Warning: This is the “AUGHHH – We’re too busy at Moose Camp to write a newsletter” Newsletter! So to ease the frazzled minds here at Mooseburger Headquarters, we have asked our friend Dave Carlyon to write up something on Clown History. He graciously agreed and gave us a fresh new perspective on the subject! Thank you, Dave!

Pricilla

David Carlyon was a clown with Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus (with Prince Paul, Mark Anthony, and Barry “Grandma” Lubin). Before that, he attended the University of Michigan; fought forest fires in the West; worked in a meatpacking plant; was an MP in the Army; and graduated from law school at California-Berkeley. After Ringling, Dave was an actor in New York, got his Ph.D. from Northwestern, and was a professor at the University of Michigan-Flint. He wrote the award-winning book, Dan Rice: The Most Famous Man You’ve Never Heard Of.

Digesting Clown History

History is often like spinach: supposed to be good for you but not always tasty. The history of clowning can be like that. Sometimes the rich feast of our comic past gets reduced to a list of restrictions: Do this because clowns always did; don’t do that because clowns don’t.

History also can be mush. Everyone understands that we can learn from history but that appreciation sometimes becomes mush, bland and gooey.

In addition to spinach or mush, respect for the past warns against spaghetti. That’s the word the great Lou Jacobs applied to the aimless arm-waving and unfocused movement that rookies often use. When I flailed in Clown College and he criticized my “spaghetti,” at first I took offense but I wised up. In popular images, the clowns is wildly antic but the best work, large or small, relies on specific movement. Listening to veterans helps.

As Pricilla’s guest columnist, who’s been both a Ringling clown and a professional historian, I’d like to suggest another way clowns can learn from the past.

Clowns and kids seem a natural pairing. That sweet image is now a standard part of our culture, popping up all the time, in movies, on TV, in commercials. Unfortunately this apparent bond creates huge pressure on a clown to try to fit that idealized image. However, for most of human existence, clowns have performed primarily for adults. That doesn’t mean ignoring kids; times have changed and they’re a big part of the audience. But knowing that the clown-&-kiddie image is new, historically speaking, can free you from trying to fit that image and instead find your own way of dealing with children.

CAVEMAN HITS HEAD

The comic impulse is as old as cavemen. Despite what my kids will tell you, I wasn’t there, so I can’t vouch for it personally. But when the first caveman whacked his head on the cave entrance and someone laughed, another cavemen must have done it on purpose, to get laughs himself. For comedy scratches a fundamental human itch. Whether we’re reveling in high spirits, finding relief for physical or emotional pain, or indulging in the guilty pleasure of making fun of what others value, we’re all looking for that lift.

Over time those spontaneous moments got organized into rituals. Some included the trickster who could do and say what normally wasn’t allowed.

COMMEDIA AND SHAKESPEARE

As spontaneous amusements and folk rituals coalesced into shows, comic characters developed. Some ad-libbed, like those in commedia dell’arte, a form of improvisation begun in Italy in the 1400s. Others were characters in plays, speaking written lines.

They weren’t called “clowns” at first. That word originally referred to country bumpkins, probably derived from “clod.” The shift from country cliché to stage character can be seen around 1600 in Shakespeare’s As You Like It, when the clown character, Touchstone, insists he’s not a clown like the rustics around him.

Both kinds, improvisers and stage clowns, joked about bodily functions and awkward adult situations like cheating spouses. Not exactly children’s fare.

KNOCKABOUT CLOWNS

In the late 1700s a few stage clowns stepped to the front. In white-face makeup and elaborate costumes, they starred in what we’d call clown shows: Performances of physical comedy in theaters. The most well-known English stage clown was Joseph Grimaldi, renowned for his violent slapstick. It is written that clowns are called “Joeys” in his honor (though it seems to be a writer’s conceit more than a real circus nickname). Between Shakespeare’s bawdy jokes and Grimaldi’s wild actions, clowns gave adults full doses of sex and violence. Again, no kid stuff.

A side note: A few newsletters back, Pricilla cautioned against trusting the Internet too much. Here’s a prime example. The Encyclopedia Britannica website calls Grimaldi the “earliest of the true circus clowns,” though he never appeared in a circus.

