Recently of Chicago, 

now of Albuquerque, N.M. 

Dear Huggs & Sammy: 

How nice to hear from you. Moving from Chicago to 

Albuquerque must be a shock to your systems , in many 

ways. But isn't it fun to make a new, fresti start in another 

part of the United States? I wish you well. 

Now, about the cheap granny. I think you're going to 

find this problem no matter where you live. In some 

communities many clowns even give away their services 

free! But that is their choice, and there isn't anything those 

of us who make a living from our performances can do, 

except one thing: be the very, very best clown you can, 

and charge what you are worth. 

Really, don't worry about the grannies and the freebies 

and the cities that have birthday parties in their parks with 

amateur clowns and McDonalds who sponsor birthday 

parties in their restaurants. Remember, there is only one 

1 :30 p.m. that can be booked on any Saturday afternoon. 

And after the grannies and the parks are booked up, the 

customers will have to come to you. And they will. They are 

the customers who don't think about book_ing 

entertainment until a week before the party , and find that all 

the cheapies are booked up. They are frantic. And they will 

pay your price. 

And you will also get desperate calls from those who 

have booked cheap, amateur clowns who cancel out at the 

last minute. And although you are tempted to boost your 

prices when you hear their pleadings -- don't. Just be kind 

and generous and take their bookings. 

A few months ago I got such a frantic call from a very 

unhappy mother. She had paid $125 at a charity auction for 

a clown, and the mom called the clown weeks in advance 

and booked her for her daughter's upcoming birthday 

party. Unfortunately, only four days before the party, the 

(paid-for) clown called the mom and told her she wouldn't 

be able to appear. She didn't even suggest a substitute. 

The mom called me, near tears, and luckily I was available 

and happy to perform at the little girl's party. But I did 

charge her my normal price. 

22 The New Calliope

So the poor mom had to pay twice for one show. I think 

this was very unfortunate. The original clown got all the 

publicity at the charity event, and didn't even have to 

perform! But this is what's going to happen -- the mom who 

had to hire me for her daughter's performance will not 

forget what happened. And she will tell her friends. And 

they will tell their friends. And the original clown will wonder 

why she's not getting any bookings. 

I guess the important thing is, don't sweat the small 

stuff. Let the cheapies book their shows. Next year the 

customers might see the value in a "professional 

performance," and call you first. If not, well, there is only 

one 1 :30 each and every Saturday afternoon. 

Dear Ant Klownknee: 

I am not twe smrat. Pezze fourgive me. I do 

chillren parteis. Sould I toke teps? People alwas 

give me more tdan I ask 4. Sould I take it? 

Your fein, Hugo 

P.S. Sould peopel give me exta moni? 

P.P.S.S.: How dos I get patterns on makking 

puppets? 

Dear fein: 

You are smarter than you think you are. Any performer 

who is always getting tips does a great show and earns 

every buck he gets. Maybe you should be charging more 

than $19 .95 for your shows! Now quit clowning around and 

get back to your shows, Balloon Man the Clown. 

P.S-:7>.lthough most of you know that I operate a 

mail-order store called Books by Mail, I do not push it in this 

column. But wow, what a coincidence , Books by Mail does 

carry a wonderful puppet pattern set, Easy Puppet 

Patterns, with instructions for making 14 animals (bear, 

dog, rabbit, alligator, etc.) The price is $5.95. And a good 

book is The Wit and Wisdom of Polytoam, which teaches 

you to make "Muppet-type" (moving mouth) human 

puppets. The cost is $5. There is a $1 postage/handling 

charge for either book. And if any Just Ask Aunt Clowney 

· reader wants to order both bool

JUIY/AUgUSl, 

I l:1l:1 I 

Aunt Clowney -- 


·independent person, but perhaps I should seek help more 

often. 

I am also happy that you are not "pushy" about your 

Christian ministry. I know it is important to you to spread 

your own Gospel. But we must remember that we do not 

want to alienate others or force our beliefs on them. 

Dear Aunt Clowney: 

After many years with no problems, suddenly 

some of my clien,ts' checks have been 

bouncing. How do you guartt against this? 

Poorer and Sadder 

Dear Sadder: 

I have found the same thing happening. A couple of 

my customers' checks have bounced recently. But I waited 

a few days and re-deposjted them, and they went through 

okay. Of course, my bank charged me $4 for each check. 

But rather than hassle the CI.J§tomers, I just let it go. 

Now if the check doesn't go through the second time, 

or comes back "account closed," you do have a problem. I 

suggest you start calling and writing the person, asking that 

he or she send you a money order or bring cash over. If 

that doesn't work, there isn't a heck of a lot you can do. I 

know, Small Claims Court is supposed to handle cases like 

this, and if you really want to pursue the person, try this 

route. But it's going to take time and effort, and even 

though you win your case, it is not easy to collect your 

money. But I would pursue the matter if a check bounced. 

There are a few performers in my area who refuse to 

take ch~ks. They insist on cash. And that's another way 

out of the problem. I never heard of cash bouncing. 

One good thing is, in some communities they are 

beginning to really go after "paper hangers." I spoke with 

My-Brother-The-Cop, and he told me there is a pilot 

program in Los Angeles County (Calif.) where you contact 

the District Attorney when you receive a bad check, and 

you can sue for up to three times the amount of the check. 

The bad check writer even has to go to "bad check school" 

(like bad drivers school). My tittle brother emphasized that 

you have to pursue the matter in a timely fashion, call the 

person immediately and tell them that you are going to file 

in court, and even contact TRW or other credit associations 

with the information. Check out your local authorities to see 

if they are cracking down on'bad check writers. Hope so. 

Well, clowns, t~at's it for now. Looking forward to 

hearing from you. Don't forg~t to write with your Blue and 

Gold experiences. And here's hoping you all are having a 

wonderful summer! 

