0_Wizard
I am really afraid of clowns even though our modern clowns have been around since the 19th century.
Modern clowns are strongly associated with the tradition of the circus clown, which developed out of earlier comedic roles in theatre or "Varieté" shows during the 19th to mid 20th centuries.
chosen_Clown_0
Clown
Clowns are comic performers who employ slapstick or similar types of physical comedy, often in a mime style. Clowns have a varied tradition with significant variations in costume and performance. The most recognisable modern clown character is the "Auguste" or "red clown" type, with outlandish costumes featuring distinctive makeup, colourful wigs, exaggerated footwear, and colourful clothing. Their entertainment style is generally designed to entertain large audiences, especially at a distance. Modern clowns are strongly associated with the tradition of the circus clown, which developed out of earlier comedic roles in theatre or "Varieté" shows during the 19th to mid 20th centuries.
2016 clown sightings
The 2016 clown sightings were reports of people disguised as evil clowns in incongruous settings, such as near forests and schools. The incidents were reported in the United States, Canada, and subsequently in other countries and territories from August 2016. The sightings were first reported in South Carolina when a 9-year-old boy told his mother that two suspicious males dressed as clowns tried to lure him into the nearby woods. By mid-October 2016, clown sightings and attacks had been reported in nearly all U.S. states, 9 out of 13 provinces and territories of Canada, and 18 other countries.
Evil clown
The evil clown is a subversion of the traditional comic clown character, in which the playful trope is instead rendered as disturbing through the use of horror elements and dark humor. The modern archetype of the evil clown was popularized by Stephen King's 1986 novel "It". The character can be seen as playing off the sense of unease felt by sufferers of coulrophobia. The modern archetype of the evil clown has unclear origins; the stock character appeared infrequently during the 19th century, in such works as Edgar Allan Poe's "Hop-Frog", which is believed by Jack Morgan, of the University of Missouri-Rolla, to draw upon an earlier incident "at a masquerade ball", in the 14th century, during which "the king and his frivolous party, costumed—in highly flammable materials—as simian creatures, were ignited by a flambeau and incinerated, the King narrowly escaping in the actual case."
Joseph Grimaldi
Joseph Grimaldi (18 December 1778 – 31 May 1837) was an English actor, comedian and dancer, who became the most popular English entertainer of the Regency era. In the early 1800s, he expanded the role of Clown in the harlequinade that formed part of British pantomimes, notably at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane and the Sadler's Wells and Covent Garden theatres. He became so dominant on the London comic stage that the harlequinade role of Clown became known as "Joey", and both the nickname and Grimaldi's whiteface make-up design were, and still are, used by other types of clowns. Grimaldi originated catchphrases such as "Here we are again!
Julian Ritter
Julian Ritter (September 19, 1909 – March 4, 2000) was an American painter of Polish-German descent who painted primarily nudes, clowns and portraits. Ritter's paintings were typically rich in color. His nudes celebrated the glamor and beauty of the female form. All of his figurative paintings expressed the humanness in his subjects. He also painted landscapes at different points during his career and complex compositions dealing with mystical and spiritual subjects during his later years. Ritter was born Julian Stawski on September 19, 1909, in Hamburg, Germany, the only child of an aspiring Polish actress.
John Mellencamp
John J Mellencamp (born October 7, 1951), previously known as Johnny Cougar, John Cougar, and John Cougar Mellencamp, is an American musician, singer-songwriter, painter, and actor. He is known for his catchy, populist brand of heartland rock, which emphasizes traditional instrumentation. Mellencamp rose to fame in the 1980s while "honing an almost startlingly plainspoken writing style that, starting in 1982, yielded a string of Top 10 singles", including "Hurts So Good", "Jack & Diane", "Crumblin' Down", "Pink Houses", "Lonely Ol' Night", "Small Town", "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.", "Paper in Fire", and "Cherry Bomb".
Circus clown
Clowns have always been an integral part of the circus, offering a source of amusement for patrons and providing relief from the array of animal acts and performances by acrobats and novelty artistes. Clowns have also appeared in pantomimes and vaudeville, in films and television, and as straight or comedic characters in plays and operas. Traditionally, there are three basic types of clowns that appear in the circus: the whiteface, the auguste and the character. Nowadays a fourth type, the tramp or hobo clown, is often recognized separately, even though, technically, it should be considered as another character clown.
1_Apprentice
I don't blame you!  Clowns are creepy!  Hence the movie "IT".  Why do people have such a fear of them though?
