Tag Archives: clowns

When Children Fear Mascots

Posted on by
3

Yesterday when I wrote about my top five favorite clowns I brought up the somewhat romanticized fear of clowns that adults claim to have. I don’t know if I necessarily buy into the claims of the roughly fifty percent of the people I know who say clowns cause them distress. In my opinion I think it is more talk than fear. Fact of the matter is adult brains can conceptualize that under the paint and wig of a scary looking clown is a regular man or woman. While some folks in our population have serious phobias of such stimuli I don’t believe it applies to the legions of people who make the claim.

Kids are a whole different story, especially younger ones. At an early age children don’t instantly grasp that people dress up in wild and crazy outfits that transform appearance. Minds are still developing and when they see something that can walk and move like a human but that doesn’t look like mom or dad real fears develop. Many young kids have real issues with clowns. Many have issues during Halloween.

Because of one of the responsibilities I hold at work I am exposed first hand to another one of these types of fears that children hold: mascots.

Holding the distinction of mascot coordinator within Grizzly Athletics I routinely see how the most loved personality in the state of Montana can also be the most feared. While Monte, our grizzly bear mascot, has reached rock star status on a national level for his ability to entertain and connect with fans even his one of a kind charm is sometimes not enough to calm the fears of petrified children. At most events or basketball games you can expect to see at least one child ranging in the age of 2-7 meltdown at the sight of him. Kids will cry, scream, run away, or bury themselves in their mom or dad. It doesn’t take a psychology degree to figure out why these young kids are frightened. Seeing an agile, walking bear that blurs the lines between an animal and a human can confuse a toddler to the point of tears.

I get the opportunity to work with our mascots, Monte and Mo

I get the opportunity to work with our mascots, Monte and Mo

Monte doesn’t get selected to the Capital One All-American Mascot team on a consistent basis just because he can entertain, dance, entertain, and tumble though. His ability to connect with children, adults, and the elderly sets him apart. More often than not I have seen him approach those frightened kids right on the spot and win them over. In the blink of an eye the shrieks turn to laughs and Monte and the kid are embracing.

No one is better with kids than Monte (photo courtesy of Todd Goodrich)

No one is better with kids than Monte (photo courtesy of Todd Goodrich)

Of course it doesn’t always happen that way. Sometimes the child is just not ready to enjoy a mascot and Monte lets him or her be. For some children it takes time to outgrow the fear. They will avoid and turn the other way when Monte is in proximity but then a couple years later the fear is gone and the kid, wearing a #00 jersey, is rushing at him to jump in his furry arms. But then there are the extreme cases…

Monte makes thousands of kids smile a year (awesome photo courtesy of Todd Goodrich).

Monte makes thousands of kids smile a year (awesome photo courtesy of Todd Goodrich).

Some youngsters develop a polarizing fear of Monte. Unfortunately that fear doesn’t just end at the arena when the bear is not around. Pictures, mentions, and thoughts of Monte can trigger fear simply when the child is at home or at school. This is when Grizzly Athletics intervenes. Twice since I have worked in the department parents have contacted me about their child suffering from a phobia of Monte. When this occurs I invite the parents and their son (both times it has been a boy) to come to the office and I turn it over to our amazing students who serve as Monte (we employ two talented individuals).

In a calm manner our Monte performer will greet the kid in his street clothes. He will then slowly take pieces of the Monte suit out of his bag and show the child that it is just a costume. Next he will start to put the suit on while talking to the child the whole way through. Once our performer puts the head on to complete the transformation into Monte the kid is no longer having a panic attack and the fear is gone. Both times I have observed this the parents walked out the door with tears of joy while thanking us profusely.

I deal with two very talented and compassionate Monte performers.

I deal with two very talented and compassionate Monte performers.

Back when I was very young, probably four years old, I had a bad dream involving McGruff the Crime Dog. After that nightmare I dreaded seeing him at the parades and festivals my parents would take me to where he would appear. After a year I grew out of it but even though I was very young at the time I can still remember what that fear felt like which allows me to identify with the kids today who are afraid of Monte.

Sorry to my adult friends who are afraid of clowns but I have more sympathy for the five year old girl who is afraid of Monte. Don’t Blink.

Clown Shortage? My Top 5 Favorite Clowns

Posted on by
1

This past week it became known that this great country could very well be suffering a clown shortage. Yep, a clown shortage. Although the evidence is just based primarily on dwindling membership to the trade’s national organization, the Clowns of America International, it didn’t stop people from having a little fun with it over the last several days. Social media users posted the news on the Facebook walls of friends who claim to be petrified of clowns (still a mystery to me on how people are afraid of clowns) and comedians and columnists had their own hay days. Okay, fair enough.

