[Olivia] made friends with the animals right away and was thrilled when they agreed to go home with her!
from Not My Circus
written by Janet Sumner Johnson
illustrated by Patrick Corrigan
Picture Window Books/Capstone, 2024
I’ve never been to the circus. That’s true. But last week I was in Florida and my husband and I went to the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus Museum and toured the grounds.
We wandered through the history of Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey and marveled at the acrobats’ athleticism, were mesmerized by a video demonstration of how a clown applied his makeup, and laughed as a couple of kids squashed themselves into a replica of the clown car used by Lou Jacobs. His car is on display, too. It’s hard to imagine how Lou folded his 6’1” body into the 2’ by 3’ foot car and drove it into the ring.
In 1966, the 100th anniversary of John Ringling’s birth, Lou Jacobs’s face appeared on the first US postage stamp that depicted a living person. Here's a picture (that won't load to the blog!)
https://www.vintagepostagestamps.com/product-page/5-circus-clown-25-stamps
Then, in 1993, a 29-cent clown stamp (that looks a lot like Lou) was issued to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the first circus in the United States.
And it’s Lou’s face that appeared on circus posters, wagons, and memorabilia.
Lou Jacobs was a great clown. He worked for Ringling from 1925 until 1985. He was a Master Teacher at Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College from its beginning in 1968 until he retired in 1991.
Although his is not a household name, Lou Jacobs is an American icon like Emmett Kelly, Charlie Chaplin, Carol Burnett. And Pinto Colvig (Bozo), Patch Adams (portrayed by Robin Williams), and Bob Keeshan (among others) as Howdy Doody’s sidekick, Clarabell.
The organization Clowns Without Borders reminds us that laughter is healing. “After all, comic relief IS relief!”
So, of course, I wondered how that works. When clowns express all their feelings and invite their audiences to do that, too, it’s called mirroring. That’s what lets us laugh at ourselves.
First, a little drop of history.
Pharaohs had jesters in Ancient Egypt. They amused their audiences because they were allowed to break society’s rules.
Native American cultures had sacred clowns who used humor to teach lessons.
Jesters in medieval Europe entertained Kings and Queens, but their jobs were dangerous. They critiqued the court by disguising their criticism in layers of humor. They mocked the court, sometimes at great risk to themselves.
Jesters evolved into our famous and not-so-famous clowns. But their exaggerated make-up and dazzling clothes, huge shoes, and tiny cars did not mask their purpose: to entertain us by reflecting our society in slapstick, surprises, self-deprecation, and dry humor, poking fun at our taboos. Deadpan, “potty” humor, and puns, even sarcasm can get us to laugh at ourselves when delivered well.
Now we have Saturday Night Live, John Oliver, and Stephen Colbert. Richard Pryor, Carroll O’Connor, and Mel Brooks. While not in traditional clown costumes, the point of their humor, too, is to help us laugh at ourselves.
Clowns let us humans feel our humanity.
We will do well to take their jokes as the wisdom they really are. These next four years could be the funniest ever, if time really heals and we all live through them.
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey is no longer performing live, but you can find an interview with Kenneth Feld, owner of the circus until he and his family closed it in 2017, lots of acts from the last RBBB show, and even the whole two-hour performance here on YouTube. Their last Ringmaster, Johnathan Lee Iverson, might have said it best, though, when he quoted Dr. Seuss. “Don’t be sad that it’s over. Be glad that it happened.”
When RBBB closed for good on May 7, 2017, I thought the lights went out on all circuses forever.
Turns out Ringling was not the only show in town. In fact according to Wander Wisdom, over 50 circuses continue to tour in the United States every year. Some have a limited season, some a limited geographic area. Most have animal acts. All have acrobats.
But it’s clowns the audiences love most.
They help us laugh at ourselves.
I’m reading Murder Among Friends by Candace Fleming (Anne Schwartz Books, 2022). It’s a disturbing non-fiction study of how kids (the murderers were 19 years old) can grow up without a conscience. It’s a deep dive into what holds friendships together, and what drives them apart. This one’s not for everybody, but the research is thorough, and the compelling writing brings a new dimension to the “Gilded Age” in American history.
