buffoonette

[buffoonette]

I was gonna make a joke about how I say “I need to go the circus again” the way people used to say they need to go to the sea to balance their humors. But I realized the circus balances humors too

[buffoonette]

Y'all do know that Jesters and Harlequins are . . . different, right?

Harlequins may wear similar clothing to a Jester, but there are a lot of differences.

Firstly, Harlequins are completely mute (similar to a mime), whereas Jesters are extremely noisy, and tend to make lewd jokes.

In addition, their diets and preferred performance areas are seperate. Jesters prefer traditional European and Middle Eastern treats (think dates and bread), while Harlequins are primarily carnivorous. Jesters prefer to perform in taverns and ballrooms, while Harlequins enjoy forests and large, cluttered rooms.

[buffoonette]

"Featured here is the lifecycle of a clown, specifically illustrated through a Circus Clown. Although individual characteristics may vary, such as the shape and color of the camouflaged egg, the size and texture of the Goofball, and the emerging colors of the Jollie, all clowns undergo similar developmental stages. These stages encompass a diverse range of traits exhibited by young and adult clowns, influenced by their respective breeds or subspecies."

[buffoonette]

Public service announcement!

If you see a service/emotional support clown in public, DO NOT INTERACT!! I’m tired of hearing story after story from my friends about how someone was distracting their service clown. If they have a vest on they’re working, end of story! Don’t try to get them to honk, show you a magic trick, and especially don’t try to feed them. Just pretend like they’re not there. Thank you

[buffoonette]

Recently I’ve been seeing a lot of people going: “My mime keeps fighting with my other clowns!” And it’s like ???? YEAH NO SHIT??

I can’t believe I actually have to say this in 2023 but

Mimes are NOT social breeds!

Like, you can’t seriously expect a mime to share the same tent as a rodeo or a jester without any consequence? Unless they are raised together, your mime is just going to perceive the other clowns as a threat.

Prolonged exposure to close contact with another breed is damaging to your mime’s mental health. It’s not okay. Look after your fucking mime.

[buffoonette]

[buffoonette]

I dont see many people talking about it so I guess ill just have to do it myself.

HOW TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR SCARY CLOWN (homo coulros phobis)

1; despite what you may have heard, Scary clowns and Evil clowns are the same thing, and often Scaries are marketed as Evils to drive the price up.

1.5; "Evils" are often abused to make them more aggressive. DO NOT BUY EVIL CLOWNS.

2; While Scaries aren't entirely carnivorous, they can still have some cotton candy every now and then as a treat, they still need a diet of mostly meat. I recommend getting live rats or mice, (you can find these at basically any pet store) and feeding them 1-3 rats or 5-7 mice about 5 times a day.

3; Like Circuses, Scaries need a roughly 30m round tent for proper enrichment. Unlike Circuses however, their tent can be faded or stained, with rusty metal folding chairs, they will be fine with it, and will actually benefit from it.

3.5; I recommend using fake rust, (look up how to do that) as having real rust could be a health risk.

4; This goes for most clown breeds, but let your Scary name themself. I've seen many clown owners getting mad at the fact that their clown won't respond to the name they gave them, when if you just paid attention to the signs they build naturally instead of digging them up, you wouldn't have this issue.

5; While Scaries may appear scary, (duh) they are really harmless. The most they can do is pop out of somewhere and scare you, but if they're raised right, they won't develop violent tendencies.

6; Scaries are a relatively easy breed in terms of clowns, but I still recommend starting with a Circus or a Party.

[buffoonette]

A sprinkle of clown history: The Balatro

The Balatro (or Servilius Balatro) was an early predecessor of the modern Jester. Originating in ancient rome, these clowns would be paid to perform both privately and publically, often being the opening act for various spectacles.

Aside from making jokes and speaking sillily (even being described as "bleating like sheep"), these troublemakers were known for their versatile and adventurous nature, performing for diverse audiences and needing plenty of walking-area.

Balatrones were one of the earliest breeds of clown to develop self-decorating and facepaint, being covered with spots of mud. While Balatrones no longer exist, they played a large part in what makes the modern Jesters the mischeavous charmers that they are today.

So, the next time you forget to walk your Jester and it gets antsy, you have the Balatro to thank!

[buffoonette]

Please stop entering clown shows!

Mime owner here. I ended up with my lovely family of mimes a little while ago based on me being my friend’s emergency contact. It was a shock, but a good one eventually. I love my clowns more than anything in the whole world.

When I became a member of the Clown Husbandry community, I discovered something called clown shows. After doing research, I have uncovered some terrible information about them and want to warn you.