Clowns of America International 

Income and expense statements 

From April 1, 1991 to May 31, 1991 

REVENUE PERIOD TO DATE 

Cash brought forward $ $18,481.25 $9,337.80 

Membership 18,237.66 113,094.03 

Magazine ads 1,530.00 8,078.00 

Pins & Patches 671.50 1,327.40 

Convention 3,285.00 3,285.00 

Interest 178.53 1,103.94 

Misc. 185.00 599.00 

CD Maturity 7,388.04 25,966.72 

TOTAL REVENUE $49,956.98 $162,791.89 

EXPENSES PERIOD TO DATE 

Returned checks $00.00 $652.86 

New Calliope Production 8,200.00 44,880.00 

New Calliope Postage 1,365.17 4,908.18 

Computer Service 2,471.25 13,322.57 

Postage 468.08 1,881.60 

Printed Matter 00.00 3,275.07 

Pins & Patches 00.00 4,498.00 

Clown Hall of Fame 1,494.19 1,494.19 

Publicity 00.00 00.00 

Convention 2,664.97 2,664.97 

Education 00.00 627.19 

Prorated materials 00.00 00.00 

Misc. 77.52 2,552.77 

Fall Board Meeting 00.00 2,217.07 

Officers Phone/Postage 491.06 1,686.73 

Troghies 00.00 693.95 

Board Meeting 343.45 343.45 

Purchase of Certs. of Dep. 00.00 45,000.00 

TOTAL EXPENSES $17,863.69 $130,698.60 

NET CASH BALANCE $32,093.29 $32,093.29 

AMT. HELD IN CDs $61,000.00 $61,000.00 

Submitted by Judy Quest , COAi Treasurer 

,.. 

.. 

Changing address? 

Please notify: 

Clowns of America Int. 

P.O. Box 570 

Lake Jackson, TX 77566 

24 The New Calliope

( Calendar of coming events J 

Aug. 9-11: Clown Camp on the Road, Fort Worth, 

Texas. Hosted by Cowtown Clown Alley #135. For 

information write Cowtown Clowns, 3608 Glenmont Ave., 

Fort Worth, Texas, 76133 or call Nadine Barker (817) 

923-3030. 

Aug. 22-25: 17th Northeast Clown Convention, 

Trumbull Marriott, Trumbull, Conn. For information write 

Sawdust Alley 66, Leo "Dapper" Desilets, 30 Roswell St., 

Milford, CT 06460 or phone (203) 877-3869. 

Sept. 19-21: Tenth annual "Clownfest 

91," Seaside Heights, N.J. For information, send self 

addressed stamped business size envelope to National 

Clown Arts Council, Inc., c/o 240 Swimming River Rd., 

Colts Neck, NJ 07722. 

Sept. 21: 13th annual Minnesota Clown Days, 

Marriott Hotel, Bloomington, MN. Hosted by; Alley 19. For 

information write or call George Quast. P.O. Box 233, 

Hutchinson, MN. 55350 Ph.(612) 587-2300. 

Sept. 27-29: Third Annual Northwest Festival of 

Clowns, Travelodge Hotel, Portland, Ore. Hosted by Rose 

•••• 

• 

: Last wa1karound 

#15 in Cicero. 

••• •• 

Luke Corey 

From COAi Executive VP Betty Cash comes word that 

Luke Corey, of St. Paul, Minn., made his last walkaround 

June 8. He was a charter member of COA, and also held 

membership in its predecessor organization, the Clown 

Club of America. 

City Clowns. Festival contact number: (503) 620-3473. 

Oct. 2-6: 18th Annual Midwest Roundup, Hyatt 

Regency Woodfield, Schaumburg, Ill. Additional 

information: Write P.O. Box 8292, Rolling Meadows, IL. 

60008-8533 or call Jan Bohan (708) 359-9165. 

Oct. 18-20: Clownaroundarama, 1991 North Central 

Regional Convention, Breckenridge Frontenac Grand 

Hotel, St. Louis, Mo. Hosted by St. Louis Clowns of 

America. Additional information: Bev Hanson, 469 

Chamberlin Dr., Manchester, MO 63021. Phone (314) 

391-1465. 

Nov. 8-9: Two-day seminar, Pinellas Park Fla. Hosted 

by Girls Incorporated of Mid-Pinellas, and "Luv" a Clown. 

Additional information: "Luv" a Clown, 8630 55th St., 

Pinellas Park, FL 34665. Phone (813) 546-7325. 

Nov. 15-16: CLOWNAROUNDARAMA in Charlotte, 

N.C. Hosted by Jolly Jesters Clown Alley #203 and Oasis 

Temple Shrine Clowns. Additional information: Jolly 

Jesters, P.O. Box 667893, Charlotte, NC 28226, or call 

French Harvey (704) 541-8227. 

that she, Ted and his wife, Helen (who made her last 

walkaround in March 1988), helped organize Oop Alley 

Ted will be missed by his family and his fellow joeys . 

JAMES RYAN of Trenton, N.J. made his last 

walkaround Jan. 27. He will be missed by his friends. 

Luke was a member of Minnesota Alley #19, and a past 

member of the Minneapolis Aqua Jesters. He entertained 

children at the University of Minnesota Hospital for more 

than 30 years, and was always there to clown for the Jerry 

Lewis MD Marathon. 

Said Betty: "Luke had not been able to clown the last 

five years, but the love of it was still in his heart." 

Ted Laws 

Ted Laws of Cicero, Ill., made his last walkaround Dec. 

28, 1990. 

Ted's sister-in-law, Veronica Bates, of Witt, Ill., reports 

Yes, if you haven't paid your COAi dues, this 

is goodbye -- your COAi membership. has 

expired, ·and this is the last copy of The New 

Calliope you'll receive. 

But wait! Help is at hand! 

All it takes is your $20 check, sent to COAi, 

Box 570, Lake Jackson, TX 77566-0570, 

and you won't miss a single issue ... 00 IT!! 

The New Calliope 25

JUIY//'\U!:JU;::;L, 

I::,::, I 

Alley 

Update 

By Dan "Dano" Lake 

COAi Alley Coordinator . 

we had a nice response from the last issue of The New 

Calliope, even though some of the alleys thought we were 

trying to get rid of them. No, some of the alleys I had 

contact with haven't reported in for more than three years, 

even though they have been quite active. So let's 

welcome back to active status the following alleys: 

Alley 65 Erie Jolly Jesters, Alley 74 Conola Clowns, 

Alley 103 ·Funny Bone Clowns, Alley 38 All Kacy's Cl?wns, 

Alley 85 Texas Mid-Cities Clowns, Alley 92 Kansas City 

Clowns, Alley 97 Calloosa Clowns, Alley 113 Grease Paint 

Alley, Alley 116 Pal Clowns, Alley 136 Zippidy Do's 

Clowns, and Alley 155 Circus Clowns. 