CIRCUS CLOWNS

Circus did develop about the same time though, combining feats on horseback, specialty performers, and a clown. Whether or not Grimaldi (“Grimmy”? “Maldy”?) gave a nickname to clowns, he and other stage clowns did influence circus clowns with their elaborate costumes, white-face makeup, and knockabout comedy. As the 1800s progressed, some clowns expanded the jokes with the ringmaster to become talking clowns.

The best talking clown, and maybe the greatest American clown ever, was Dan Rice, who leapt to fame by commenting on current events. Sometimes he appeared in traditional clown costumes but other times he performed as a clown in dress clothes, appealing to a rising middle class. Yet even as Rice urged refinement, and began giving special family matinees, circus crowds remained mostly raw and rowdy, so he continued delivering what was then standard circus fare: Sex and violence, with a bonus in political commentary from this “Great American Humorist.”

SWEET CLOWNS

After the Civil War saw a HUGE change. The clown became a symbol.

Bawdy fightin’ & feudin’ jokers like Rice got squeezed into the new image of the lovable kiddie clown. This change had more to do with appearance than action, with how the image of clown fit new sentimentality about children than with what clowns actually did. Though Mark Twain had enjoyed Rice’s raucous circus as a boy in Hannibal, Mo., he pushed the change along with his sentimental version of a circus in Huckleberry Finn. (For an extensive discussion of these cultural shifts, see my book on Dan Rice.)

BACKLASH

Of course dominant cultural images breed backlash. First came the sad clown, which is really the idealized “happy clown” turned inside out. These two stereotypes developed almost in tandem: Toward the end of the 1800s, soon after Twain created his idealized happy picture, the opera Pagliacci presented an idealized model of the sad clown. Though sad and happy are basic emotions, this dichotomy ignores the vast range of clown types and actions.

So things continued into the 20th century, with another flip coming in the 1960s. The same counter-culture impulse that attracted so many to Clown College also generated clowns who aimed to be “artistic.” While that impulse has produced good stuff, it too is an image rather than an action, something to tell people rather than something to do as a clown. In similar fashion, the sweet image also got flipped as a joke—the sour clown with a dangling cigarette—or for shock value, like horror film clowns.

Then someone took the occasional nervousness a few kids feel about clowns, and made up a fake condition, "coulrophobia." Though the “condition” and the Latin are both phony, it’s spread by the Internet and repeated by reporters, making it seem legit. While kids do sometimes get afraid, that has less to do with anything innate than with a clown who pushes too hard or approaches too fast or acts too aggressively--probably because the clown is trying to fit the image of the antic clown.

HISTORY HELPS

Clowns have performed for adults throughout human existence. The change in the 1800s to include children led to the sugary stereotype of clown-&-kiddie. That stereotype mostly ignores what clowns actually do in performance, instead pretending that kids automatically love clowns and that clowns automatically bond with kids. And trying to fit a stereotype will make you seem fake, to yourself and others.

Understanding then that clowning with kids has a specific and relatively recent history can liberate you from attempts to fit that stereotype. Then you can begin to do what good clowns do, deal with the real people you encounter, young or old, one or many, with an infinite variety of reactions. My education really began once I did that, finding my own way of dealing with people in the audience. I learned that if I thought something was funny, so did my clown character. If a kid was shy, I approached cautiously or waved from a distance. That give-and-take respects their genuine reactions and responds to it in turn.

Unless you’re perfect, you can’t fit a perfect image of how a clown is “supposed” to look and act. Nor can you exactly match the sweet image of clown-&-kiddie, because children are individual, not following any script. But you can be who YOU are as a clown, and treat them how they are at that moment. And when you do that, and really connect with the people who are being as THEY are, history and experience teach that you can connect. Better than any sugary picture, that genuine connection can be a tasty treat.

MOOSE CAMP NEWS!

The ol’ Mooseburger Taxi has been sold! Please don’t call the office with anymore offers – the clown car has gone to a good home and will be continued to be used as a working car!

As I write this, it is approximately 100 hours away from the first day of Moose Camp, when 100 clowns flood Buffalo, MN and liven up the joint! That being said, there isn’t much news that’s NEW at this point. We do, however, have news for Moose Camp 2010, but those secrets can only be divulged in next month’s issue of Moose Newz (ooh, a cliff-hanger to make you come back)!

If you are one of this year’s Moose Campers and you STILL have questions, please PLEASE, by all means: ASK!
Toll free: 800-973-6277 or Email: info@mooseburger.com.
We want to make sure you are 120% excited and prepared for one of the best weeks of your life!