0_Wizard
My fear is definitely from IT. Even though clowns are designed to entertain large audience
Their entertainment style is generally designed to entertain large audiences, especially at a distance.
chosen_Clown_0
Clown
Clowns are comic performers who employ slapstick or similar types of physical comedy, often in a mime style. Clowns have a varied tradition with significant variations in costume and performance. The most recognisable modern clown character is the "Auguste" or "red clown" type, with outlandish costumes featuring distinctive makeup, colourful wigs, exaggerated footwear, and colourful clothing. Their entertainment style is generally designed to entertain large audiences, especially at a distance. Modern clowns are strongly associated with the tradition of the circus clown, which developed out of earlier comedic roles in theatre or "Varieté" shows during the 19th to mid 20th centuries.
2016 clown sightings
The 2016 clown sightings were reports of people disguised as evil clowns in incongruous settings, such as near forests and schools. The incidents were reported in the United States, Canada, and subsequently in other countries and territories from August 2016. The sightings were first reported in South Carolina when a 9-year-old boy told his mother that two suspicious males dressed as clowns tried to lure him into the nearby woods. By mid-October 2016, clown sightings and attacks had been reported in nearly all U.S. states, 9 out of 13 provinces and territories of Canada, and 18 other countries.
Entertainment
Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience, or gives pleasure and delight. It can be an idea or a task, but is more likely to be one of the activities or events that have developed over thousands of years specifically for the purpose of keeping an audience's attention. Although people's attention is held by different things, because individuals have different preferences in entertainment, most forms are recognisable and familiar. Storytelling, music, drama, dance, and different kinds of performance exist in all cultures, were supported in royal courts, developed into sophisticated forms and over time became available to all citizens.
Evil clown
The evil clown is a subversion of the traditional comic clown character, in which the playful trope is instead rendered as disturbing through the use of horror elements and dark humor. The modern archetype of the evil clown was popularized by Stephen King's 1986 novel "It". The character can be seen as playing off the sense of unease felt by sufferers of coulrophobia. The modern archetype of the evil clown has unclear origins; the stock character appeared infrequently during the 19th century, in such works as Edgar Allan Poe's "Hop-Frog", which is believed by Jack Morgan, of the University of Missouri-Rolla, to draw upon an earlier incident "at a masquerade ball", in the 14th century, during which "the king and his frivolous party, costumed—in highly flammable materials—as simian creatures, were ignited by a flambeau and incinerated, the King narrowly escaping in the actual case."
Fear of Clowns
Fear of Clowns is a 2004 horror film written and directed by Kevin Kangas. It was followed by a 2007 sequel entitled "Fear of Clowns 2". Lynn Blodgett, an artist with coulrophobia, has a nightmare in which she is a young girl and encounters a clown with a decomposing face after a car crash at a carnival. Lynn's nightmares have been getting worse since she filed for divorce from her husband, Doctor Bert Tokyo, who hit her upon getting the news, and is fighting for full custody of their son, Nicholas. One night, a shirtless clown ("Shivers") with black eyes and a battle axe gazes at Lynn's house, then walks away.
Julian Ritter
Julian Ritter (September 19, 1909 – March 4, 2000) was an American painter of Polish-German descent who painted primarily nudes, clowns and portraits. Ritter's paintings were typically rich in color. His nudes celebrated the glamor and beauty of the female form. All of his figurative paintings expressed the humanness in his subjects. He also painted landscapes at different points during his career and complex compositions dealing with mystical and spiritual subjects during his later years. Ritter was born Julian Stawski on September 19, 1909, in Hamburg, Germany, the only child of an aspiring Polish actress.
List of Soul Eater characters
The "Soul Eater" manga and anime series features an extensive cast of fictional characters created by Atsushi Ōkubo. It is set in a fictional universe inhabited by various characters capable of using supernatural powers by channeling the wavelengths of their souls. Most of the characters in the series, including the main protagonists, are classified into two groups: humans who are born with the power to turn into weapons, called demon weapons, and the wielders of these weapons, called meisters. The main protagonists attend a school called Death Weapon Meister Academy—DWMA for short—located in the fictional Death City in Nevada, United States.
1_Apprentice
Where did clowns get there start?  Was it the circus?
