Clown Week: Love them or afraid of them? Here are some interesting facts about the funny men

The first week of August is celebrated as the International Clown Week. To ring in the week, check out some fun facts about the funny men:




The declaration of International Clown Week was passed into US law by then president Richard Nixon on August 2, 1971



The traditional nickname for a clown is Joey, after the early 19th century pantomime star Joseph Grimaldi. The word ‘clown’ is believed to have come from the Icelandic word klunni, meaning a clumsy person

The world’s oldest clown society, Clowns International, was founded in 1947. Grimaldi was the first panto clown to wear white face make-up instead of a mask



Serial killer John Wayne Gacy was known as Pogo the Clown


A fear of clowns is known as coulrophobia, but is not recognised by the World Health Organisation as a registered disorder


There are over 20,000 clowns in the world today. The most famous have their faces painted onto eggs (chicken, or sometimes goose) and are displayed in collections in the UK and the US. The tradition was started in the UK around 1946

A clown act can come in three forms — entrees (longer acts that contain gags and typically use a clowning framework); side dishes (a shorter, feature act between other show material) and interludes, a distractionstyle set that the clown performs while rigging or equipment is being adjusted in the background

Source: huffpost . uk , circusmania.blogspot. in