Tips From Hickory's Clown Alley

Clowns are a caring - sharing group of people. We share our time and talents with those in need of laughter, and we share our routines and experiences with each other. This page is a compilation of Hickory's Tip of the Week, and is a series of contribution from people like you, and from my own experiences. Please read through this and other "tip" pages. You are welcome to use any of the ideas or routines that may be presented here, however, there is no guarantees that what you read here will work as described. Also, any make-up or other tips are presented as-is at face value, and I cannot be held liable for anything that might result from their use. Enough legality. Please read, enjoy and grow in your clown....

One of the hardest things for new clowns is learning how to apply makeup. I strongly urge new clowns to attend a clown convention or work with an experienced clown. When it comes to makeup there is no better way to get the fundamentals then through a teacher. The best way to get good at applying makeup is through practice. Everybody does their makeup a little bit different so I can only tell you how I do it.

1) Start with a clean face, making sure there is no excess oil, soap, street makeup, sweat salt or anything else on your face. I also shave the top of my head and shape my beard and mouth.

2) Some people then apply a very small amount of baby oil which they say aids in removing the makeup later. I don't use anything.

3) I then outline my rainbow with a grease paint pencil. Because of the Red, Yellow and Blue paints, I don't paint these on my foundation - I often have to wipe it off and start over.

6) I then apply the Auguste foundation to the top of my head, face, ears and my entire neck. I finger paint the "big" areas and blend the area around my eyes. Then I use a brush to get in close to my rainbow and eyes.

7) I then powder, using Johnson's Baby Powder - talc only, no cornstarch. I use a powder puff. Because so many different colors are wet it is critical that I do not smear, so I place the powder puff where I want it, then pull straight away.

13) Then I do a full fledged drenching spritz. This is the fun part and this is when I really start to feel like a clown.

14) I then blend in some dry rouge on my cheeks, apply the nose and I'm on my way.

On a good day this takes a little over an hour, on a bad day closer to 2 hours.

As I said, everybody applies makeup a little differently. If you would like to share how you apply makeup, please e-mail me at hickory@webclowns.com

If you are tired of working alone, or simply want to add a new character to your show, try using a puppet. You can work up some great two person skits using a puppet as the other character, and you don't have to be a ventriloquist to make it work.

One way to make a puppet "talk" to you, is to ask the puppet a question, and then have the puppet whisper the answer into your ear. You then repeat the answer so the audience can hear what the puppet said.

Another way to work with a puppet is simply to ask it to do things. How it performs the task (or doesn't) can be very entertaining.

Finally, puppets are a great pre-show warm up for the audience. Often, while I'm waiting for the show to start, I'll carry a puppet into the crowd, having the kids pet "Doc", my little furry puppy dog. "Do you know why they call him Doc? ... Because every time you pet him you feel a little bit better!".

I've put together some web pages of puppets you can order from Amazon.Com, directly from my web page. Many of these are also available at your favorite clown supplies dealer.

So if you're looking for a new twist to your show, click here to begin your search!

I frequently get asked, "I'd like to start a clown alley. How do I do it?" The shortest, simplest answer is, "Find a bunch of clowns you like to clown with. Share ideas. Do some gigs together . Invite other clowns to join you. There, you now have any alley." It really is that simple. If you want to become more formal and get involved with a much larger organization, there are three that I know of. Contact one or more of these organizations at:

World Clown Association, Administrative Offices, P.O. Box 1413 Corona, CA 91718 USA

What are some of the reasons to becoming part of one of these organizations?

1) Educational opportunities. You don't have to be a member to attend their conventions, but you may not know about them unless you are a memeber. Also, there are special programs available through the organizations and often reduced prices.

2) Membership Referrals. Once your name gets added to the list of member alleys, other clowns in the area will be given your name if they are looking for an alley to join.

3) Credibility. By joining a larger group you will gain credibility, which means local organizations will be more likely to give you a call for their parades and other community events.

If you would like to find out more about alleys, then visit our Alley Page.

One of the best ways to liven up you show is to add music. Play it while you set up, play it while you break down after the show. But most importantly, the proper music will set the right mood for your audience. I am taking this opportunity to introduce a new page which I've put together, which allows you to see some interesting albums you can purchase through Amazon.Com, or your local music store. I've selected some old TV shows, cartoon sounds and some mood music which I thing will enhance your show.

