Who's Scruffy the Clown ??

Scruffy the clown is born

My first clown character was Scruffy, a sad faced tramp clown. At first, my make-up was reddish with a gray wig, but I noticed that kids were afraid of him. I think the make-up and wig colors were too depressing. Also, my sad mouth was turned downward too severely and didn't change when I smiled.

Then I purchased an orange yak fur wig (the finest type you can buy) and changed my make-up to orange, and the smile to one whose expression could quickly change into delight upon discovering someone to play and laugh with.

A Clown with a Purpose!

After a few years, Scruffy began visiting nursing homes, bringing the gift of laughter to the elderly. I saw how quickly they were able to access their inner child and become playful. As I would walk down the halls of the nursing home, the residents would clap their hands excitedly and announce, "The circus has come to town." They would reach out to touch me and laughed and smiled. The staff said they'd never seen some of those residents smile before my visit. They assured me that after my clown visit, the residents had much more energy, better appetites, and were more open to interaction with others.

Wow! I was funny -- and, even better, I was making a difference in someone's life!