Clowns, for some reason, seem to have gone out of style.
Sure there were always a few kids creeped out by a clown, but I think, for the most part, clowns used to have a good reputation. That is no longer the case. Everyone seems creeped out by clowns now.
Well, not everyone. I like clowns, perhaps because I used to be one, as shown in the photo above from about 25 years ago.
So imagine my excitement when I came across this story from the Christmas issue of the BMJ (formerly known as the British Medical Journal).
Researchers evaluated evidence from randomized controlled trials and non-randomized controlled trials on the effectiveness of hospital clowns for a range of symptom clusters in children and adolescents admitted to hospital with acute and chronic conditions.
Studies showed that children and adolescents who were in the presence of hospital clowns, either with or without a parent present, reported significantly less anxiety during a range of medical procedures, as well as improved psychological adjustment. Three studies that evaluated chronic conditions showed favorable results for the intervention of hospital clowns with a significant reduction in stress, fatigue, pain, and distress.
These findings suggest that the presence of hospital clowns during medical procedures, induction of anesthesia in the preoperative room, and as part of routine care for chronic conditions might be a beneficial strategy to manage some symptom clusters. Furthermore, hospital clowns might help improve psychological wellbeing in admitted children and adolescents with acute and chronic disorders, compared with those who received only standard care.
So take that, all of you who are creeped out by clowns.
I think I may have found the perfect volunteer opportunity for when I retire …
I think its due to Stephen King’s novel that everyone is freaked out by clowns now! LOL!
But Wow, we have something in common. I was a clown too. My friend and I did it after we graduated from HS for a little bit. It was a lot of fun! I think that sounds like a great retirement plan for you!
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thanks, Stephen King…
What a coincidence that we were both clowns! Small world…
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Yup it is! 🙂 I didn’t juggle though, did you?
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juggling, and later balloon animals. and always the clown…
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I think it’s pretty cool that you and Jim once were clowns. Given the comments you two make, I’m sure you were naturals at it.
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in fact, when I was in high school, I had considered going to Ringling’s Clown College down in Sarasota. But I heard it was harder to get into than Harvard. Penn Jillette is a grad…
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Imagine all the class clowns in such a school.
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I wonder if there was an alpha clown…
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Probably. That would be the one who’s always being sent to the principal’s office, to get their nose tweaked and a flower squirted in their eye.
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and slipping on a banana peel…
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Well aren’t you kind, even though I was just “yelling” dummkopf at you minutes ago in the thread on my post. LOL!
I really don’t know how I missed that, you did spell it out didn’t you! See, I been so saturated with puns I can’t even see them when right in front of me!
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🙂
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I think you have pun blindness. You should wear sunglasses when blogging.
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That sounds like a helpful tip! 😛 I don’t really need to see while bloggimg, right?
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No, your spelling is bad enough as it is.
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…mmm…!!
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owch…
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Smart aleck!
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🤓
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when I took typing in high school, I had to use a typewriter that had no labels on the keys because I was looking at them too often. So I guess you don’t need to see while blogging…
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I believe you should try it! 🙂
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I think I’ll pass… 🙂
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Even though I’m an adult, I’d love to have a clown visit me in the hospital. It would be at least as funny, and not nearly as expensive, as those clowns with the medical licenses, who have visited me.
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now you’ve given me the idea that perhaps I should charge for my service as a clown…
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You can have your clients write you rubber checks. By the way, I like your clown outfit. I’ll bet you were a funny clown.
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well the adults certainly laughed at me…
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Any laugh is a good laugh.
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that’s all I was looking for…
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Sounds like the perfect retirement activity. You can record the decibels of laughter from the patients and come up with a snazzy statistic about it.
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I can keep track of how many kids I scare… 🙂
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Wow! Improving health outcomes in hospitals would be a fun and rewarding activity for retirement. Is there any juggling in your routines?
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that’s my only clown-like skill… 🙂
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It’s something you could do at anytime. I can’t even blow up a balloon.
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that’s true. I’d have to work on building up my lung strength once again to blow up those balloons…
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Things fell apart when Quincy the Clown retired. It may take decades to recover.
On a slightly more serious note, did you ever see the movie “Patch Adams” starring Robin Williams? I don’t know if you’d consider that a clown, but he certainly brought joy to the kids with his antics.
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Maybe Quincy has just put away his red nose for a few years.
I did watch, and enjoy, Patch Adams several years ago. Perhaps I need to watch it again…
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Stephen King has a lot to answer for as I used to love clowns as a child we went to the circus every year…I think it would be a brilliant retirement pastime…such fun…x
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and some horror movies have not helped either…
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I have never fully understood the irrational fear of clowns. I think of them as one of the least scary things to be faced with. But we all have our things that we wrestle with, so who am I to judge. All joking aside, this is an opportunity for Quincy, should you ever decide to retire. You could volunteer at hospitals and homeless shelters. Both places where kids could use a smile. I think practicing your juggling and balloon animals would be good therapy for your wrists anyway. Do you still have your costume?
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I don’t get the fear either. But it does sound like a fun thing to do during retirement, but I would need a new costume… 🙂
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I would agree you need an update! 🤡
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I’d have to come up with a hole new persona… 🙂
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But you have to at least keep the name…
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Yes, I’m stuck with the name… 🙂
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that picture of you is amazing. as you know, I am terrified of clowns, but I do appreciate the good work that some of them do, and any positive, like calming children who are ill.
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I’ll be sure to put a warning on any future blog posts that have a picture of a clown… 🙂
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How interesting! Thx for sharing. A friend of mine laughs hysterically over the clown episode in Frasier.
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I don’t recall that one – now I’ll have to go search for it; thanks!
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That would be a wonderful volunteer gig. Very rewarding. And blog worthy.
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I would definitely get a few blog posts out of such a gig!
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Jim, I enjoyed reading. Humor can be a therapeutic tool in all kinds of ways. Let’s hope we continue to hear, “Send in the Clowns.” You look the part, dressed up as a clown.
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thanks, Richard!
even when not dressed as one, I still look the part 🙂
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I am sure it is Stephen King’s book It that has all the kids freaking out about clowns now. I’ve always enjoyed them [and I enjoyed IT too. Pennywise never took the edge of clowns for me].
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the King effect!
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I’ve never been creeped out by clowns, but since I was around 8 I haven’t found them funny, either. Your volunteer activity needs to be for very little people, I think 😉
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I’ve never found them funny either; to me, they have to be able to do something, like juggle or balloon animals…
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I’m not really a fan of slapstick humour. I like words to make me laugh, not people falling over or spraying water from fake flowers.
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I did like the Three Stooges…
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I didn’t! I liked the Marx Brothers, slapstick and visual jokes mixed with brilliant wordplay.
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I’d agree that the Marx Brothers were in another league…
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I was creeped out by clowns growing up, but all that changes when I was visited by one in my hospital room after a horibbly hard labor, if the balloon the clown gave me did not explode, I will have keep it until now. He had no idea how he made that day so much better for us 🙂
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three cheers for clowns!
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