The best way I know to be funny is to watch other good performers. Notice what they do and say and how they handle an audience. I am not suggesting you copy everything they do! Read books on clowning and any related fields like juggling, magic, unicycling, stilt-walking, balloon twisting, etc. Now, take the skills you have and work on how to make them funny. In my shows, for example, I use a great deal of magic, and yet I am not a great magician. I use juggling, but I am not a great juggler. I make balloon animals, but I am not...okay, I AM a great balloon sculpturer. The point is to take what you know and add humor and bits of silliness and try to relate to your audience. You are not there to impress them with great magical skills or feats of juggling dexterity. You are there to provide them with some light-hearted fun, to give them a chance to laugh and maybe just forget about reality for a bit by putting smiles on their faces.

Contributed by Pockets the Clown
You may e-mail Pockets the Clown at Sorly@aol.com

For anyone who does parades, here is one of my favorite walking gags. It is not original with me, but I have no idea who shared it with me. I have made it my own over the years and am quite well known for doing this bit. I will try to explain this as clearly as possible. While walking a parade route, I will pass some children. I will go up to a child and begin to shake her hand. As soon as I get close, I will notice a child I passed and rush back to her to shake her hand first, and maybe the hands of one or two more.
Then, I will quickly go back to the first child and start to shake her hand again. But as before, I stop just short of doing that, notice another child I missed and rush back and shake his hand. I go back to the first child, who has now had two chances to shake my hand, and each time I stopped just short of doing it. If there are enough children, I will do this a third time, even shaking hands with adults before going back to shake the hand of the first child. The last time I go back to the original child, I stop and put out my
hand. As she starts to take it, which could be a while (often there is some hesitation), I bend over and kiss the top of her head and then shake her hand and thank her for being so patient. The more frantically you run back and forth, the funnier it gets, and more and more people will watch you. Being in
a parade is more than just walking and waving at the audience. Make people watch you, make them laugh, make them part of the fun. Another parade bit I love is done while riding a unicycle. As I wave at someone, I fall off the bike and rush over and yell, "MOM!" and run up to give a lady a hug. Usually,
she will yell back, "Son!" I often grab her, put my face close to hers, quickly put a sponge nose on her nose and say, "See the resemblance?" People will take snapshots of this, and, again, it involves the audience without doing a big routine.

Contributed by Pockets the Clown
You may e-mail Pockets the Clown at Sorly@aol.com

Another fun thing to add to your show is this: as you hand a scarf, silk or handkerchief (call it what you like) to a helper, hold the silk at the very top between two fingers. Make sure the child has to reach it for it from the top (not the bottom), and as he grabs for it, you let go of the silk. It falls
to the floor. You pick it up and apologize. Do the same thing again. As you pick it up the second time, ask to see the child's hand--the one he used to try to hold the silk. Examine the hand and say, "We will have to use the other hand...this one doesn't work!" Let him hold the silk in the other hand. In addition, you can also look at him and say, "Okay, do as I do. Open your hand, close your hand, open your hand, close your hand." (Do the actions with the words.) Now, when you hand the silk to him, he will grab it tightly. Make sure you catch your own finger in the silk when the child grabs it. Act as if he is crushing your finger and exclaim, "I said, 'Grab the silk, not my finger!'" This will get you many laughs and will also make the helper a hero. Remember, it is okay to use your helper to help, but make him part of the
show, not just a prop holder or a magic wand waver. He should be getting laughs at your expense, and you should always be in control.

Here is another fun bit I do with most children I meet. After shaking their hands or saying hello, I will gently tousle their hair (as a casual aside) with a quick flick of my hand. I will exclaim, "It must be windy
outside--your hair is a mess!" After they comb it or straighten it, I may come back and say. "That is much better!" and tousle it again. The tousle is very quick and often not even noticed. Try it. Play around with the timing, and you will surely get some laughs.

Contributed by Pockets the Clown
You may e-mail Pockets the Clown at Sorly@aol.com

If you have a problem controlling children at a party, let me recommend a book by Bob Markwood, "Poof You Are a Frog". This book is probably the best book for children's entertainers I have ever come across, if for no other reason than the technique Bob uses for controlling children. I incorporated his
technique in my show years ago, and it made my shows 100% better. Invest the money and buy the book from your favorite magic dealer, or contact Bob Markwood directly in California.