Be curious! (and remember to laugh)
from Not My Circus
written by Janet Sumner Johnson
illustrated by Patrick Corrigan
Picture Window Books/Capstone, 2024
I’ve never been to the circus. That’s true. But last week I was in Florida and my husband and I went to the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus Museum and toured the grounds.
We wandered through the history of Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey and marveled at the acrobats’ athleticism, were mesmerized by a video demonstration of how a clown applied his makeup, and laughed as a couple of kids squashed themselves into a replica of the clown car used by Lou Jacobs. His car is on display, too. It’s hard to imagine how Lou folded his 6’1” body into the 2’ by 3’ foot car and drove it into the ring.
In 1966, the 100th anniversary of John Ringling’s birth, Lou Jacobs’s face appeared on the first US postage stamp that depicted a living person. Here's a picture (that won't load to the blog!)
https://www.vintagepostagestamps.com/product-page/5-circus-clown-25-stamps
Then, in 1993, a 29-cent clown stamp (that looks a lot like Lou) was issued to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the first circus in the United States.
And it’s Lou’s face that appeared on circus posters, wagons, and memorabilia.
Lou Jacobs was a great clown. He worked for Ringling from 1925 until 1985. He was a Master Teacher at Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College from its beginning in 1968 until he retired in 1991.
Although his is not a household name, Lou Jacobs is an American icon like Emmett Kelly, Charlie Chaplin, Carol Burnett. And Pinto Colvig (Bozo), Patch Adams (portrayed by Robin Williams), and Bob Keeshan (among others) as Howdy Doody’s sidekick, Clarabell.
The organization Clowns Without Borders reminds us that laughter is healing. “After all, comic relief IS relief!”
So, of course, I wondered how that works. When clowns express all their feelings and invite their audiences to do that, too, it’s called mirroring. That’s what lets us laugh at ourselves.
First, a little drop of history.
Pharaohs had jesters in Ancient Egypt. They amused their audiences because they were allowed to break society’s rules.
Native American cultures had sacred clowns who used humor to teach lessons.
Jesters in medieval Europe entertained Kings and Queens, but their jobs were dangerous. They critiqued the court by disguising their criticism in layers of humor. They mocked the court, sometimes at great risk to themselves.
Jesters evolved into our famous and not-so-famous clowns. But their exaggerated make-up and dazzling clothes, huge shoes, and tiny cars did not mask their purpose: to entertain us by reflecting our society in slapstick, surprises, self-deprecation, and dry humor, poking fun at our taboos. Deadpan, “potty” humor, and puns, even sarcasm can get us to laugh at ourselves when delivered well.
Now we have Saturday Night Live, John Oliver, and Stephen Colbert. Richard Pryor, Carroll O’Connor, and Mel Brooks. While not in traditional clown costumes, the point of their humor, too, is to help us laugh at ourselves.
Clowns let us humans feel our humanity.
We will do well to take their jokes as the wisdom they really are. These next four years could be the funniest ever, if time really heals and we all live through them.
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey is no longer performing live, but you can find an interview with Kenneth Feld, owner of the circus until he and his family closed it in 2017, lots of acts from the last RBBB show, and even the whole two-hour performance here on YouTube. Their last Ringmaster, Johnathan Lee Iverson, might have said it best, though, when he quoted Dr. Seuss. “Don’t be sad that it’s over. Be glad that it happened.”
When RBBB closed for good on May 7, 2017, I thought the lights went out on all circuses forever.
Turns out Ringling was not the only show in town. In fact according to Wander Wisdom, over 50 circuses continue to tour in the United States every year. Some have a limited season, some a limited geographic area. Most have animal acts. All have acrobats.
But it’s clowns the audiences love most.
They help us laugh at ourselves.
I’m reading Murder Among Friends by Candace Fleming (Anne Schwartz Books, 2022). It’s a disturbing non-fiction study of how kids (the murderers were 19 years old) can grow up without a conscience. It’s a deep dive into what holds friendships together, and what drives them apart. This one’s not for everybody, but the research is thorough, and the compelling writing brings a new dimension to the “Gilded Age” in American history.
Be curious! (and remember to laugh)
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