Now, check with last month's Calliope to see if your 

alley is also on the active list. 

I also received four returned letters with no forwarding 

addresses. Will any member of the following clubs please 

contact me for the information about the status of their 

alleys: Alley 16 Central Ohio Clowns, Alley 53 Vagabond 

Clowns, Alley 141 Latter & Fun Tech, and Alley 172 

Famous Beach. 

In the last Alley Update we were so busy listing all the 

active alleys we shortchanged some of our new alleys. 

Let's welcome the following alleys: 

Merry Hearts Clown Alley 210 

President Celia Wright 

3544 Robyn Rd. 

Roanoke, VA 24015 

HUGE SELECTION • name brands & hand-crafted 

Reserve your copy of our new catalog! (Available August '91) 

Send $2.00 NOW (refunded on first order) to: 

~n_ 

P & M BEAR · PUPPETS & MORE 

~-Ce_~ 1025 East Yoke Street 

l.1J Indianapolis, IN 46203 

~.~ (317) 782-8274 MC/Visa Welcome 

Festival Clown Alley 211 

President James Dougherty 

Box57 

Lodi, NY 14860 

And now let's welcome our brand new alleys to COAi: 

Alley 212 Payasos Latinoamericanos Int. 

President , Enrique Luzunaris 

366 San Francisco St., Apt. 3-B 

San Juan, Puerto Rico 00901 

Alley 213 Holly Jolly Clowns 

President, Carol Thompson 

10398 104 Ave. N #235 

Largo, FL 34643 

Now, questions from the mail bag about logos and 

stationery: Even through the bylaws permit alleys to use 

the COAi logo, it is usually a matter of club pride to make up 

individual logos. Most logos try to identify their club with 

what that club is all about, or where the members live. For 

instance, Alley 128 in St. Louis has the logo clown holding 

the famous Gateway Arch. Some are stylized, like the logo 

of Alley 147 in Omaha. Others do something fancy with 

their alley's name, like Alley 115 OOP in Riverside, Ill. 

~ C)OMAHA"S ~ 

• J 1!~~'3JN-DuM 

~lD~ ,Q 

~ ~CJW. llltY 14? ~~\ - 

0 "t LOUI'=> v 

y 

So take some time, form a committee, have a logo 

contest and choose carefully a good logo to show off your 

clown alley. Also try to incorporate your alley number. Not 

only do people ask what an alley is, but it also helps in any 

correspondence you have with the COAi officials. By the 

way, once you have your logo chosen, hav.e it registered 

with our state so that nobody else can use the logo without 

your permission. 

As for stationery, take your logo, as is, or take the name 

of your club out of the logo and put your name and address 

across the top or bottom of the page. It makes things very 

official. For example: 

ST. Ll:lUIS eLl:lWNS l:lF flME)llefl 

-Al.iliEY 128 

PO BOX 25008 • 5T 1.0V I S M l $S0\JAI 03125 

Now, if you want to start up an alley in your area you 

need to have five clowns who are members of COAi and 

$50. Send the names and the money to: Dan Lake, Alley 

Coordinator, 13005 Lakeridge Dr., St. Louis, MO 63138. I 

will get it approved as soon as possible and you'll be one of 

the happy, healthy alleys of this great club of ours. 

26 The New Calliope

JUiy/August, 1991 

Pres.Bush honors Richmond clown 

A Richmond, Va., clown was among federal employees 

honored for outstanding community service by President 

and Mrs. Bush last spring. 

Among the "1,000 Points of Lights" honored by the 

Bushes was Joyce "Ziggy" Elliott, who is support service 

supervisor for the Rjchmond Small Business 

Administration regional office. Her work with hospitalized 

children and with various charitable organizations won 

Ziggy the honor. 

Ziggy's nomination was made by her boss, Deputy 

District SBA Director Roy D. Baldwin. His nomination said: 

''To children in a terminal care facility and their families, 

humorous moments are few and far between. To brighten 

this picture a little, Ziggy dons her character and travels to 

hospitals with the hope of adding a little sunshine to the 

unfortunate children who are captive to the hospital 

world .... " 

Northwest report 

By Andi "Me-Too"Rothweiler 

NW Regional COAi Vice President 

Things are really hopping in the Northwest! Clowning is 

growing fast in this region, with many wonderful people 

dedicated to being the best clowns ever. 

More than 60 clowns from three provinces, as well as 

Washington and Wyoming, attended Clown Fun '91 May 

24 and 25 in Red Deer, Alberta. The event was hosted by 

Let's Clown Around Alley #191 of Red Deer. Two fun-filled 

days ended with a Paradeability Competition at Bower Mall 

in Red Deer. Daughter Julie ("Squirt") and I were pleased 

to teach many seminars and enjoyed the wonderful 

hospitality of Ron Daley and Dwain Tremblay. Hats off to all 

Alley 191 members who made the weekend a clowning 

success. Clown Fun '92 is already planned for next May. 

Spokane, Wash., spent the summer gearing up 

with the Carrousel Clownariffics Alley #46 for International 

Clown week. On Aug. 4 Riverfront Park was to present the 

Carrousel Clownariffics Festival '91. The Mayor of Spokane 

presented a proclamation honoring International Clown 

Week. 

Cascade Clown Club Alley #201, Seattle area, is 

the largest alley in the Northwest. These COAi members 

keep a full clowning schedule of events. 

Finally -- remember to make your reservations now 

for the Northwest Regional Clown Festival, scheduled 

Sept. 27-29 in Portland, Ore. It will be an exciting weekend 

of education and competition. See the registration form in 

this issue of The New Calliope. 

,, 

~ - 

,c)~ 

J 

) 

, r,, 

In addition, wrote Baldwin, "After a tough day of 

working with personnel, scheduling and budget problems, 

Joyce works with a number of charities, such as the 

Muscular Dystrophy Telethon, the American Cancer 

Society, the Children's Miracle Network and the Crippled 

Children's Hospital. 