Since most of my performing deals with magic and juggling, I will impart some of my favorite gags to use with children. When handing a child an object, right before she tries to grab it, I turn to the audience and ask or tell them something and take the object with me, moving it out of reach of the child. I then turn back to the helper and hold the object out to her again. As she reaches for it, I turn back to the audience and again move it just out of reach of the child. The removal of the object is not a snatching motion. It
just occurs naturally as I turn to speak to the audience. You can do this 2 or 3 times. The last time you turn to the helper, ask her politely, "Don't you want to hold onto the _______ ?" She will sometimes grab it right out of your hand. This can be very amusing with smaller children; however, older children will not let you get away with it more than once or twice.

Contributed by Pockets the Clown
You may e-mail Pockets the Clown at Sorly@aol.com

The most important thing to remember with children, especially if you are a clown, is to not, I repeat NOT surprise the children at first. Do not open the door and say "Hi!" in a loud voice and make exaggerated gestures. Most children like clowns but are still wary of them, especially the young ones.
Think of it this way--most adults are 2-3 times as tall as children. If you saw a person fifteen feet tall in bright clothes and a painted face at your front door yelling, "Surprise!", how would you feel? Put yourself in the shoes (no pun intended) of the child. When I see children, I can instantly tell if they are afraid, apprehensive or open to my appearance. If they are even a little bit hesitant, I back off. I head towards a child who is more open, act scared myself, do something silly and make them laugh. As soon as they laugh, they lose their fears.

Many times I have been invited to a party where the birthday child was petrified of me. He wanted me there because he had seen me at other events, but now he does not want to get near me. In a case such as this, I basically ignore the child and play to the other children. Once the other children start laughing and having fun, the fearful child comes closer and joins in. I never mention his name or appearance on the scene. I let the child join the group unnoticed until he is ready to join in. Then, I make him feel welcome.

When booking a show, remember to ask a parent if the child is afraid of clowns. Even if she isn't, the excitement of the day, having friends over and having a clown at the party can make any child overwhelmed with emotion. Let the parent know that the child must approach you (the clown) at her own
volition. If you force the child, you will only harm her. Be very wary of your first approach to any child. The phrase "first impressions are the most important" is ever so true with children and clowns.

Contributed by Pockets the Clown
You may e-mail Pockets the Clown at Sorly@aol.com

The cups and balls is a very simple trick that a person learns in minutes.
In fact when I teach clowning to kids it is one I teach them to do.

The audience sees three cups laid out side by side turned upside down. The three balls are placed in front of each cup. The magician puts ball on middle cup. stacks the remaining two cups on top of ball,turns bottom cup over revealing ball. Looks like ball fell through cup. Put ball under bottom cup lay two cups open end down in front of remaining balls. Put second ball on top of middle of cup,stack cups over ball and reveal bottom cup with two balls under it. Repeat process third time, after the third ball is revealed then pretend to pull a invisible ball out of ear, or tell audience that when the king looked in the fire he said he thought he saw a fourth man in the fire then reveal all four balls, and he did see the
fourth man and the king said He looks like the son of God, because the fourth man is the son of God.

How It Works
You already have a ball in middle cup. When turning cups over for set up turn cups toward body. This will hide the middle ball. Any magic shop should have this trick and is cheap. I find little pom poms and baby sip cups perfect for me. I have had teens look at cups thinking there was a hole in bottom

Hope I explained okay any questions feel free to write Mike

Since most of my performing deals with magic and juggling, I will impart some of my favorite gags to use with children. When handing a child an object, right before she tries to grab it, I turn to the audience and ask or tell them something and take the object with me, moving it out of reach of the child. I
then turn back to the helper and hold the object out to her again. As she reaches for it, I turn back to the audience and again move it just out of reach of the child. The removal of the object is not a snatching motion. It just occurs naturally as I turn to speak to the audience. You can do this 2 or 3 times. The last time you turn to the helper, ask her politely, "Don't you want to hold onto the _______ ?" She will sometimes grab it right out of your hand. This can be very amusing with smaller children; however, older children will not let you get away with it more than once or twice.

Contributed by Jelly Bean.
You may e-mail Jelly Bean at sorly@aol.com

ADC map books are published throughout most of the US. I use them quite
frequently. When I have several booking back to back, I sit down the
night before and write down every turn I will make the next day. Each
year you may want to purchase a new edition for any new streets or
subdivisions.

Suction cup clip boards that attach to the front windshield are useful
for holding job sheets in front of you while driving.

I recently purchased a step stool tool box made by rubber maid for face
painting. I store my face paints inside the tool box step and use the
step stool for small children to step up on and sit in the face paint
chair.