The largest clown show, called the Candy Clown Competition, is run by a man who has said multiple times that he hates clowns and has called for the mass extinction of scare clowns, saying that they are a danger to children (which, as we all know, is propaganda). Entering that competition lines his pockets with money that he donates to anti-clown organizations.

If you enter a clown show, your clowns are often vetted before they are permitted to enter, requiring you to be out of the room for upwards of two hours. Depending on the show, many use abusive tactics, such as cotton candy deprivation, to check the “patience” of the clowns.

The worst of it, though, is the toll that the whole process takes on the clowns. While many clowns are most at home when performing, the rigid environment of clown shows of any type are not where they are at home. They are meant to be able to have fun, not do tricks on command in front of upwards of a thousand people.

There are other obvious issues, such as the “lifetime supply of premium cotton candy” which doesn’t have refined sugar that the winner receives, but there are too many issues to count. If you want to let your clown perform, please actually look into the ideal performance environment for your clown (but don’t forget to figure out your clown’s feelings before forcing them onto a stage). One of my mimes adores performing on street corners, but the rest of my mimes have severe anxiety surrounding it and prefer to mime in the comfort of their enclosure. I only brought Fifi out to a street corner when it was abundantly clear that it was the right choice based on Fifi’s communication about the matter.

Don’t forget to protest clown shows and never, ever participate in one! Be sure to share this information with your friends.

[buffoonette]

A Very Endangered Clown Breed

 I’ve been mildly surprised by the lack of breakfast clown content in the clown husbandry community. In my experience, they have been some of the most lively and joyful clowns I’ve ever encountered! They have been on the endangered list for decades and are rarely seen outside of sanctuaries. I had the incredible opportunity to visit my local sanctuary and see their troupe! Bacon, Waffle, Milkshake and Berry varieties are pretty much the only types left, as Egg, Toast, and Butter varieties went extinct in 2008 (marked by the introduction of people dressing as breakfast clowns joining the Macy’s Day parade, originally a stunt to raise awareness for the protection of breakfast clowns). They are just the most energetic, lovely little friends and their endangered status makes me so sad. I really hope we’ll see the day that breakfast clowns can be household pets!

Breakfast clowns were closely tied to the circus, party, and meet-and-greet clowns, which is more apparent in their purpose than their appearance. Originally they were bred to entertain diner customers while they waited for their food. The common variety is 8 to 12 inches tall, and are themed after breakfast foods or drinks. For the most part their theme will be their favorite treat, as they felt very enthusiastically about their theme and their performances! Some had even been trained to fetch ingredients, although their impatience made them poor cooks. When not performing, they were very sleepy, and rested in big dogpiles for 12-16 hours a day. They have notoriously short lifespans, since they were mostly fed diner scraps and expired foods during their prime :( As a result, the few breakfast clowns remaining are riddled with genetic diseases.

Breakfast clowns loved to perform in large groups! Most troupes consisted of several clowns that share a food theme, but some rather exclusive troupes will only allow one clown to claim a food theme and will turn away clowns that repeat a theme of one of their current members.

Some alternate varieties of breakfast clown include line clowns (which entertained lines at amusement parks) and theater clowns, most famously the troupe from the classic “let’s all go to the lobby” advertisements. Few people know they were real theater clowns, and it’s always a fun bit of trivia for your clown owning friends!

That’s also why the group changes in some images, since the troupe added and lost new members frequently due to their unfortunately short lifespans.

If you encounter a little fella with strong food theming, PLEASE take them to your local shelter! They are EXTREMELY delicate creatures, please make sure to feed them the same food as their theme as you wait until an experienced sanctuary can collect them.

[buffoonette]

Does anyone know if pirate clowns (a strange breed of Jester mixed with sailing clowns) require a parrot for company?

I have a full ship for them to access whenever they’d like during the day. But something seems to be missing. Perhaps more treasure or a few other pirate clowns to make a larger crew? Or maybe just a parrot Is required.

I am rather new to Clown Husbandry and ATTEMPTED to gather as much info on this topic as I could however there aren’t many people touching on it seeing as how pirate clowns are a rather rare breed.

[buffoonette]

Bells the Jester

Hey Clownlr. A few weeks back, I posted about the stray Court Jester wandering around my neighborhood. First off, thank you to everyone who gave me advice on what to do about him. I really appreciate all of it and honestly really needed to hear it.