"This type of volunteeer activity cannot be measured in 

terms of dollars or time, but only in the pleasure given 

to these children." 

Said Ziggy: This was a real honor and a ceremony that I 

will never forget." 

Alrededor de la Region 

Por Pedros Santos 

Vice-Presidente Regional 

Saludos copaneros payasos de la Regional Latina de 

COAi. 

En la reunion de la junta de directores de COAi en la 

Convencion Anual, celebrada en Indianapolis del 23 al 28 

de Abril de 1991, presente la mocion, para publica en El 

Calliope una pagina con informacion de actividades, 

anuncios, reportajes ya que nuestra regiona incluye 

Colombia, Mexico, Puerto Rico. La mocion fue aprobada 

por unanimidad por la junta de directores. 

Toda publicacion en la pagina de informacion debe ser 

enviada a mi persona, para redactar la informacion. 

FLASH -- FLASH: En la asamblea de membresia en la 

convencion en Indianapolis, el compaf'lero de Mexico 

Payaso Oscar Flores (Timmy Boni) propuso que se deberia 

tener un traductor en Espanol, ya que muchos payasos 

Latinos, no entienden, el Ingles para futuras 

convenciones. 

Como vice-presidente regional propuse la mocion para 

queen futuras convenciones el alley-hoster, tenga la 

responsabilidad de tener traductores en competencias, 

seminarios. La mocion fue aprobada por la mernbresia y la 

junta de directores de COAi. 

Mucha felicidades a los companeros payasos 

ganadores de premios en la convencion. 

The New Calliope 27


FrOIIl 

the 

President 

By Donald "Ski" Berkoski 

On July 1, I began my second year as COAi President. I 

am proud to serve the COAi membership. I look back with 

pride to our many accomplishments, ar-d look forward to an 

even greater year. 

Our membership is continuing to expand at a very fast 

~ace. New alley inquiries and new alley charters are coming 

m m record numbers. Our continuing educational programs 

are in full swing. Yes, COAi is truly alive and growing in the 

'90s. 

International Clown Week is Aug. 1-7. Clowns 

from all over the world were planning to celebrate this 

special week, to promote professional clowning at all 

levels. Please let us know what your alley is doing in 

,~, 

P.O.&OX 374 ALTA LUMA, CA 9t7t)l 

cu~~~ll. (..LlJWN MAGIC f.' OR CHILDREN'S PARTVS' l. PRICE 

MAblC ~-WAY COLORING BOOK •.........................•....•. S 6.25 

VANlSHING CRAYONS (GREAT WITH COLOR BOO•· •••••••.••••••.• s 4. 75 

Af-'F'c ARING CRAYONS

..,u,y,nuyu,>L, , ;:,;::,, 

'Mr. Boots' 

measures up: 

COAi Director Hunter 

Stevens checks out tile 

work on the Clown Wall of 

Fame -- part of the Clown 

Hall of Fame in Delavan, 

Wis. The red and white 

Wall fronts the CHOF's 

new facility, and will 

include the names of 

those clowns who make a 

$100 donation to the 

project. For that donation, 

says Stevens, a clown 

receives a 3x6--inch area 

(like those at Stevens' 

right in this photo) 

containing the donor's 

given and clown names, 

and city and state.Space 

can be reserved by filling 

out the form below and 

sending it to the Clown 

Hall of Fame with your 

$100 donation. 

THE 

• • CLOWN 

~ HALL OF FAME 

a RESEARCH CENTER 1NC ,.. 

212 E. Walworth Ave., Dept. WF 

Delavan, Wisconsin 53115 

Print your name on line one, Print you clown name on line two, print your city and state on 

line three. Letters cannot exceed the 26 spaces alloted. Make checks payable to: Clown 

Hall of Fame. Your donation is tax deductible. 

~I I I I I I I I I I I I 111111111111111 

The New Calliope 29

COAi Newsmakers 

Clowns have high visibility, so joeys always 

make news. And, as the number of clowns 

grows, so too does the news they generate. 

On the following pages of The New Calliope are 

stories about COAi members that have 

appeared in newspapers and magazines 

recently. 


Petals and friend 

Behind the greasepaint with Petals 

By Will Chabun 

The Leader-Post, Regina, Saskatchewan 

The children file down the stairs and into the cool, 

quiet basement of the Regina Public Library's central 

branch. Turning a corner, they come face to face with an 

apparition: a gentleman in a green coat, bright ye!low hair 

and a nose resembling a small, ripe tomato. 

"Gotta check everybody's nose!" shouts Petals the 

Clown. 

He touches a child's nose -- and there's the loud bray 

of an air-horn hidden in Petals's baggy bloomers. Over and 

over -- in one minute, he's reduced several dozen children 

to giddy giggle machines. The scene shifts to the library's 

theatre. 

When he asks, "How many of you want to be a 

magician?" all of the children -- and several of the adults 

accompanying them -- shoot up their arms., 

• * * * * 

The licence plate on the small Chrysler sedan in the 

driveway says "MAGIC 1" and there's a small yellow sign in 

its window that says "Fun-maker on board." 

Jim Toth greets us at the door, two-thirds ·of his face a 

ghostly white. Having polished off yesterday's show at the 

public library, he's got another gig in 90 minutes and he's 

offered to show us how he converts himself into Petals, 

the magician-clown. It is neither quick nor without 

considerable thought. 

He holds up a green balloon. "Should I blow it up?" 

The youthful chorus shouts, "Yeah!" -- whereupon he 

holds it above his bright yellow hair -- and blows upward at 

it. 

"NO!" Shriek the kids. "Put it in your mouth!" 

Petals nods. He puts the balloon -- the whole darned 

balloon -- into his mouth and seriously chews it. 

More wild shouts. "That didn't work," he says 

solemnly. 

Petals places cutouts of two rabbits -- one black and 

one white -- on a table and somehow switches them back 

and forth, without touching 'em. A plast ic rabbit magically 

goes from his pocket to that of a little girl from the 

audience. Hey, how'd he do that? 