If you missed out on registering for this year’s Moose Camp – never fear! We will open registration early this year, and you can get a spot starting September 1^st -- that’s only one month away! Check back to this page September 1^st: http://mooseburger.com/Register/

Where in the World was Pricilla Mooseburger?

Earlier last month, I traveled to Milwaukee with my daughter Julia and Fred and Katie Baisch for the parade of a life-time! We saw a few friends from Moose Camp and Clown Forum (www.clown-forum.com). We took SOOO many photos! Thanks to Beth “Pickles” Cedarholm for letting me scoop some of these pictures from her. Here is the article printed up in our local newspaper, the Maple Lake Messenger.

Tricia Manuel performed in the 50^th Great Circus Parade on July 12 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The 3.4 mile parade consisted of 50 restored vintage circus wagons pulled by draft horses, 30 marching bands, dozens of clowns and circus animals. All the bands’ equestrian riders were decked out in vintage circus costumes, many from Ringling Bros. Circus glory days. Manuel was invited to work in the wardrobe department two days before the event helping to make last minute alterations to costumes that were worn by all the marching bands, wagon teamsters, and equestrians. “It was a thrill to be involved in such a historic event.” Manuel was a Ringling Bros. Circus Clown in the early 80’s and continues to perform, sell costumes, and teach clowning around the country.

Another Happy Customer!

Testimonials from customers and Moose Campers...

I received the Clown Workbook yesterday and had to tell you I couldn't believe it. Talk about first class! What a beautiful presentation & so full of vital, interesting information. Again thank you for all your work and obviously love of what you do.
~ Anne Bristow Doak

Hello Mooseburger Employees,

I received my new pants in the mail this past week. I ordered a pair of clown pants at the Clowntown convention in Ohio, and then sent them back to be exchanged for a smaller pair. I just wanted to let you know that the new pants fit fine and look great. Thanks again for exchanging my clown pants for me.

Joe McMillen, a.k.a. Mr. Funny Bones

2 Sales!

After-Moose Camp Clearance Sale!

$20 each – any style, any size!

Save $5 on a t-shirt – Save $10 on a polo shirt!

Hurry, very limited supplies are left!!

FREE Shipping on all in-stock orders over $45! WOW!!

Yes, you read that right: ANY items ordered from inventory totaling $45 or more will get absolutely FREE Shipping & Handling

No restrictions!

Clearance items included!

If it’s in stock, then you’re not getting charged postage. Load up your shopping cart and remember to give us the discount code “POPSICLE” when you check out!

Go online to order: www.mooseburger.com

Call in your order: 800-973-6277 (or 320-963-6277 for our international friends)

Fax your order: 320-963-6692

Terms and Conditions of Sales:

1. Offer good on orders being shipped to Canada and the US. Order will be shipped by U.S. Parcel Post or First Class, depending on weight and destination.
2. You have to type the word “POPSICLE” in the Discount Code box at the end of your online order, or write “POPSICLE” somewhere on your fax-in or mail-in order, or tell the word “POPSICLE” to the Mooseburger Salesperson on your phone-in order.
3. Supplies are limited. Free Shipping & Handling offer is good only on in-stock items. Please note: Just because the item is displayed online does not mean it is in stock – all products are displayed online regardless of immediate availability. We try to update it everyday, but the site is not always 100% up to date with current stock. If you have any concerns, then call us before you place your order: 800-973-6277 or 320-963-6277. Click here for our Sales Page .
4. Good on phone-in, mail-in, fax-in, or online orders. Order must be placed during the month of Auguste. This offer is not retroactive.
5. The Shipping & Handling will still show up on your online order confirmation; sorry, we cannot control that application online. However, rest assured that the Shipping & Handling will be deducted from your total before we process it. You will get an email titled “New Order from PMO” with your correct total.

Join me this autumn at the events listed below – stop by my booth and say “HI!” You can keep track of my travel schedule online here. See you on the road!

September 16 - 20, 2009

Clownfest

Location: Seaside Heights, NJ

Website: http://www.clownfest.com/

October 7 - 11, 2009

Midwest Clown Round-Up

Location: Lansing, Michigan

Website: www.midwestclowns.net

November 8 - 12, 2009

Western Region Clown Association Convention

Location: Laughlin, NV

Website: http://www.westregionclowns.org/

Next month I promise we’ll have a recap of Moose Camp 2009
and new plans for Moose Camp 2010!