Rosie The Clown
Toronto, ON
Female, 19?
I've been a practicing Birthday Party Clown for 22 years. What other job is there where you can go to a party, have lots of fun, be the centre of attention and get well paid? I enjoy visiting with all kinds of people, experiencing many different cultures and seeing a variety of places. There's never a dull moment. Well, almost never. In addition to birthday parties, I entertain at fairs, picnics, corporate events, club parties, university parties and at any event that sounds like fun.
Hello, Rosaria. What an interesting question. Whether to be a talking or a silent clown is mostly a matter of choice for the performer. I love conversing with people as a clown, and I wouldn't want to lose that part of it.
On the other hand, Rosie the Clown often entertains people who don't speak English, so she has lots of routines without words. I enjoy these non-verbal amusements very much indeed.
As you suggest, it's all about the kids' smiles. Whatever way they come is good.
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Hell, Yue wen. For a birthday party in Malaysia, Rosie the Clown asks no fee, just travel expenses from Toronto to Kuala Lumpur and back.
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Hello, Amanda,
Congratulations on your daughter's upcoming 5th birthday!
Thank you for your fabulous question. Parents can give their kids a good time and save money, too, with do-it-yourself fun. It's appropriate for parents to take back the privilege of entertaining their children.
On the other hand, I'm reminded of an anecdote told by a famous Canadian author (was it Alice Munroe?). She was at a party when a neurosurgeon said to her, "After I retire from surgery, I'm going to write a book." Her silent thought was, "After I retire from writing, I'm going to become a neurosurgeon."
In other words, clowning ain't so easy.
When you look like a clown, children naturally expect you to behave like a clown. Being a regular person dressed in a clown suit can fall flat in an uncomfortable way.
IMHO, the best way to entertain as a clown without experience is to have all of the children dress up like clowns – have a clown party!
No? Well, here are some tips on being a clown at your daughter's party that might help to keep you out of the woods.
You're more likely to be super fun as a clown if the children are the source of their entertainment. You facilitate their fun. Rosie the Clown creates an environment in which fun is possible, then gets out of the way of the children's enjoyment. I mean that metaphorically; literally, Rosie is mixing in the group.
While remembering that physical and emotional safety is Job #1, you provide managed mayhem. Go to the edge of chaos without falling over it. Just like grownups, children have two contradictory loves: rules and freedom. You manage the balance so that they have a terrific time.
Activities
For activities, stick to the guaranteed crowd-pleasers that are simple to set up, easy for the players to understand and have great audience involvement.
Prizes aren't necessary for games. Prizes even detract from the fun by focusing the kids' attention on – you guessed it – the prize and not the game. Instead, Rosie the Clown offers bonus points at strategic intervals, with a minimum value of 10,000.
Musical Chairs is still the best party game ever. Make it really fun with driving music and wild, persistent cheering from the non-players/grownups all the way through. When the children are "out," have them join you in the Winners' Circle – nevermind that it doesn't make sense. Cheer exuberantly for the final winner.
Why not ask your daughter what her favourite group games are, if you don't already know? If she doesn't have any, it's time she did! Search online for what kids like, including at my site, rosietheclown.ca/parties.
Beyond that, the choice of activities depends on how many 5-year-olds come, how long you have to play and what talents you bring to the party.
Define your space for activities. Even outdoors, try to establish intuitive boundaries that kids can stay within. For anything that requires the children's focus, indoors is best.Tip: The best outdoor setup I've seen is big, thick carpets rolled out over the lawn. They don't get tangled underfoot, which is a real danger with blankets and plastic sheets. Carpets of different colours help kids easily see where to sit.Get the children moving. The movement will release natural happiness chemicals throughout their bodies. Yeah.
Use music to set the mood. For lively kids' music, CBCKids has a live-stream at http://music.cbc.ca/ (look in the list of genres in the right column). I've heard some great kids mixes played by DJs at parties, and I only wish I knew what all those tracks were.
While directing activities, be as flexible as possible. Spontaneity makes an ordinary gathering into extraordinary fun.
