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 TO

"SHOP NAKED."©

We deal in items we believe others will enjoy and want to purchase. We are not experts. We welcome any comments, questions, or concerns. WE ARE TARGETING A GLOBAL MARKET PLACE. IF YOU ARE AN INTERNATIONAL CUSTOMER, WHO NEEDS TRANSLATION SERVICE, PLEASE CONTACT US. Thanks in advance for your patronage.

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NOW FOR YOUR VIEWING PLEASURE…

A wonderful HAND CRAFTED RAG DOLL. DESIGNED BY VIVIAN AND CREATED BY THE PATCH FACTORY OF NORCROSS GEORGIA (GA), COPYRIGHT 1980. THIS CHILDS TOY IS A HUGACHUM.

THIS COLORFUL CIRCUS CLOWN WAS FASHIONED BY CONNIE. ONE OF A KIND, ARTIST OFFERING / OOAK AO MAY HAVE BEEN PRODUCED BY A GOODWILL TYPE PROGRAM FOR PEOPLE WITH SPECIAL NEEDS. IF ANYONE KNOWS, PLEASE LET ME KNOW ABOUT THE GROUP.

DOLL STANDS NEAR 16" HIGH. BEARS ITS ORIGINAL SALES TAG. VERY WHIMSICAL APPEARENCE. PRIMITIVE / NAIVE ASSEMBLY. SUPER LATE CENTURY AMERICANA / FOLK ART. WATCH FOR THESE BABIES.

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FYI

Clowns are comic performers, stereotypically characterized by their colored wigs, stylistic makeup, outlandish costumes, and unusually large footwear.

Clowning, in its most basic form, can be described as one form of drama without a fourth wall; however, there are other types of drama that are lacking the element of a fourth wall as well. In other words, a clown acknowledges his audience. The clown's humor today is often visual and includes many elements of physical comedy or slapstick humor.

Clowns spread in cultures of any time and place, because they meet some deeply rooted needs in humanity: violation of taboos, the mockery of sacred and profane authorities and symbols, reversal of language and action, and a ubiquitous obscenity. An interesting example can be found in the Native American clown societies.
 
A clown participating in a 2004 Memorial Day parade.Clowning is a form of entertainment that has appeared in some manner in virtually every culture, including the bushmen in Africa. In most cultures the clown is a ritual character associated with festival or rites of passage and is often very different from the most popular western form. In Europe, up until as late as the 19th century the clown was a typical everyday character, and often appeared in carnivals. The performance is symbolic of liminality - being outside the rules of regular society the clown is able to subvert the normal order, and this basic premise is contemporarily used by many activists to point out social absurdity.

During the 16th century the Commedia dell'arte also became a huge influence on perceptions of the clown in Europe, an influence which passed through pantomime, into vaudeville and on to the touring circuses of the 19th and 20th centuries. The Commedia took influences from the grotesque masked clowns of carnivals and mystery plays, and began in market places as a way to sell vegetables. It became incredibly popular throughout Europe amongst both the general public and the courts. The stock characters of the commedia originally included the Zanni - peasant clowns, Pantalone, the old Miser, Il Dottore - The Banal Doctor, and then grew from there to incorporate the Lovers, Arlecchino, Pedrolino, and Brighella, who have survived into the twentieth century in one form or another.

American character clown types
The most prevalent character clown in the American circus is the hobo, tramp, or bum clown. There are subtle differences in the American character clown types. According to American circus expert Hovey Burgess, they are (in order of class):

The Hobo Migratory and finds work where he travels to.
The Tramp Migratory and does not work where he travels to.
The Bum Non-migratory and non-working.

Gags, bits and business
"Business" is the individual motions the clown uses, often used to express the clown's character. A "gag" is a very short piece of clown comedy which when repeated within a bit or routine may become a "running gag". Gags may be loosely defined as "the jokes clowns play on each other". Bits are the clown's sketches or routines made up of one or more gags either worked out and timed before going on stage or impromptu bits composed of familiar improvisational material. A gag may have a beginning, a middle and an end to them, or they may not. Gags can also refer to the prop stunts/tricks or the stunts that clowns use, such as a squirting flower.

Some people find clowns disturbing rather than amusing. It is not uncommon for children to be afraid of disguised, exaggerated, or costumed figures — even Santa Claus. Ute myths feature a cannibalistic clown monster called the Siats.

Clown costumes tend to exaggerate the facial features and some body parts, such as hands and feet. This can be read as monstrous or deformed as easily as it can be read as comical.

The irrational fear of clowns is known as coulrophobia. Some have suggested that a fear of clowns may stem from early childhood experience, when infants begin to process and make sense of facial features. The significant aberrations in a clown's face may frighten a child so much that they carry this phobia throughout their adult life.

It can also be said one's response to a clown might depend on where it is seen. At a circus or a party, a clown is normal and may easily be funny. The same clown knocking on one's front door at sunset is more likely to generate fear or distress than laughter or amusement. This effect is summed up in a quote often attributed to actor Lon Chaney, Sr.: "There is nothing funny about a clown in the moonlight." In the Space To Care study aimed at improving hospital design for children, researchers from the University of Sheffield polled 250 children regarding their opinions on clowns; all 250 children in the study, whose ages ranged between four and sixteen, reported that they found clowns frightening and disliked clowns as part of hospital decor.

The British arts and music festival Bestival discarded its 2006 clown theme because many adult ticketholders were afraid of clowns.

(PICTURE FOR DISPLAY ONLY)

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