I joined a clown club on December 11, 2024. After a couple of dress-outs and appearing in parades as a hobo clown, I advanced out of the probationary status on July 9, 2025. My clown name is Dr. Leo, and I am a Hobo clown as part of a clown club that performs in parades and events. The primary reason I chose a hobo clown is that I thought it better fit my personality than others. I can always dress up as the other types of clowns, but in my heart, I’m a hobo. It took a minute to tell the difference between a hobo clown and a tramp, since they look the same. It’s more of a personality trait where the hobo will take a job if offered, whereas the tramp will not.
Hobo Clown Dress Out
The hobo clown is typically known for their white eyes and mouth, a black ash beard, and sunburned cheeks, nose, and forehead. The white around the eyes and mouth is meant to simulate how a hobo would wipe ash from their eyes and mouth while riding a coal train. We typically wear dark suits. Most of my clothes were purchased at a thrift store, where I looked for unique pieces such as a dark blue corduroy jacket, while still keeping color, such as the purple shirt and green tie, so I wasn’t all black-and-white stuffy suit. Most clown types have clean and bright clothing without a blemish, but the hobo clowns are a bit unique. I was told that I could run over my clothes with the car to help make them look the part. I can add patches and even wear split pants, so long as I am not revealing anything when bending over. Everything needs to be family-friendly. I’d prefer patches over split pants. For the hat, I wear a fedora that my dog had chewed up, so it’s a little beat up. Quite often, I’ll wear some pins on the back of the hat or a bright butterfly beret to hand over to any child who points it out.
Other Clowns
There are other major types of clowns. The white-face clown wears an entirely white face and often acts like the boss of the other clowns. The auguste clown has white patches around the eyes and mouth, is outlined in black like a cartoon character, and may have other features to exaggerate the lips, cheeks, nose, and eyes.
There are character clowns, such as firefighters and police clowns. We have a Rodeo clown in my club, and one of the clowns sometimes dresses as a hillbilly character and drives a rusted drift trike that appears unstable, with the back wheels sliding in crazy donuts.
There are other types of clowns that aren’t so prevalent. My favorites are the original Steam Powered Giraffe members as singing automatons. Mime clowns are often one-act shows that I haven’t seen performed alongside other clowns.
I’ve only seen kids dress up as scary clowns to scare people, and unfortunately, they heighten the public’s fear of good-natured clowns.
Nose Clown
It doesn’t take much to be a clown. I often carry a spare nose in my coat pocket during the winter months and will slip it on occasionally to lighten the mood. I just act like everything is normal and carry on my business, and eventually, people notice. It signals that I am in “play mode” and gives me permission to be silly. As long as someone has a smile on their face, everything is in good fun.
Nose clown works better with people who are sensitive to clowns because they can still read your eyes, smile, and emotions.
Alter-Ego
When someone puts on a clown nose or a full-on face, they sometimes feel like a different character, and their behavior shifts until they can sense what kind of character they are. Some clowns do not speak at all, while others can be bossy or talk like a child. It gives their subconscious permission to act differently, allowing them to override social rules and reduce self-consciousness.
Sometimes I mime micro-skits in a parade, jumping into the crowd to watch the other clowns walk by and waving at them. But for the most part, I just feel like me. I just try to look silly and do silly things like walking a rubber chicken on a dog leash.
Children In Sidelines
During parades, I often have to keep my attention on how children react as I walk past. If I see a child pull back, I’ll give myself more space from the sidelines. Other children may reach out and grab props. My quick solution is to always have something to hand out in exchange for letting go, so I can keep moving. Usually it works.
Rule Breaker
The best part about being a clown is that I can break the rules of professionalism, as failing to carry out a skill can still be turned around into a comedic moment with over-exaggerated failure, so long as I carry on to the next act. It also gives me permission to wear red sneakers with a business suit or to stand backward when everyone is asked to form a line. As long as it’s in good fun and people see you have something that identifies you as a clown, it’s usually fair game.
The Written & Unwritten Code
There is also a lot of responsibility that comes with being a clown. I can’t just put on the nose to dodge a serious conversation. I also need to avoid clowning around in a way that would embarrass the other clowns. Some of them make a living or raise funds for charity organizations, and it wouldn’t be ideal for me to ruin the overall perception of clowns. I don’t drink, so I don’t have much to worry about to begin with. Just because you are a clown doesn’t mean that you can break every rule. There are many rules that go with clowning that you will learn if you start clowning around.
Fear of Clowns
There is a serious fear associated with clowns called coulrophobia. This is more common than people realize, and it’s not limited to just children. Even adults understand that a clown is just a person, yet the exaggerated faces, hidden expressions, and unpredictable behavior can cause anxiety, panic, dread, physical stress, and avoidance. As humans, we feel safe when we can read faces. I have a few adult friends who are uncomfortable around clowns. It’s not just the scary ones – it’s the gentle clowns as well. One reason I chose to be a hobo clown is that I felt my facial features would be more visible. Unfortunately, it’s still a problem because the clown face signals unpredictability and hides facial features.
One of my friends called me as soon as they found out that I was a clown, asking me never to visit their business while dressed up. My immediate response was that I would never cross a boundary like that unless I were invited. Not only would it break their trust, but it takes quite an effort to dress out as a clown sometimes – especially with the makeup, and I wouldn’t do it just on a whim. You’ll often start to hear later that others may have the phobia as well, explaining why they didn’t come visit at a table or start behaving differently around you. It’s perfectly normal, and something you’ll have to get comfortable with on your own.
Credentials
Originally, my clown name was Leonardo when I first joined the clown club. Just to make sure everyone knows I’m qualified, I signed myself up for an honorary PhD in Comedic Science from Abide University. After my probationary period, I changed my clown name to Dr. Leo to reflect my credentials. It may be honorary and unaccredited, but it’s still a PhD.
The Arts of Performance
Part of clowning around is learning the craft across a wide variety of performance arts. This includes public speaking, costumes, comedy, skits, balloon sculptures, magic tricks, music instruments, dog tricks, juggling, puppetry, ventriloquism, and more. I try to cover a wide range to find skills and props I can carry with me on the go, or prepare for entertaining a room.
