10 Clown Facts for International Clown Week, 1 - 7 August, 2019!

There's no circus without clowns, so to celebrate the International Clown Week 2019, here are 10 amazing clown facts.



1 - The word clown is believed to come from the Icelandic word klunni, meaning a clumsy person.

Clowning around
- Danny Adams in a picture from
Circus Mania

2 - The earliest record of the word clown dates from around 1560.



3 - Clowns are nicknamed Joeys after the early 19th century pantomime star Joseph Grimaldi.



4 - The full name of Krusty the Clown in The Simpsons is Herschel Shmoikel Pinchas Yercham Krustosky. He’s voiced by Dan Castellaneta.



5 - The declaration of International Clown Week was passed into US law by President Richard Nixon on August 2, 1971.

Clowns have always been
a big draw, as this 1946 poster
proves.

6 - The world’s oldest clown society, Clowns International, was founded in 1947.

7 - There are an estimated 20,000 clowns in the world.



8 - Johnny Burnette had a hit with Clown Shoes, written by PJ Proby.



9 - Ronald McDonald was first played by Williard Scott in a 1963 TV commercial.

Killer clown
- serial killer John Wayne Gacy.

10 - Serial killer John Wayne Gacy was known as Pogo the Clown.

Read more about clowns, from Victorian star Joey Grimaldi to todays masters of mirth, including Bippo, the Chipolatas and Clive Webb and Danny Adams, in Circus Mania! - The Ultimate Book for Anyone Who Dreamed of Running Away with the Circus.

Click here to buy Circus Mania from Amazon.

Bonus Fact: Coulrophobia is the fear of clowns. If you suffer from it, DON'T click here to read about the Northampton Clown and Britain's clown crime-wave!

The Northampton Clown
- the clown who started a craze!