I guess I am a little indifferent to clowns. By no means am I afraid of them. I would never chastise, mock, or embarrass one. Likewise I don’t have a passion for “clowning” as the industry calls it. I have never aspired to dress up in makeup, don a rainbow colored wig, put on a big red nose, and waltz around public places. But to each their own. In my opinion I think clowns serve a legitimate purpose. Just because I don’t get overly excited about them doesn’t mean that I don’t recognize the joyful impact they have on others…I have seen it countless times.

Just because I could live with them or without them doesn’t mean I don’t have a few clowns who have stood out over the years. In fact when I heard about the possible clown shortage I immediately thought about a few of these crazy jokesters who stick out in my mind whenever I hear the word BOZO. So for today’s blog post I would like to recognize my top five favorite clowns starting with my fifth best and working down to my all-time favorite.

5. Doink the Clown – As hesitant as I am to admit it, as a kid I was a huge WWE fan. Starting from probably the age of seven and lasting through about sixth grade I watched the weekly programs, collected the action figures, and even attended a couple live events when the organization invaded Spokane. For many years the WWE featured a wrestler named Doink the Clown. He filled the demented clown profile with wild green hair and messy face paint. He usually got dominated in the ring and was a running joke within the WWE.

A clown I watched a lot during my childhood...Doink the Clown.

A clown I watched a lot during my childhood…Doink the Clown.

4. Buttons – As a kid on special occasions my family would go out to a restaurant called Swackhammer’s in north Spokane. Think of this place as an earlier version of Applebees. On certain nights the restaurant would have Buttons the Clown go table to table making balloon animals. Of course this trumped the tasty food, the company we usually had, and the cool toy trains that ran on tracks throughout the restaurant. An older heavier-set clown with suspenders and a top hat my first question whenever my parents said we were going to Swackhammer’s was “Is Buttons going to be there?”

3. Scary Clown from Halloween 2011 – I don’t have too much to say about this clown that I met during Halloween 2011 other than it makes my favorites list solely because he didn’t kill me.

I had an encounter with this clown and I am pleased to report that I survived.

I had an encounter with this clown and I am pleased to report that I survived.

2. The Clowns of Mystère – To this day the best Cirque du Soleil show I have ever seen was Mystère at Treasure Island in Las Vegas. Everything about that show is amazing, starting with pre-entrance entertainment. As my family waited to enter the theater some 15 years ago one of the clown performers poked through the door and came out in the lobby area to have some fun. Playing an awkward, goofy angle the clown would come right up to us, look us in the eye, and make a noise while doing other shenanigans. Dressed in a suit that probably cost thousands of dollars and covered in top grade makeup, this was by no means your stereotypical clown. My family laughed hysterically as this Cirque cast member performed for us. As you could imagine, the gift shop didn’t have to twist our arms to shell out the money for the prints that the photographer took of the clown interacting with us.

1. Uncle Curly the Clown – Back when I did all the marketing and gameday entertainment for the Griz soccer team I tried to think up something original that would go over well for the Kids Day game I was planning. After coming up with the idea during my daily workout I decided that I was going to hire a clown to work the stands during that particular game. After putting in my research I settled on doing business with “Uncle Curly the Clown” from Montana Clown Work. Played by Thomas Plovanic I traveled to his home and met with him about the gig. We discussed expectations and rates and had a good conversation. At his home I talked to him in his street clothes but when I met him on game day at the soccer stadium he was in his clown outfit but to my surprise there wasn’t a major transformation. He wore a modest suit, a couple dabs of face paint, and a yellow hat. He still looked very much like the guy I talked to in that living room. But what really changed was his personality! His already outgoing and goofy persona that became known to me at his place had been amped up about ten different levels.

He delighted the crowd, interacted with Monte brilliantly, and kept a great balance between having the attention focused on him and the action on the field. About a week after the game I got a very nice thank you note from Uncle Curly thanking us for having him at the game. To beat out a Las Vegas performer in the best suit money can buy for the number one spot on my clown list is quite the honor!

 

Me holding the very nice thank you note I received from Uncle Curly the Clown

Me holding the very nice thank you note I received from Uncle Curly the Clown



—————–

Although I think this “clown shortage” is a little exaggerated I hope the industry doesn’t go the way of the dinosaurs. Do you have any favorite clowns or, better yet, pictures of you with clowns?! I think I might have to do something special for you if you can provide me with a decent clown picture. Have a great weekend everyone. Don’t Blink.