Do you want to face-paint? Use quality, hypo-allergenic paints; you'll be glad you did. Don't use tin glitter, which can scratch eyeballs; use polyester glitter from a makeup house. If you're not an artist, draw simple designs – hearts, stars, poisonous snakes and spiders, buttlerflies, etc – decorate them with swirls and dots, and put glitter on them. Voiå!
On Being Your Daughter's Clown
Pick your crazy clown costume for maneuverability and durability. Those big clown shoes are funny until you trip over them. Nix any costume part that will be damaged or put askew by a tumble on the floor.
Try out your costume and character. Put on your costume and make-up, and see how your character moves and speaks and feels. Pick a clown name, if you haven't already.
Does your daughter know that you'll be the clown? If not, tell her that you will be [your clown name] for the duration, and not Mom. Remember to give an adult friend or relative authority for the time that you're the clown. You can't do both. Let your daughter and the other partiers know who that person is.Tip: You'll want to resume being Mom after the party, so be satisfied that your daughter is clear on the difference. Clowns may encourage behaviour that Moms wouldn't.For extra fun, send your daughter a note in the mail from [your clown name], saying how much [your clown name] is looking forward to the party. Pretend that [your clown name] is someone else, not you. Because your daughter knows that it really is you, it's even funnier.
Be silly, then be silly more. Assert the impossible, and deny the obvious. Be incompetent at simple tasks. It's great to mess up what the children can do perfectly well. A good example is the alphabet, when they know it and you clearly don't. The more you need the children's help, the better.
As often as possible, get down on the children's level so you don't tower over them. Sitting on the floor with them is great. Sitting also makes it easier for you to fall over, which will never cease being funny.
Avoid keeping up any joke to the point of frustration, i.e. know when to give up a pretense. When a door is closed, open a window, and go through that.
Don't trick children unless they know they're being tricked and tacitly agree to it. Honesty is absolutely key. As a clown, you must maintain the children's trust in order to lead them in fun.
Move quickly; be at children's faster speed. Exception: When you want the children to calm down, start moving slower and talking lower.
For further advice, give Rosie the Clown a call at 416-477-2209. She'll be happy to discuss your entertainment blueprint with you. What have been your thoughts so far on the amusements your clown persona will provide?
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Hello, Shot22,
Your question is most interesting. I was recently contacted by a current events TV show that was doing a piece on the aging demographic of clowns, and why that would be. I have no idea.
You make a good point about needing energy to keep up with rambunctious kids. It's more than just keeping up. The clown needs to be moving faster than the kids in order to manoeuvre them, like steering a boat in a swift river.
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Hello, Forbesserena97,
Thank you for your first question. Children's party clowns are paid all kinds of fees on all kinds of terms. The payment might be a little or a lot. The contract might be for an hour or for a season.
Short gigs generally pay more per hour than long gigs, because you have to dress and go to the location. The kind of entertainment also influences the fee.
For instance, a thirty-minute show at a corporate holiday party might pay $250, while a five-hour stint of walkabout entertainment at a picnic might pay $500. I do various activities for various levels of remuneration. One common element is that they're all fun.
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Hello, Toria the Clown,
Thanks for your question. Any business takes a few years to get going at full pace. Yours probably will, too.
How are you advertising? Are you putting a good offer in front of interested people? What's the size of your market?
It helps to have a specialty – the thing you become known for – so that your act doesn't fade into the crowd of performers. It's hard for people, who are so busy these days, to remember things, so you need to give them something memorable.
Who are the other entertainers in the area? Have you talked with them?
Good luck!
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Hello, Sue,
Thanks for your question. It wouldn't have occurred to me to be a kids' party clown had I not answered a help-wanted ad for clown trainees. I thought it would be fun. It was!
I liked the experience of clowning so much that I stayed with it. Over the past twenty years, I've had immeasurable fun. I hope that the people I've met have had fun, too.
What would I be doing now if I weren't clowning? My straw brain would overheat if I considered, all at once, all the possibilities. There's no end to the number of things I'm not doing, even as we speak.
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