Lightest colors go on his face first; if you make a 

mistake, it's easy to cover it up. That's why Toth starts with 

white and, as he does, he starts talking about how he got 

into magic in the first place. 

It began in postwar Regina, where he, three siblings 

and their mother lived in a tiny apartment near 10th Avenue 

and Toronto Street. Young Jim went without a lot of things , 

_ save for the time and ability to read a comic strip about a 

mouse and a little girl who could shrink herself down to 

mouse size by using a magnifying glass. Corny as it might 

seem, the idea of this magical magnifying glass stuck in 

Toth's memory . 

Over his white .makeup comes pink makeup for his 

cheeks. Toth -- or should we call him Petals? -- uses an 

oil-based, hypo-allergenic brand, counting himself lucky he 

30 The New Calliope


doesn't have sensitive skin. 

Anyway, when he returned to Regina from the 

University of Saskatchewan as a young schoolteacher in 

1959, he bought a trick from a local shop called the Fun 

House, then looked for an experienced magician to explain 

it. He was directed to Jim Leach, a British magician who'd 

performed for Allied soldiers during the Second World War. 

"He was a bachelor and over 70 and he needed 

companionship, I guess," Toth remembers. "We became 

very close and he wanted to share everything with me. I'd 

spend about three hours with him every Monday night. 

"He was harder on me than my piano teacher was. He'd 

have me rolling coins in my fingers, palming cards, 

multiplying balls in the air. He'd say, That's not good 

enough! I could see that!' Then he'd tell me stories about 

the magicians he'd worked with and his experiences during 

the war." 

But that was 30 years ago and these days, magicians 

are not exactly hanging around the street corners in 

droves. Today, Toth gets professional tips via the many 

clown and magic organizations to which he belongs. Don't 

get the idea that members sit around dreaming up bigger 

and better whoopee cushions. At the annual camp of the 

Fellowship of Christian Magicians, for example, students 

troop to classes at 8:30 each morning, capping the day 

with an evening religious service, then a two-hour magic 

show. At the University of Wisconsin's annual summer 

Clown Camp, there are classes in clowning, costumes. 

juggling, even explosives. 

"If you went into the cafeteria, you'd see it was full of 

350 clowns, some in costume , some in makeup -- and 

some people, like my wife, just sitting there." 

But when Petals was created about 15 years ago, Toth 

concedes he was not exactly in a happy frame of mind. He 

was then working as a vice-principal for Regina's public 

school board, besieged by students, administration , 

parents , teachers, the school board and anybody else with 

an educational axe to grind. 

"I needed an outlet," he remembers. "Otherwise, you 

go completely bonkers." 

Thus was born Petals, initially a tramp clown with a 

downturned "amost despairing" mouth. The name 

reflected Toth's fondness for green , growing things . 

Toth, who calculates that he's the senior magician in 

Regina, retired from the school board a year ago and now 

does clowning , hypnotism and magic. He also plans to do 

consulting work on the merits of laughter in the workplace. 

"There are more imponant things to do in life than burn 

yourself out in an office," he says , looking awfully serious 

for a guy with pink and white paint all over his face. 

Over that face, Toth adds some black makeup to 

emphasize the natural flow of the face's lines. 

Petals, that clown that is coming to life before our very 

eyes in the basement of Toth's south Regina home, has 

not finished evolving yet. Toth feels a clown must respond 

to the world around him, and today he sees a world in 

which people -- particularly young people -- must get by 

without much love and attention. 

"They've all got Walkmans, but that doesn't give you 

any affection ." 

Who better to cheer up children than a 

well-intentioned clown who says, "There's still a need for 

nunuring, caring and sharing"? 

Clowning is also more than acting goofy. It has a rich 

sociology rivalling that of any other human subculture. 

The Whiteface clown is at the top of the heap; he's 

supposedly the sman guy. When clowns work in pairs, he's 

the one who takes the lead. But when he tries to make a 

fool of his partner or a helper from the audience, it 

invariably backfires -- son of a morality tale on the price of 

picking on others. 

The Whiteface's foil is the Auguste (derived from the 

German word for "fool"), a happy-go-lucky bumbler . At the 

bottom of clown society is the Tramp , or Hobo. 

Petals is a Whiteface. "Things that happen to me 

usually go wrong," says Toth. "I make myself the brunt of 

every joke ." 

Having performed at binhday parties in the 1960s, he 

now finds himself performing at parties for these people's 

children. 

"There are more kids who know me as a clown and 

magician," he says. "I've had more impact that way than 

through education. It's funny, but that's the way it is. 

"I don't charge any enormous money because that's 

not the imponant thing ." 

Without advenising, he does about 400 shows a year, 

about 50 of them as Petals, for it takes a long time to get 

the makeup on. Some are in his third alter-ego, hypnotist 

James Albens . 

"Sometimes," he says with a roguish smirk , "my wife 

doesn't know who she's going to bed with." 

Toth isn't finished yet. He dusts his face with a thin 


The New Calliope 31


Jim To.th -- 


layer of talcum powder that "sets" the makeup, enhancing 

the color and preventing it from running. Liquid eye 

m;-•l

~ 

-

JUIY/1"\U~U.:>l, 

I.:,.:, I 

Chuck Rinkel -- 

From page 32 

Dr. Bugg and patient 

memberships in Clowns of America International, Inc., and 

the World Clown Association. 

In February of 1990, Rinkel attended a seminar at St. 

Luke's Hospital in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and heard Michael 

Christensen from the Big Apple Circus Clown Care Unit in 

PATCHES & PINS 

with COAi logo 

are available 

to members 

Patches, 4" diameter: $3.00 each 

Pins, 1" diameter: $3.00 each 

Decals: $1.00 each 

Make check payable to Clowns of America, 

International. Order from: 

Walter R. Lee 

1347 Ava Road 

Severn, MD 21144 

New York City. They have 25 clowns in eight pediatric 

hospitals. 

The time was right to introduce humor therapy to 

Ottumwa Regional Health Center patients and Dr. Bugg 

was the perfect vehicle. He visits the Step-Down Unit, the 

Nursing Facility, Surgical Floor, Pediatrics, Rehabilitation 

Unit, Vista Care (which is adult day care), Surgical and X-ray 

waiting rooms, the main lobby and the Emergency waiting 

room. In the course of a day he visits with about 25 to 30 

patients, 65-75 visitors and hospital personnel. The length 

of each visit depends on the situation and Dr. Bugg not 

only clowns around but has been known to sit with a 

patient to just talk or even share a few tears. 