0_Wizard
Not sure but they go back to at least the 1800s when Joseph Grimaldi became the first mainstream clown
The first mainstream clown role was portrayed by Joseph Grimaldi (who also created the traditional whiteface make-up design).
chosen_Clown_0
Joseph Grimaldi
Joseph Grimaldi (18 December 1778 – 31 May 1837) was an English actor, comedian and dancer, who became the most popular English entertainer of the Regency era. In the early 1800s, he expanded the role of Clown in the harlequinade that formed part of British pantomimes, notably at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane and the Sadler's Wells and Covent Garden theatres. He became so dominant on the London comic stage that the harlequinade role of Clown became known as "Joey", and both the nickname and Grimaldi's whiteface make-up design were, and still are, used by other types of clowns. Grimaldi originated catchphrases such as "Here we are again!
Clown
Clowns are comic performers who employ slapstick or similar types of physical comedy, often in a mime style. Clowns have a varied tradition with significant variations in costume and performance. The most recognisable modern clown character is the "Auguste" or "red clown" type, with outlandish costumes featuring distinctive makeup, colourful wigs, exaggerated footwear, and colourful clothing. Their entertainment style is generally designed to entertain large audiences, especially at a distance. Modern clowns are strongly associated with the tradition of the circus clown, which developed out of earlier comedic roles in theatre or "Varieté" shows during the 19th to mid 20th centuries.
J. S. Grimaldi
Joseph Samuel William Grimaldi (21 November 1802 – 10 December 1832), better known as J. S. Grimaldi or JS Grimaldi, was an English stage actor, comedian and dancer, who frequently played the role of Clown in the harlequinades that accompanied nineteenth-century pantomimes. He was the son of Joseph Grimaldi, who popularised the role of Clown in the early 1800s. The young Grimaldi began his career in 1814 playing in a version of "Don Juan", and in other roles, at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane and the Sadler's Wells and Covent Garden theatres. Throughout his teenage years, he was a successful performer, starring in "Harlequin and Fortunio; or, Shing-Moo and Thun-Ton" (1815), "The Fates; or, Harlequin's Holy Day" (1818), and "Harlequin and Friar Bacon" (1820), but he grew to resent the often unfavourable comparisons made between him and his famous father.
Circus clown
Clowns have always been an integral part of the circus, offering a source of amusement for patrons and providing relief from the array of animal acts and performances by acrobats and novelty artistes. Clowns have also appeared in pantomimes and vaudeville, in films and television, and as straight or comedic characters in plays and operas. Traditionally, there are three basic types of clowns that appear in the circus: the whiteface, the auguste and the character. Nowadays a fourth type, the tramp or hobo clown, is often recognized separately, even though, technically, it should be considered as another character clown.
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane is a West End theatre and Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) and backs onto Drury Lane. The building is the most recent in a line of four theatres which were built at the same location, the earliest of which dated back to 1663, making it the oldest theatre site in London still in use. According to the author Peter Thomson, for its first two centuries, Drury Lane could "reasonably have claimed to be London's leading theatre". For most of that time, it was one of a handful of patent theatres, granted monopoly rights to the production of "legitimate" drama in London (meaning spoken plays, rather than opera, dance, concerts, or plays with music).
Circus
A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, unicyclists, as well as other object manipulation and stunt-oriented artists. The term 'circus' also describes the performance which has followed various formats through its 250-year modern history. Philip Astley is credited with being the 'father' of the modern circus when he opened the first circus in 1768 in England. A skilled equestrian, Astley demonstrated trick riding, riding in a circle rather than a straight line as his rivals did, and thus chanced on the format which was later named a 'circus'.
Jack Bologna
John Peter Bologna (1775 –1846), known as Jack Bologna on stage, was an Italian actor and dancer, who spent much time in England popularising the role of Harlequin in Georgian pantomimes and harlequinades in the early part of the 1800s at the Sadler's Wells and Covent Garden Theatres. After arriving in England with his performing family in 1787, Bologna made his London debut at the Covent Garden Theatre as Harlequin in the pantomime "Niobe; or, Harlequin's Ordeal". After playing in his family's act throughout England, he starred in, and later choreographed, pantomimes and plays, including some notable successes at the Royal Circus, including "The Cloud King", "The Sorceress of Strozzi", "Black Beard", and "Edwin of the Green".
1_Apprentice
Wow!  I didn't realize they went back that far!  Who was Joseph Grimaldi and where was he from?
0_Wizard
Well he was a part of the British Pantomimes and expanded the rowl of the clown in that.
