If you think this is about a whale swallowing up a hapless swimmer, forget it.
I’m talking about clowns — and mascots included. Aug. 1 to 7 is set aside for International Clown Week and National Clown Day. I inserted mascots because they usually clown around.
Mascots are humans wearing heavy shells representing cute bears, cats, product images like tin cans and tots and cartoon characters like Mickey.
They work inside the belly of these gigantic and hot costumes. Mascots entertain us with their dances. As we laugh, they make us forget how difficult it must be for them to earn a living.
The same is true for clowns. My friend Rosse G. said the government is full of them — but I am not talking about the Clownous irritamus species of that family.
Several years ago, I interviewed a clown who was involved in a medical mission.
She was not the typical clown depicted in Filipino movies — entire face painted white, almost scary. It is enough to trigger coulrophobia, a fear of clowns. No, not that. She looked beautiful.
Elizabeth Hansen was a Danish woman who created Clown Lizzie. She and her husband, Flemming, were affiliated with Family Care Mission. As Clown Lizzie, she had done work spreading warmth and cheer with gravely ill children in hospitals in Denmark, Asia and Eastern Europe.
As Lizzie, she wore a red hat on top of blue tresses. She wore oversized eyeglasses and an outlined smile in white. You could still see her red lips and her beautiful face.
I asked her about her work. Yes, Virginia, it is serious work that helps soften the pain of disease. She said there is a clown school in Belgium, where she took a course in “clownology” and balloon twisting.
Her look was not random. In clown school, students seriously look inward to find the character they need the world to see.
She said: “You need to portray in your face your personality — what kind of charm you want to portray.”
And so, here we are in Clown Day, Clown Week. Skip murderous clowns in horror movies. Celebrate this day thanking God for giving mankind a sense of humor. Have fun — but remember to respect the clowns in your family.
And the working clowns and mascots who help us smile through our tears.