I have some great news about him. While we couldn’t find any good shelters, a family friend living nearby decided to take him in. She’s had experience raising several different breeds, including jesters and fools. Her property is very nicely sized and empty apart from her, so Bells has plenty of space to live. It probably helps that my family friend used to work at the RenFair and has a ton of medieval decor around her place.

I went over to visit on Saturday and Bells is settling in very well. He still likes to go out around the neighborhood by himself, but his new owner and I have worked together to make sure he’s safe. Neutered, gotten all of his vaccines, all of that. He got really excited when he saw me, and let me tell you, it was so comforting to hear how loud his jingling has gotten between finding him that first time and now.

I’m planning on visiting him again this weekend, and I want to bring over something special for him. His bell hat is sort of threadbare, but I think it’d be too big of a step to try giving him a new one. Anybody have any suggestions of good gifts for him? Or for my family friend. She does have all the care equipment she needs, but some of it is a little old and her last jester Curly accidentally broke her flag trumpet. I would get one of those, but they’re kind of expensive and money is tight right now. Thoughts?

[buffoonette]

I'm glad to hear the little guy is doing well!:o)

As far as what's normal or not, behaviours and needs vary drastically in different breeds, a behaviour that's completely normal/encouraged in one type of clown may be a serious sign of illness in another type of clown. This is why it's so crucial to know the breed of your clown. Any clown DNA-test should do, but based on the behaviours and appearances you've described, a european-focused DNA-test may give you the most accurate and specific results.

If you can't afford a DNA-test, you can take him to your local clown shelter or vet, where they'll likely be able to make an educated guess. If that's not an option, I'd say you're right on with the assesment of a jester breed. At least partially. Interest in lutes and tankards along with the diet and sleeping near you all points toward your clown being part Jester. Meanwhile the silence, exaggarated prop-less performances and lack of colors points toward him being part Mime.

Most mime-mixes are tough, but a Jester/Mime cross-breed can be especially difficult to care for. Whereas Jesters need plenty of bells to stay healthy and happy, a Mime would be distressed by a noisy, jingling prop. For this reason I can't give you any specific advice for how to care best for your clown. Again, I have to reccommend a DNA-test, as knowing the exact breed of your clown will narrow down the amount of trial and error you'll have to go through.

Best of luck!:o)

Hey clownblr, I need some advice.

About three weeks ago, some clown showed up in my neighborhood. I didn't think too much of it at first and assumed a neighbor was just letting him roam around on his own, but he started to look worse off as days went on. I asked around, and the lady a couple houses down said she saw him get pushed out of a moving car one morning before sunrise. A few of us started trying to help him out.

We can't figure out what type of clown he is. At first we assumed he was a mime based on his quiet nature, exaggerated movements, and muted color pallet, but one neighbor tried leaving different types of meats out for him, but he either didn't touch them or barely nibbled them. He seemed more interested in the apple I left out for him, and one morning I caught him picking through my tomato plants (I let him continue). We now think he may be some sort of jester based on the shape of his outfit, food choices, and some of his behaviors, but is it possible for him to be some mix? Are jesters usually quiet and with dull colors?

About a week ago, the first freeze came early this year. I saw him pacing around the street with exaggerated shivering and teeth chattering, so I lured him inside with a rustic bread roll. So now he's been staying here for the last week. He doesn't show any desire to leave. He seems happy to follow me around and play an imaginary lute all day. I've been cooking from my Elder Scrolls cookbook, and he seems to really enjoy it. But we're a vegan household, so is vegan medieval fantasy food enough? I've let him have a beer every now and then, but will he need mead if he's part jester? And how should he sleep? I tried to get him to sleep on the couch, but he seems to only want to sleep curled up at the foot of my bed with exaggerated (but silent, thankfully) snoring.

I've never had a clown before, but the only neighbors who seemed to care about him have young kids. My mom said he can stay as long as I'm responsible for him, and I've really started to enjoy having him juggle invisible balls or play his imaginary lute while I work from home all day. And he and my dog seem to really like each other now. And advice would be appreciated.

Is this how you get clowns? Do I have a clown now?

[buffoonette]

hello!:o)

based on your description along with the pushed-out-of-moving-vehicle incident, this could be a mime/jester mix. Crossbreeding mimes is notoriously tough since the mime parent will disown their offspring as soon as it makes any sounds. So, to properly cross-breed mimes, a person has to be prepared to take care of an esentially orphaned clown. Not everyone is cut out for this, and some may find their mime has fallen pregnant from the clown next-door and not know what to do. There's a possibility this is another case of an irresponsible mime-owner discarding the poor guy :o(

Alternatively, since silence is a recessive gene in clowns, this could also be an entirely different breed of clown, with the silence and lack of coloration being a result of trauma and neglect.