From the time Dr. Bugg heads for the front door of the 

Health Center, he is greeting visitors and delighting 

youngsters with his "IYQ" stickers. He visits with patients in 

their rooms only with their permission and gives them a few 

minutes of pure delight with his mechanical dog who jumps 

on command, or they marvel at the 25 feet of colorful 

streamers that he "pulls" from their ears. His bag of tricks is 

always appropriate for each patient he visits and they look 

forward to his return. 

Any battle with illness involves two elements. One is 

the ability of physicians and nurses to give patients the 

best that medical science has to offer. The other is the 

ability of patients to summon all their physical and spiritual 

resources and put them to work in helping the 

recuperating process -- laughter is powerful medicine. 


Carolina Clods 

Reprinted from "The Episcopalian Cross Current," 

Fayetteville, N. C. 

By Bobbie Marcroft 

A hit song from Stephen Sondheim's "A Little Night 

Music" was "Send in The Clowns." His haunting melody 

ended, "Don't bother, they're here." 

The "here" in this case is St. Paul's-in-the-Pines, 

Fayetteville, where an ecumenical clown group calling itself 

"God's Clods" takes the Gospel and, through the format of 

clowning and mime, puts it into words and movement that 

even a three -year-old can understand. 

St. Paul's clown ministry began in the spring of 1985. 

The word "clown" comes from the Anglo-Saxon word 

"clod" -- a country bumpkin, powerless, a servant. As part 

of their clown ministry, the Clods try to interpret traditional 

Biblical themes and stories in less traditional ways hoping 

to bring new meaning and richness to the Biblical texts. 

God's Clods truly believe that God loves a good belly 

laugh. 

34 The New Cal:iope


The age range of God's Clods is impressive. Esther 

"Amazin' Gracie" Robbins is in her eighties, others are as 

Doodad recalls , "The benediction was given with the mark 

of the clown (a red circle on our cheeks) showing that each 

of us belongs to God in a very special way. It was a fitting 

climax to a grace-filled day." 

Clowning is a ministry with a purpose and the faith of a 

clown is based on a lively and reckless confidence in the 

grace of God. Says Doodad, "Whether we play, whether 

we offer the world a lollipop or a pickle, remember that 

God's grace has preceded us." 

M 

A trio of God's Clods (from left): Toi "High 

Pockets" McGary, Betsy "Doodad" Willis, and 

Marlen "Pussy Kat" Mori. 

young as five and six, but most are in their thirties, forties 

and fifties. 

Teenagers show little interest. "They are intimidated by 

the fact that we are not into being 'grown up'," explains 

Betsy "Doodad" Willis, convenor of the group, "and this 

has surprised a lot of people." 

A graduate of Randolph-Macon Women's College in 

Lynchburg, Va., Doodad's training in clowning includes 

Conferences in Biblical Humor, Pacific School of Reugron, 

Berkley, Calif.; Phoenix (Interfaith Conference for 

Performirtg Arts in Ministry), Windsor, Ont. , Arts in Worship 

Conference, Kanuga. She is a member of Fayetteville 

United Nuts Clown Alley and a member of COAi. 

The Clods are active throughout North Carolina, 

offering liturgical clowning and pastoral care in nursing 

homes and children's homes. in hospitals and in prisons - 

everywhere and anywhere they can convey the real action 

of God, alive and well in the world today. 

They write their own . scripts ( one of which has been 

published in "Modern Liturgy"). conduct workshops in 

clowning, participate in civic and charitable events, take 

part in parades and festivals, in Senior Citizen rallies, CROP 

walks. Special Olympics and (of course) appear in 

churches. 

Any honoraria they receive, they combine with money 

raised from recycling aluminum and establish s_cholars.bips 

to conferences. In December 1988, a workshop was held 

for 25 inmates of the Fountain Correction Center for 

Women in Rocky Mount. Responding to the reminder and 

the invitation "unless you become like children, you will 

never enter the kingdom of God," the women joined in with 

enthusiasm . It was a day to remember for everyone. 


Alvin Baum 

Excerpted from Richmond, Virginia's OH Magazine 

By John C. Boyle 

Alvin the Clown, a.k.a. Dr. Alvin Baum, tells a story 

about a grown man fainting at a parade when a clown came 

up and looked him in the eye. Obviously, this is not the 

effect a clown shoots for, and it's not one Baum has 

encountered much in over 50 years of nationwide 

clowning, including stints with the Ringling Bros. and 

Barnum & Bailey Circus. 

''The first time you're in a parade as a clown you will get 

such a high out of it," says Baum, a longtime Chesterfield, 

Va., resident and founder of Richmond's longest-standing 

clowning group, Virginia Clown Alley #3, Incorporated. 

"People look at you and children look at you and they 

laugh. They want to shake your hand. They want you to 

come over to them so they can do it. Once you do that, 

you're hooked." 

A diminutive, appropriately cheerful man, the 5'5" 

Baum got into the clowning business early on. It almost 

goes without saying that he was the class clown in high 

school. 

After graduating from the Pennsylvania College of 

Optometry in 1941 . Baum served in the Army till 1945. 

Needless to say, clowning and soldiering don't exactly go 

hand-in-hand. Upon returning to Richmond after World War 

11, he eventually rekindled his interest in clowning through 

the Tuckahoe Volunteer Rescue Squad, which formally 

organized its "Clown Brigade" in 1955 . 

Baum and the other clowns performed at parades, 

parties, charity events, and at special hour-long Dogwood 

Dell shows through the 50's and 60's. During the late 50's, 

Baum regularly appeared on "The Danny Beagle" kids' 

show on Channel 6, and later as a regular on "The Bozo 

Show ." All the while, though, he was ingratiating himself 

with the various circuses that came to town, eventually 

strikipg pay dirt . After appearing regularly with these visiting 

circuses, in 1959 Baum received a certificate from RBBBC 


The New Calliope 35


Alvin Baum -- 


as an honorary clown. 

