Many Native American rituals involve clowns who must initiate the various ceremonies. This is because the Native American culture believes clowns open us up to laughter, and laughter opens the door to learning. It was also believed in some tribes that clowns brought fertility and good fortune to the people.

Today, clowns provide us with some fun, generally with exaggerated stunts and gestures. It can be entertaining to watch a clown in oversized clothing and shoes ride on a tiny bike or pile too many of them into a small vehicle.

Laughter is good medicine, and clowns can often be found in hospitals and nursing homes. They may come in on a set schedule to help cheer up the patients. They also bring games and toys to the children there, making their hospital experience less scary.

Rodeo clowns keep our cowboys safe from those mean bulls who weigh hundreds of pounds. Rodeo clowns put their life on the line to protect others as well as providing entertainment to the crowd between rides. Clowns are often a staple of entertainment at community events including parades. They can also be rented to help provide games and fun during birthday parties.

For those who have more than a passing interest in being a clown, Clowns International is the largest group of clowns around the world. The have even established clown magazines, and clown Churches. To preserve the history of clowns, several clown museums have been designed.

Being a clown for a living or as a hobby is a great way to have fun experiences. How many of us can honestly say we make others happy by bringing laughter to their lives? It takes a fun, outgoing personality to become a successful clown. It also takes knowing how to devise your routines to fit the audience in front of you.

This can be tricky when you are trying to find common ground for entertaining children of all ages as well as the adults with them. Those who do it look forward to going to work, as they truly love what they do.

The most common and popular type of clown face is the white face clown. This type of clown face requires the entire face to be covered in white. The neck area is generally covered white as well so that no skin color is showing. Gloves are popular for completing this look.

Auguste clown faces use less makeup, and there is some actual skin showing. Some people prefer to see this type of clown because they appear more natural and less made up. These types of clowns often do the crazy things that get us to laugh like going the wrong way while the other clowns are doing something else.

Character clown faces have a more unique, individual look. They are often very low key and more for display and looks than actual entertainment. They commonly work at handing out candy or making balloons into animals. Simple things that bring smiles without too much entertainment involved. They may dress up as a cartoon character, professional, or other type of character but with a clown face.

Occassionally, especially in some movies, you will see scary clown faces. You won’t normally see them at fun events, but they can be popular around Halloween. The makeup is definitely different, being dark colors of green, black and gray instead of reds and whites.

Applying clown makeup to design your clown face takes practice as well as using the right types of makeup. There are some great clown schools that show you the proper procedures for applying various clown faces. You can also find information in books and on the internet. Of course, you do have the option of coming up with something completely original that works well for you.

Make sure you use quality clown makeup that is specifically designed for just that purpose. You want something that you can easily wash off at the end of your clown face day. However, you want it to last and stay in place. Make sure it is waterproof and won’t smear if it gets touched by a child or if you get too hot.

Creating your own clown costume is fun because their really are no guidelines and plenty of accessories. Oversized items always seem to work well for clown costumes. Big ties with polka dots, huge sunglasses, and of course those great big clunky shoes.

Clown makeup is generally easy to apply. The most common clown costumes include makeup that starts with the entire face being painted white. Bright red or pink lipstick is very common on female clowns as is red or pink blush that is very thick and bright.

The amount of money you want to spend on your clown costume and makeup really depends on what you plan to use it for. Someone who is looking to dress up for Halloween or other fun activity generally won’t spend a great deal on a clown costume.

However, if you will be wearing it often for birthday parties or self employment, then you will want to invest a little more. You will also want to be more selective with your clown costume items. Comfort is going to be essential. It is hard enough finding good walking shoes, but how about clown shoes that you will be walking in for 20 or 30 hours per week?

You also don’t want to get too hot in your clown costume. Look for clown costume materials that allow you to breath and that are flame resistant. You costume should be original and colorful, but not time consuming to put on or for you to apply your makeup. Look for quality clown makeup that goes on easy, stays on, and then is simple to take off at the end of the day. You will be better off getting quality clown makeup at a costume store than at a retail store.

The internet is a great place to find both new and used clown costumes and accessories. You can’t go wrong with a clown costume, so have fun with the idea and come up with something that fits your personal taste as well as the event you plan to wear it for.

A fear of clowns is acknowledged by professionals as a phobia, the technical term being coulrophobia. Most people who experience a fear of clowns really can’t tell you why. It is a common myth that it has something to do with a bad experience they had with a clown in their life. It is commonly said it is something they suppressed or that they were too young to remember the event. A fear of clowns has been made fun of in cartoons including the comic A Rose is a Rose and the popular Simpon’s episodes.

A common theory of researchers is that someone develops a fear of clowns because they don’t trust them. This stems from the real face of the individual being covered up so you can’t see their true expressions. This would explain why so many with a fear of clowns fit the profile of someone who doesn’t trust easily and likes to be in a controlled environment that is familiar to them.

Further confusion and fear can escalate if you don’t have good self esteem. This is because you may view the clown’s behaviors as making fun on you individually rather than as a ploy to entertain the crowd. The exact number of people who are afraid of clowns is not known. Most people try to hide it unless they have a severe fear of clowns, and men are less likely to share it with others than women. Two men who have acknowledged their fear of clowns publicly are rapper P. Diddy and actor Johnny Depp.

Fear of clowns is real, so remember that if you come across someone who has one. They may not be able to express why, but respect it. Think of some fears and phobias you have and how you would feel if someone ridiculed you for it. Never force a child to come into contact with a clown. I am surprised by the number of parents who have done this, further traumatizing the child.

Most large rodeos incorporate the skills of three rodeo clowns in the arena at one time. Two of them take the role of clowning around, entertaining the audience and protecting the bull riders. The third rodeo clown becomes the barrel man. A barrel is available for him to jump into, out of the way of a charging bull. Many rodeo clowns have had their share of injuries resulting from bulls that were mean enough to take them on.

Rodeo clowns are a rare breed of cowboy. Many of them are retired bull riders. To the spectators, a rodeo clown is pure amusement. This is a sign that he has done his job well. To the rodeo crew and to the bull riders, the rodeo clown is a respected and fearless celebrity to be honored. There are various bull riding schools that offer courses for rodeo clown training. The training includes how to distract bulls, how to entertain the crowd, and how to apply your own clown makeup.

A good, qualified rodeo clown can make a good living. However, it isn’t if you get hurt in this line of work, but how bad. Most rodeo clowns are self employed and travel around the rodeo circuit. Depending on the amount of rodeos they work and the prestige of the event, a typical rodeo clown can earn from $40,000 to $90,000 per year.

Remember that self employed means you are responsible for your own clown outfits, makeup, travel expenses, meals, and medical treatment. However, it is a job that many don’t want to tackle so the competition isn’t too stiff when you compare the number of rodeos taking place out there all over the world.

Bull riding is very dangerous, and the role of the rodeo clown is to prevent injuries and accidents from happening at all costs. The Professional Bull Riding Association recognizes this, and has issues over 700 certificates of appreciation and awards to rodeo clowns.