It's a bit pricey, but i would definetly reccommend getting a DNA-test, as the appropriate care can vary wildly depending on the breed.

Happy clowning! :o)

Hey clownblr, I need some advice.

About three weeks ago, some clown showed up in my neighborhood. I didn't think too much of it at first and assumed a neighbor was just letting him roam around on his own, but he started to look worse off as days went on. I asked around, and the lady a couple houses down said she saw him get pushed out of a moving car one morning before sunrise. A few of us started trying to help him out.

We can't figure out what type of clown he is. At first we assumed he was a mime based on his quiet nature, exaggerated movements, and muted color pallet, but one neighbor tried leaving different types of meats out for him, but he either didn't touch them or barely nibbled them. He seemed more interested in the apple I left out for him, and one morning I caught him picking through my tomato plants (I let him continue). We now think he may be some sort of jester based on the shape of his outfit, food choices, and some of his behaviors, but is it possible for him to be some mix? Are jesters usually quiet and with dull colors?

About a week ago, the first freeze came early this year. I saw him pacing around the street with exaggerated shivering and teeth chattering, so I lured him inside with a rustic bread roll. So now he's been staying here for the last week. He doesn't show any desire to leave. He seems happy to follow me around and play an imaginary lute all day. I've been cooking from my Elder Scrolls cookbook, and he seems to really enjoy it. But we're a vegan household, so is vegan medieval fantasy food enough? I've let him have a beer every now and then, but will he need mead if he's part jester? And how should he sleep? I tried to get him to sleep on the couch, but he seems to only want to sleep curled up at the foot of my bed with exaggerated (but silent, thankfully) snoring.

I've never had a clown before, but the only neighbors who seemed to care about him have young kids. My mom said he can stay as long as I'm responsible for him, and I've really started to enjoy having him juggle invisible balls or play his imaginary lute while I work from home all day. And he and my dog seem to really like each other now. And advice would be appreciated.

Is this how you get clowns? Do I have a clown now?

[buffoonette]

There is a very large wild Fool Jester hybrid on my porch, I have my sliding glass door closed but it keeps shaking its bells and looking at my two albino mime/circus clown mix..

My bard is hiding in the backroom anxiously singing while my Gaelic poet keeps cursing at it and shaking his quill.

I have no idea what to do, I tried calling clown control and they arrived but they aren't getting out of the car..

I'll edit the post with updates if anything happens

[buffoonette]

Mimekeepers will shade you for having a Rascal named "Bozo" and then turn around and name their High Panto "Triboulet" with a straight face.

[buffoonette]

Hello hi yeah- I have an issue.

so I found what I thought was a party clown in the woods near my house, but I’ve noticed it acts a lot like a jester, but it also has the same aversion to toys as a mime?? Do mix breeds of party clown, jester and mime all together exist? What do I do with them? I haven’t gotten any tests done since it just started to trust me a couple days ago- I’ve never owned a clown or anything similar, and I’m not sure how to care for one let alone what could possibly be a Party clown, jester mime mix breed? I think it was a mill-bred clown, it was really hurt and scared to even look at me.

what do I do with them? Do I send them to a shelter? Will they get put down for breed discrimination since it could potentially be three different breeds in one? Will that break their heart if I send them to a shelter??

I’d greatly appreciate some help with this, I don’t know what to do-

Sorry for bothering you with this.

Hello! It's no problem whatsoever, don't worry about the message! Especially because I'm very qualified to help you, as someone who keeps a party/mime mix and a jester-primary crossbreed!

If that is what you're dealing with (and it seems you are, to me), and they've already imprinted on you, then my suggestion for the best life possible for the clown is, if you feel prepared, to buckle up. Binbi, my jester mix, is a precious, wonderful clown. That doesn't mean that they're not a handful. Jesters tend to be rambunctious little scamps. Mix that with the playfulness of a party clown, and the strange (read: wonderfully odd) traits of a mime?

Sometimes, as humans, we choose a clown. And sometimes, a clown chooses us. I'd invest in a medium sized enclosure, that gives the clown room to practice their routines! Usually I'd suggest a set of juggling balls, but given that this clown seems to have a toy aversion, maybe not? Maybe try something creative leaning - Balloons for balloon animals or maybe even paints? Jesters are odd enough that painting might be interesting enrichment- I let Binbi paint once and they managed to paint something that looked roughly like my other two clowns 🥺 🥺 🥺

I hope this helps!! Feel free to ask me anything else, my inbox is always open, friend!