Clowns have existed for centuries. They existed long before you ever saw one. Actually, I believe the clown exists in a person’s mind LONG before one actually encounters one in person.

My friend, kids missionary Kevin Ross, clowns around the world sharing the Good News of God’s love. He recently shared with me about his cultural encounter in Ethiopia. He found that the Ethiopians have no historical figure of clown as far as they know. His observers did not know what to call him since they did not have a word for “clown.” So, they concluded to call him a word which means, “Giant Toy.” What a wonderful thought!

Though we know that clowns are real people with make-up, at the same time there is a process called “suspended disbelief.” This is when people choose to believe something that is unbelievable. When a magician cuts a lady in half and puts her back together, that’s not possible, but people WANT to believe so they suspend their disbelief. When a puppet comes up from behind a curtain and begins to speak, people “buy in” to the situation. In Disney’s movie “Frozen” a delightful snowman character named “Olaf,” brought comedy to the entire movie. Audience’s LOVE Olaf. Simply, Olaf is “the clown.” And even though people know that he’s just an animated character, when they come to the movie theater they suspend their disbelief and decide to believe these characters are real; at least just for the time of the presentation.

Young children think concretely, not figuratively. Everything is literal. So, when they see the Easter Bunny at the mall, they react based on not only what they see, but on what’s been communicated to them by their parents and care-givers prior to the encounter. Most children are shy about personally encountering this six foot tall rabbit, but with encouragement from their parents – because they trust their parents – they come to trust the Easter Bunny.

If clowns would have parents pre-painting positive attitudes about clowns in their children’s minds, we would have many more positive first-encounters. Unfortunately, many care-givers appear to introduce a clown like this: “Oh, there’s a clown. Are you scared of clowns? Are you scared?” Well, what is the right answer to that question? The care-giver just said the word “scared” numerous times, and the child has to determine if “scared” is the right answer.

Instead, hopefully the care-giver will help the child approach the clown with positive feelings, much the same way they do with Santa Claus. “Look! There’s a clown! How wonderful. We love clowns. They are so happy and funny and friendly. Let’s go talk with the clown.” That type of interchange would be far more helpful in setting the positive attitude towards this meeting.

People will believe what they want about clowns, because the clown does exist in their imagination. Some believe the clown is happy, playful, and naïve. Many are. Some believe that the clown is sneaky, creepy and terrifying. Honestly, sadly, some are! The “haunted house” and horror film folks continue to bring those types of characters to the audience that desires it.

When a person says, “Clowns are scary!” I often reply, “I understand that some people portray horror clowns, but those aren’t clowns. Those are horror characters. I’m not that kind of clown. I’m the happy, friendly, funny clown.” It helps some people to realize that not all people who put on make-up are clowns.

Our role is to either verify or negate what is already in our audience’s psyche. We can confirm that clowns are personable, loving and lovable or that clowns are rough, freaky and weird. Whichever you do, realize that you are impacting the perception of “what a clown is” for all the other clowns that will encounter this person in the future. It’s our job to make it easier for those clowns that follow after by providing positive, happy experiences for our audiences.

By Randy Christensen

More information on Randy’s performances and resources at www.qualityprograms.net