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Pranksters 'have nothing to do with the art or profession of clowning'

Former Saultite Scott Kaija weighs in on the recent creepy clown trend
Buskerfest 2011 Hiccup the Clown
Scott Kaija as Hiccup the Clown entertains during Buskerfest 2011. Photo provided by Sault Ste. Marie Buskerfest

For more than 25 years, former Saultite Scott Kaija has been entertaining audiences at parties, events and festivals as Hiccup the Clown.

It was his means of income as a youngster in Sault Ste. Marie, and a way for him to supplement his income as a musician in Toronto after relocating there with The 4 Really Nice Guys in the 1990s.

He’s a professional, a long-time member of Clowns Canada, takes pride in what he does, and loves being the butt of the joke.

“I was a very shy person and still am. But (clowning) allowed me to come out of myself and relate to people in a way I never thought was possible,” Kaija told SooToday.

But he knows a portion of the population fails to understand the joy he and his peers are trying to bring to the world.

“I’ve walked into parties and have seen people physically recoil. The costume and makeup are supposed to represent this super positive facade,” he said.

“My whole life as a clown, I’ve been very aware of how people are horrified by clowns. I really want to still be a clown, but I don’t wear the makeup any more.”

His costume is the same, he still juggles and rides a unicycle, and he still makes the same jokes, but he no longer paints his face and people are no longer afraid of him.

This is why Kaija sees coulrophobia – the fear of clowns – as a sort of made-up pop culture-based and trendy phenomenon.

He partially blames Stephen King’s It and its villian, Pennywise, a demon posing as an evil killer clown.

Following the movie’s release in 1990, “that thing that was supposed to be a super positive cartoon element suddenly became a horrible mask that you couldn’t see through.”

“People now see the bright, shiny exterior and assume there’s something horribly evil behind it.”

Kaija feels this, combined with the popularity of YouTube prank culture have resulted in the recent creepy clown trend found across North America and abroad.

“It’s tapping into that fear. In the 70s, if you could be in a rubber shark costume in an elevator and have it make any sort of sense, this is the same sort of thing,” he said, referencing the wide-spread fear of sharks that occurred following the release of Jaws in 1975.

“I find all so disheartening. I don’t think there’s another occupation that’s so vilified,” he said. “A clown is just a person who does a job that is trying to bring life to an event or party – someone who is putting themselves out there, who is redirecting the energy in the room back to the audience. It’s a really selfless thing.”

At first, Kaija was angry about the creepy clown pranksters.

But he now feels it might be a good thing, that people will eventually see the pranksters for what they are – idiots in rubber masks.

“Now it’s coming to the forefront and it’ll be scary for six months until people are no longer scared of clowns,” he explained. “It’s going to go so far to the right, that it’s not going to make sense to be afraid of clowns any more. At least that’s what I hope.”

So what would Kaija do if one of these creepy clown pranksters jumped out at him?

He likes to think he’d give them a solid pop in the nose, but he’s not a violent person, he joked.

“My initial reaction would actually be fear. Any time anyone jumps out at you, you’re scared. But I know it just a person in a rubber mask, and that mask could be anything.”

“I know it’s just a group of people getting a kick out of scaring people,” he said. “There is a whole culture of people who like scaring people, and there’s a whole culture of people who like being scared. That doesn’t have anything to do with the art or profession of clowning.”

This past weekend, Clowns Canada released a statement denouncing the pranksters.

“By standing tall, nose on and shoes shined, we in Clowns Canada can be a beacon - inspiring all to smile, share, lead with love and laughter and let this challenging, unfair spotlight we find ourselves in dissolve quickly,” the statement reads.

Creepy clown sightings have yet to be reported in Sault Ste. Marie.

However, three youths were caught dressing up as clowns, attempting to scare passersby in Sudbury earlier this month.

No charges were filed in the incident.


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Donna Hopper

About the Author: Donna Hopper

Donna Hopper has been a photojournalist with SooToday since 2007, and her passion for music motivates her to focus on area arts, entertainment and community events.
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