I use a tall chair along with the tool box step for face painting. This
allows everyone in line to see and if you are tall like me(6'3"), it's
much easier on your back, since your not bent over all day.

On days when it's really hot, I use ice packs to keep my rabbit cool. I
have a small cooler that I keep them in until I need one. My rabbit
usually sits on them.

I always carry a jug of ice water with me when I am gone for long
periods so I don't become dehydrated.

10'x10' Ez up tents are great for keeping you in the shade on hot days.
They can be purchased at Sam's Club (around $200) Then, I attach a
banner across the front to let people know who I am.

When cutting off the balloon or face painting line, there are several
things you can do. You can give each person in line a balloon and that
is their ticket for a balloon. You can use a sharpie marker and place a
dot on the back of their hand to get a balloon. You also can make a
sandwich sign and place it on the last person in line. I made one out
of two plasic document protectors tied together with 260 Qs. I made two
signs on the computer and slipped them into the document protectors.

If you wear the kind of nose that is not glued on and has fishing line
and elastic, a 260Q balloon for the elastic and fishing swivals on each
end of the line works great.

Sharpie markers are great for balloon animals since they are permanent
and don't smudge.

I always send a confirmation letter, party tips and suggestions, and a
brochure to each client. It puts everone more at ease and it gives you
an opportunity to let the client know more about you and other service
you provide.

Cell phones are helpful if you get lost or are running a few minutes
late or early. They are also tax deductable!

Armor All car protectant works well to clean up your leather clown shoes
if your in a hurry.

I always keep an umbrella in the trunk of the car for those unexpected
isolated thundershowers.

Place a magnetic box with an extra car key somewhere on your car in case
you lock your keys in the car.

Contributed by Jelly Bean
Visit Jelly Bean on the www at http://www.tez.net/~jellybean

It is Summer in North America and we are in the middle of a killer heat wave.
Here are some tips on protecting yourself while clowning in the heat:

- Drink plenty of fluids. Carry a bottle of cool water to spritz yourself off
- Wear loose fitting costumes. If possible, leave the wig behind
- Work in the shade wherever possible
- Keep you physical activities to a minimum

Remember
- Heat weakens a balloon's structure. Keep them cool as well
- Your makeup will be very soft, and tend to melt easily, use that spritz bottle often.

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We use a product called something like "cub-ees." They are little refreezable ice cubes. They are like little baggies of water. We wear them inside our costumes, wigs, where ever they feel best. They can drugs or other similar be found at Arbor places. Just don't sit on them after they melt- they will pop.

Derby the clown
You may e-mail Derby at Ariapriest@aol.com

I thought that I would share an idea with you. I made a regular helmet hat, from balloons of course and was wondering what I could add to it to make something different. My husband come in with some regular, unpowdered surgical gloves so I took one and he blew it up for me. We tied a knot in it and I put on eyes, nostrils, and made the thumb a beek. I attached it to the helmet with the knot and tied the little finger to the center of the helmet. I call this my chicken hat for people who are just plain chicken to wear one. Naturally, you would only use these on special occasions or where you know you will get your moneys worth for them or if you just want to seed in to make someones day. You can get the gloves at many department and drug stores. You may have a better source for getting them. I made up this hat for the teachers at a church daycare today and had all the other teachers wanting one too.

I've been performing as "Jolly Molly the Clown" for almost 20 years in the Portland area. Some
fears are "knee jerk reactions" but most can be overcome with patience and understanding.
Here are tips I offer PARENTS of kids who are concerned about their kid's fears:

Do not invade your child's comfort zone by bringing him too close to new people or situations.
Encourage him to watch from a distance, and GIVE HIM TIME to assess the situation for
himself. Remember that kids can't enter a strange room and "sum it up" with the same speed
as an adult. BE PATIENT and don't anticipate negative reactions. Encourage your child to
confront new situations and praise him when he is brave.

STAY CALM. Check your own "body language". Do not clench your child or to try to shelter him
by quickly yanking him away. That only transmits to him that something is really wrong.

BE KIND and sensitive, but also be matter of fact. Don't allow your child to manipulate you into
leaving a party or store by acting scared to death of something that really won't hurt him.
Reassure him that he is ok and that you plan to stay.

Don't "hype" the activity too much. Too much preplanning can backfire. Imagination can cause
great anxiety in young kids, so allow him to experience new things as they occur. That way he
won't shut out new experiences before he's seen what's involved.

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