In the early 1800s, he expanded the role of Clown in the harlequinade that formed part of British pantomimes, notably at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane and the Sadler's Wells and Covent Garden theatres.
chosen_Clown_0
Joseph Grimaldi
Joseph Grimaldi (18 December 1778 – 31 May 1837) was an English actor, comedian and dancer, who became the most popular English entertainer of the Regency era. In the early 1800s, he expanded the role of Clown in the harlequinade that formed part of British pantomimes, notably at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane and the Sadler's Wells and Covent Garden theatres. He became so dominant on the London comic stage that the harlequinade role of Clown became known as "Joey", and both the nickname and Grimaldi's whiteface make-up design were, and still are, used by other types of clowns. Grimaldi originated catchphrases such as "Here we are again!
Clown
Clowns are comic performers who employ slapstick or similar types of physical comedy, often in a mime style. Clowns have a varied tradition with significant variations in costume and performance. The most recognisable modern clown character is the "Auguste" or "red clown" type, with outlandish costumes featuring distinctive makeup, colourful wigs, exaggerated footwear, and colourful clothing. Their entertainment style is generally designed to entertain large audiences, especially at a distance. Modern clowns are strongly associated with the tradition of the circus clown, which developed out of earlier comedic roles in theatre or "Varieté" shows during the 19th to mid 20th centuries.
Pantomime
Pantomime (informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment. It was developed in England and is still performed throughout the United Kingdom, generally during the Christmas and New Year season and, to a lesser extent, in other English-speaking countries. Modern pantomime includes songs, gags, slapstick comedy and dancing, employs gender-crossing actors and combines topical humour with a story loosely based on a well-known fairy tale, fable or folk tale. It is a participatory form of theatre, in which the audience is expected to sing along with certain parts of the music and shout out phrases to the performers.
Circus clown
Clowns have always been an integral part of the circus, offering a source of amusement for patrons and providing relief from the array of animal acts and performances by acrobats and novelty artistes. Clowns have also appeared in pantomimes and vaudeville, in films and television, and as straight or comedic characters in plays and operas. Traditionally, there are three basic types of clowns that appear in the circus: the whiteface, the auguste and the character. Nowadays a fourth type, the tramp or hobo clown, is often recognized separately, even though, technically, it should be considered as another character clown.
Body part as an object
Body part as an object (BPO) mime gestures occurs when a mime artist or other individual substitutes a part of their body - usually arms, fingers, or hands - to be part of an object they are miming. Miming uses representational gestures, meaning they are used to convey a message to others without the use of speech. A commonly used example of BPO miming is demonstrated by an individual using their finger to represent a toothbrush while acting out brushing their teeth. In studying gestures from a psychological, psycholinguistic, and/or neuropsychological context, pantomimes can be distinguished by how they are carried out.
Pierrot
Pierrot () is a stock character of pantomime and "commedia dell'arte" whose origins are in the late seventeenth-century Italian troupe of players performing in Paris and known as the Comédie-Italienne; the name is a diminutive of "Pierre" (Peter), via the suffix "-ot." His character in contemporary popular culture—in poetry, fiction, and the visual arts, as well as works for the stage, screen, and concert hall—is that of the sad clown, pining for love of Columbine, who usually breaks his heart and leaves him for Harlequin. Performing unmasked, with a whitened face, he wears a loose white blouse with large buttons and wide white pantaloons.
Harlequinade
Harlequinade is a British comic theatrical genre, defined by the "Oxford English Dictionary" as "that part of a pantomime in which the harlequin and clown play the principal parts". It developed in England between the 17th and mid-19th centuries. It was originally a slapstick adaptation or variant of the Commedia dell'arte, which originated in Italy and reached its apogee there in the 16th and 17th centuries. The story of the Harlequinade revolves around a comic incident in the lives of its five main characters: Harlequin, who loves Columbine; Columbine's greedy and foolish father Pantaloon, who tries to separate the lovers in league with the mischievous Clown; and the servant, Pierrot, usually involving chaotic chase scenes with a bumbling policeman.
1_Apprentice
Interesting.  I wouldn't have guessed a Brit was the first clown.  They have such dry humor!  Are there any other famous clowns?