More importantly, he fostered an atmosphere of 

growth and support for clowning in the Richmond area 

throughout the 60's and ?O's. Baum taught the first clown 

class in Richmond's history in 1968, and was largely 

responsible for the formation of Virginia Clown Alley #3 and 

its subsequent reception of a charter from Clowns of 

America. Baum served as president of the alley and 

oversaw its development during the ?O's. 

As if Baum weren't busy enough clowning and working 

locally, he also served 20 years in the Civil Air Patrol and 23 

years with the Tuckahoe Volunteer Rescue ~qua~, 

Despite this workload, Baum has been a fam,har sight at 

hospitals across the land and even across the water. With 

performances in Puerto Rico and Mexico under his belt, 

he's slowed little over the past 10 years. 

"In an average year I can do 12, 15, sometimes 20 

shows," he says, "but usually I'm in the public eye as a 

clown eight to 1 O times a year." Baum also traditionally fires 

up his RV around Christmas time for a two-week hospital 

tour in which he usually covers between 2,500 and 2,800 

miles. No one shares the driving responsibilities. Baum 

goes it alone on these voyages, leaving his wife, Charlene, 

to her European travels. "She goes to Europe; I'll go to 

Albuquerque," sayus Baum, whose routines typically last 

30 to 40 minutes. 

Baum can look back over a successful clowning career 

with a sense of pride only a fellow clown could know. In his 

discourse on the history of clowning, he spoke of ancient 

rulers who first placed clowns in such high regard . 

"The idea of getting a clown for the kings and 

monarchs was to take away the bad, evil spells," he says. 

"They figured if they could get some dwarf or misshapen 

person, it would absorb all the evil from themselves. That 

was the first idea." 

In a way, this idea holds true today. Baum and his 

cohorts try to absorb unhappiness and replace it with a 

smile. In his long career Baum has certainly left a lot of 

people smiling -- despite an occasional fainting victim. 


C el Dryden 

Exerpted from the Kerrville, Texas, Daily Times 

By Michael Bowlin 

When someone asks Cel Dryden to "put on a happy 

face," she does more than just smile. She literally paints a 

smile from ear-to-ear across her face. 

Dryden is a clown. 

"I got involved in it about six years ago when I lived in 

Corpus Christi and I've been at it ever since," Dryden said. 

When she and her husband moved to Kerrville, 

Dryden wanted to continue clowning around. 

The only clown club I could find was at Dietert Claim, 

which I joined." 

Recently, Dryden formed her own club -- the "K.C. 

'Cheerful' Clowns." The 11-member group is an offshoot of 

an "Introduction to Clowning" class Dryden recently taught 

for Tivy High School's Community Education classes. 

"I taught a similar class at Del Mar College in Corpus 

Christi," Dryden said. "I didn't really approach the adult 

education people here with the idea of forming my own 

club. We decided that after the class had started." 

Dryden decided to form the club to try and get more 

young people involved in clowning. 

"The Dietert Claim clowns are a great bunch of people, 

but most of them are getting on in years. It takes a lot of 

stamina to run down the roads entertaining the crowd 

during a parade," Dryden said. 

During the six-hour class taught by Dryden, class 

members were given a brief history of clowning. But a 

majority of the class time was dedicated to learning how to 

apply makeup. 

"It takes a long time to learn how to apply the makeup 

just right," Dryden said. "Then it takes hours more practice 

perfecting the type face you want. In six hours you don't 

learn it all, that's for sure." 

Clowning as a hobby can be as expensive as you want 

to make it, Dryden said. A majority of the expense is buying 

the greasepaint. 

"You can piece together a costume from the Salvation 

Army, hospice or from a garage sale for about $10 to $15," 

Dryden said. "A professional clown costume can run into 

the thousands." 

To be a clown, Dryden said, ''You have to like people. 

You also have to have a gregarious personality -- be 

cheerful." 

Dryden stressed that you never clown at the expense 

of another person's feelings. 

"By that I mean when you're clowning, you never poke 

fun at another person. Your job is to poke fun at yourself or 

36 The New Calliope


another clown . 

"The main purpose in clowning is to make people 

happy -- put a smile on their face." 


Gwen Teixeira 

From the Pacific Business News 

By Rod Smith 

All the world loves a clown, and Gwen Teixeira has built 

a business success on that fact with her Cotton Candy 

Clown Circus. 

"It's an entertai~ment business," she said. "We do 

magic shows, balloon animals, face painting, take an animal 

for children to pet and help sing 'Happy Birthday'." 

Teixeira said that while most of her performances are 

for children's birthday parties, the Cotton Candy Clown 

Circus also performs at promotions, benefits, a few 

weddings and company parties. 

"My kids grew up and I missed them, so I became a 

clown. And then they became clowns, too," she said. 

Teixeira said that now three daughters and two 

grandchildren also work as clowns, often together with her. 

Although all are independent contractors, Teixeira handles 

the business end of the operation, including all bookings. 

A graduate of Sacred Hearts Academy who was born in 

Kaimuki where her business is still based, she has done 

office work, including bookkeeping since 1958. Teixeira 

said she spent most of her time at home raising her 

children, but that she had worked at J .J. Productions 

performing at birthday parties and had worked as a clown at 

Ballooney Tunes. 

"I went to a class at the YWCA for displaced 

homemakers, and that was when I started my clowning. I 

enjoyed being a clown, and at that point I thought I'd see 

how it would work out full time," she said. 

Teixeira said that seven years earlier, in 1977, she had 

thought about becoming a clown along with a daughter. 

She had thought of being called Cotton and calling her 

daughter (now working as Fundles) Candy, and when she 

finally went into the business on her own, she just put the 

names together; hence the name of her Cotton Candy 

Clown Circus. 

She said that in addition to the Cotton Candy 

character, she also performs as Stormy Weather, Sun 

Dance and Tarantula the Spider Woman, a horror character, 

and at Christmastime, Mrs. Claus. 

The circus also includes dauqhters Bungie and 

Marshmallow and grandchildren Pop Corn - now also 

known at Bat Boy - and Cherry. She said the clown 

business is a cinch because "children are very easy to 

please." 

