Clowns, Clowns, Clowns

There are basically three types of clowns.  Some clowns wear the traditional “jester costume”, where some prefer the “mime costume”.  Still some clowns prefer the classic “circus costume”.  There is no correct costume, but certain costumes fit certain needs.

The jester costume goes back hundreds of years.  In the Middle Ages in Europe, jesters would often entertain the king and queen, as well as any guests of the court, at official dinners.  Jesters represent the earliest form of “clowns” in western culture.  They are the most removed from what modern audiences would consider a “clown”, however.

A typical jester costume consists of a hat with two ends, both of which are adorned with bells.  The points of a jester’s shoes also often have bells.  In between is a body-stocking, usually with diamond shapes of alternating colors going from head to toe.  A jester costume rarely, if ever, includes a painted face.  Jesters engage in more cerebral comedy.  Often, jesters will use word plays and witticisms to gently mock their hosts.

The mime costume very much straddles the fence between the relatively low-key jester costume and the more outlandish circus costume.  A mime costume generally includes normal, if almost business-like, attire with just a painted face.  The face painting on a mime is not as wacky as the face-painting on a regular clown.  Mimes also are one of the only types of clown to restrict their routines to just one quirk: they never speak.  Other clowns will do all sorts of tricks or comedic routines.  Mimes stop at not speaking.

The classic circus costume is the costume everyone associates with clowns.  Bright wig, face painted white, suspenders holding up big trousers, big shoes.  Top it all off with a bright red nose and you’ve got the circus costume.  Everyone would recognize this as a classic clown costume.  It is certainly the most outlandish of all clown costumes.  Not as reserved as the mime costume, nor as austere as the jester costume.  The circus costume fits the versatility of the circus clowns.  Circus clowns will generally do anything and everything to get a laugh out of the audience.

For the most part, the classic circus costume is the most prevalent clown costume these days.  That’s not to say that one won’t encounter the occasional mime costume, though.  And jester costumes are always a big hit around Mardi Gras, if you live in an area that celebrates Mardi Gras.  Other than that, however, the classic clown look is the most popular.