0_Wizard
Pierrot was a very popular pantomime as well. He performed unmasked with a large white blouse and wide white pantaloons
Performing unmasked, with a whitened face, he wears a loose white blouse with large buttons and wide white pantaloons.
self_Pierrot_2
Pierrot
self_5_Pierrot
Pierrot
Pierrot () is a stock character of pantomime and "commedia dell'arte" whose origins are in the late seventeenth-century Italian troupe of players performing in Paris and known as the Comédie-Italienne; the name is a diminutive of "Pierre" (Peter), via the suffix "-ot." His character in contemporary popular culture—in poetry, fiction, and the visual arts, as well as works for the stage, screen, and concert hall—is that of the sad clown, pining for love of Columbine, who usually breaks his heart and leaves him for Harlequin. Performing unmasked, with a whitened face, he wears a loose white blouse with large buttons and wide white pantaloons.
Charles Deburau
Jean-Charles Deburau (1829–1873) was an important French mime, the son and successor of the legendary Jean-Gaspard Deburau, who was immortalized as Baptiste the Pierrot in Marcel Carné's film "Children of Paradise" (1945). After his father's death in 1846, Charles kept alive his pantomimic legacy, first in Paris, at the Théâtre des Funambules, and then, beginning in the late 1850s, at theaters in Bordeaux and Marseille. He is routinely credited with founding a southern "school" of pantomime; indeed, he served as tutor to the Marseille mime Louis Rouffe, who, in turn, gave instruction to Séverin Cafferra, known simply as "Séverin".
Paul Legrand
Like Deburau "père", he was of humble birth—he was the son of a grocer in Saintes—but, unlike Deburau, whose vocation seems to have been chosen by his father, he was early drawn to the Parisian stage by an irresistible love of the theater. He made his debut in 1839 at the Concert Bonne-Nouvelle; there his "unique ambition", according to his biographer "J.M. ", "was, in this time of naïveté, to play the Lovers of vaudeville ... " When, later in that same year, he signed on with the management of the Théâtre des Funambules, where Deburau still held sway, it was as the "comic" of the vaudevilles and the lover, Leander, of the pantomimes.
Jean-Gaspard Deburau
Jean-Gaspard Deburau (born Jan Kašpar Dvořák; July 31, 1796 – June 17, 1846), sometimes erroneously called Debureau, was a celebrated Bohemian-French mime. He performed from around 1819 to the year of his death at the Théâtre des Funambules, which was immortalized in Marcel Carné's poetic-realist film "Children of Paradise" (1945); Deburau appears in the film (under his stage-name, "Baptiste") as a major character. His most famous pantomimic creation was Pierrot—a character that served as the godfather of all the Pierrots of Romantic, Decadent, Symbolist, and early Modernist theater and art. Born in Kolín, Bohemia (now Czech Republic), Deburau was the son of a Czech servant, Kateřina Králová (or Catherine Graff), and a former French soldier, Philippe-Germain Deburau, a native of Amiens.
Pantomime
Pantomime (informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment. It was developed in England and is still performed throughout the United Kingdom, generally during the Christmas and New Year season and, to a lesser extent, in other English-speaking countries. Modern pantomime includes songs, gags, slapstick comedy and dancing, employs gender-crossing actors and combines topical humour with a story loosely based on a well-known fairy tale, fable or folk tale. It is a participatory form of theatre, in which the audience is expected to sing along with certain parts of the music and shout out phrases to the performers.
Cercle Funambulesque
The Cercle Funambulesque (1888-1898)—roughly translatable as "Friends of the Funambules"—was a Parisian theatrical society that produced pantomimes inspired by the Commedia dell'Arte, particularly by the exploits of its French Pierrot. It included among its approximately one hundred and fifty subscriber-members such notables in the arts as the novelist J.-K. Huysmans, the composer Jules Massenet, the illustrator Jules Chéret, and the actor Coquelin cadet. Among its successes was "L'Enfant prodigue" (1890), which was filmed twice, first in 1907, then in 1916, making history as the first European feature-length movie and the first complete stage-play on film.
Croatian national costume
Croatian national costume or Croatian dress (, plural: "narodne nošnje") refers to the traditional clothing worn by Croats living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, with smaller communities in Hungary, Austria, Montenegro, and Romania. Since today Croats wear Western-style clothing on a daily basis, the national costumes are most often worn with connection to special events and celebrations, mostly at ethnic festivals, religious holidays, weddings, and by dancing groups who dance the traditional Croatian kolo, or circle dance. Each cultural and geographical region has its own specific variety of costume that vary in style, material, color, shape, and form.
1_Apprentice
That sounds funny!  Creepy...but funny!  