Teixeira said that in 1984, her first year in business, 

she grossed $736, but that last year she made $24,000. 

"That's just what I made as an independent contractor. 

With my daughters also working, we brought in a lot more," 

she said. 

In addition to working as a clown, Teixeira also teaches 

clown classes and workshops for children and adults at the 

YWCA in Downtown Honolulu and at Aikane O'Hokulani 

School in Kaimuki. 

"My biggest problem getting started (in business)," 

she said, "was the fear of not knowing if I'd make enough 

money to support myself and the last daughter I had living 

with me." 

Teixeira said the secret to her success is doing what 

she enjoys most; furthermore, Hawaii has the best climate 

in the world tor a clown business because the weather is 

never a problem. On the Mainland, clowns have to battle 

ice and snow as they drive around between engagements , 

she said. In Hawaii, the only problem is all the attention 

clowns get on the road. 

"Sometimes I drive 150 miles in a day, and a lot of the 

time other drivers stop to stare -- and then they start 

laughing. And that makes me feel real good because I 

know I have made somebody happy." 


Buddy and Bubbles 

From the Green Bay, Wis., Post-Gazette column, "Ute 

after 60" 

By Lois Kerin 

STURGEON BAY -- Take away the striped ties, plaid 

pants, wigs, floppy checkerboard shoes and greasepaint 

and you have Bud and Edith Schmidt, entrepreneurs. 

Put the costumes back on and you have Buddy and 

Bubbles, a delightful couple who have been clowning 

around for years -- Bud for 10, Edith for three. 

"I was always a clown in school. I felt real insecure," Bud 

admits. 

He began to realize his goal of being a real clown after a 

fellow Shriner died and Bud bought his costume. He 


The New Calliope 37


Buddy and Bubbles -- 


auditioned for the Great Milwaukee Circus Parade and is 

now one of two clown officials in the parade. 

Bud added two letters to his nickname and became 

Buddy. "I was called Bud as a kid because my name is 

Milton and I hate it," he said. Edith said she chose 

"Bubbles" because it reflects her effervescence. Married 

for almost 48 years , they've been crazy about each other 

since they were in grade school in Cudahy . 

After several careers , which included law enforcement , 

starting his own bank, and changing A&W drive-ins to air 

conditioned restaurants with indoor seating, the couple 

sold their franchises in Hales Corners , Hartford and St. 

Francis and moved to Door County 22 years ago. They 

settled on 440 acres to sell real estate and to operate a gift 

shop. The shop deals mainly with collectibles including 

circus-related items and operates "mostly on referrals and 

mail orders," Bubble said. 

Buddy got serious about clowning a decade ago; both 

of them attended Clown College at the University of 

Wisconsin- Lacrosse. They've gone to clown camps and 

seminars , make monthly trips to Milwaukee to the Laff 

Clown Alley meetings and belong to five clown 

organizations . 

"Clowning is serious business ," Buddy said. "We can't 

smoke on duty , tell risque jokes or embarrass anybody ." 

Buddy and Bubbles do a lot of benefits, participate in 

parades, volunteer at clown conventions , ride the Circus 

Train from Baraboo to Milwaukee, and are on hand for 

opening day at the Circus World Museum in Baraboo the 

first Saturday of May. Buddy and Bubbles participate in the 

Circus Parade in Sarasota, Fla., in January. Buddy rides his 

motorbike, which is equipped to play lively circus tunes, 

and Bubbles walks along with her special bear puppet. 

Also on their agenda is a trip to the Shriner's Crippled 

Children's Hospital in Illinois. Locally, Buddy, 69, and 

Bubbles , 67, are familiar figures at Kid's Days, grand 

openings , schools and nursing homes. 

"All money we receive is donated to the Make-A-Wish 

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Foundation of Wisconsin , the Crippled Children's Hospital, 

Salvation Army, the Children's Hospital of Wiscon sin and 

other charities ," Buddy said. 

Clowning around is the Schmidt's way to make the 

world a little happier. They've done it while dealing with 

their own sadness, the death of their grandson, David. 

Three years ago at the age of nine, David, who had been 

clowning with his grandfather for five years, died suddenly 

of mengiococasemia . 


Brightening the corner 

An editorial from the Asbury Park, N.J., Press 

Anarchy was rampant at the Lakehurst Naval Air 

Engineering Center last week , and everyone -- even the 

Navy -- loved it. 

The anarchy was created -- deliberately -- by 28 

professional clowns who volunteered their time and talents 

to entertain the children of military families assigned to the 

base. 

Other shows were planned for Fort Dix and McGuire Air 

Force Base. 

The 90-minute benefit performance was organized by 

Becky "JB the Magic Clown" Coviello , of Dover Township . 

She wanted to do something for those most affected , yet 

least able to cope with the (Persian Gulf) war -- the children 

of troops far away. 

"Several weeks ago, I saw a little girl trying to talk to her 

dad (who was stationed in the Persian Gulf) by telephone 

on a news program, and she started cryin,g because he 

couldn't hear her," Mrs. Coviello said. "I felt like I had to help 

these kids in some way." 

Mrs. Coviello said she contacted Jan Smith , youth 

activities director of the naval facility , and volunteered to 

entertain children on the base while their parents met in 

support groups. 

When she told her fellow clowns about it, they wanted 

to take part, too. The idea just took off, resulting in last 

week's "Clown Extravaganza." 

It gave children (of all ages) a well-deserved break from 

the difficult, often unsettling news of events in the Persian 

Gulf. 

Mrs. Coviello, and her compatriots from Merri-Makers 

Clown Alley No. 51, which staged the show , deserve a lot 

of credit for bringing smiles to the faces of people who may 

not have much to smile about these days. 

38 The New Calliope


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The New Calliope 39


When Linda Williams isn't busy 

clowning around, she's a budding 

artist. Her favorite subjects? Why, 

clowns, of course. Here she shows 

how she used oil paints to capture 

gr:easepaint in a sel f-portra it. Linda 

is COAi South Central Regional Vice 

President. 

Clowns of America International, Inc. 

P.O. Box 570 

Lake Jackson, Texas 77566-0570 

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40 The New Calliope

July_August_1991

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