Clown Skits for Everyone – 32 skits for one or two clowns, prop instructions, performing tips—by Happy Jack Feder
Clown Skits for Everyone, by Happy Jack Feder, is an excellent resource. It contains a (very) short introduction on make-up & clown character, and then launches into the meat of the book – a collection of skits suitable for one and/or two clowns. Some skits are ‘classics’, while others are variations. All are funny and quite ‘do-able’ even for beginning clowns. The book is interspersed with nuggets about character, character development, entertaining, working with other clowns, audience control, etc. It’s a personal favorite.
Paperback – 192 pages 2nd edition (March 1991) Meriwether Publishing
Table of Contents for Clown Skits for Everyone
Clown Skits for Everyone (and That Means Everyone!)
The Road to Clowntown
Silly Solos
The Exploding Balloon
- A very simple skit involving blowing up a normal (not balloon animal) balloon. Lots of audience participation and room for your clown character.
Pool Ball Prankster
- Interesting balancing skit, using a gimmicked pool cue and balls. Illustration showing how to make your own.
Merry Melody’ Musings: Gesture and Actions
Unbalancing Water Balloons
- Another balancing skit, using water balloons. Can be easily expanded to a two-clown skit.
Tug of War
- A classic clown skit, with much audience participation. The “strongest clown in the world” — which team can pull the rope out of his hand?
Smiling Sam’s Secrets: Talking Clownese
Photo Fun
- Another classic skit. After picking a person (or family) from the audience, and clowning back and forth, a photograph is taken — revealing the person as a monkey. If this is a two-clown skit, with the second clown being made fun of, I have no problem with this skit. However, if it’s an audience member, I much prefer Floyd Shaffer’s presentation of this skit from his “If I Were A Clown” book
Juggle and Hide
- A juggling skit — juggling done in a clownish way, with just a dash of con artistry. Juggling ability isn’t strictly needed, but it definitely wouldn’t hurt.
Merry Melody’s Musings: Practise Prefect Sakes, Prafect Perctice Smakes, Practice Makes Perfect
Digital Portrait Drawing
- A very nice skit, similar in concept to the earlier photography skit — only this time it’s a sketching or drawing of the participant. I like this skit — unlike the earlier, the blow-off makes the clown, not the participant, look foolish.
A Man Called Sam
- A very funny, very punny skit. It relies heavily on verbal comedy.
Smiling Sam’s Secrets: Relax and Be Yourself
Baaaaallooooooons!
- A clown skit using balloon animals, for clowns who can’t twist balloon animals :o)
The Clown Copper
- A cute skit, good for a walk-around or larger group, using a cardboard cut-out ‘clown patrol car.’
Merry Meoldy’s Musings: Start Out Simple
The Haunted Ha Ha’s
- The haunted shower curtain! No, really… good for talking about fears, ghosts, monsters, Halloween, things that go bump in the night…
Decathlon Simulcast
- What happens when a clown participates in the decathlon, while simultaneously broadcasting the event? This skit, of course.
Smiling Sam’s Secrets: Building and Collecting Props
Magic Act
- A simple magic act, using various basic tricks – primarily the linking rings.
A Not So Magic Act
- A very clownish act — doing magic alá clowning — doing the linking finger trick, among others.
Merry Melody’s Musings: Performance Mechanics
The Monkey You Are!
- Monkey see, monkey do — it’s follow the leader, where the leader is a clown.
Lie Detector
- A very good skit, using a special prop — the clown lie detector. Easily enough built, and very useful. This skit gives a very good example of what can be done with this prop.
Dizzy Duets
Shootout at the Oh-No Corral
- A two-clown skit, as the sheriff tries to find out who’s been rustling the crops and harvesting the cattle.
Doctor Golf and the Teed-Off Patient
- A two-clown skit, doctor and patient, as the doctor tries to con the patient out of his money
Smiling Sam’s Secrets: Teamwork
Telephone Talk
- Two-clown skit, using a telephone. The clowns are on opposite ends of the stage, having a pretty silly conversation.
Eating Way Out
- Classic clown skit, as one clown tries to eat at a restaurant, while the other clown valiantly tries not to take his order.
Merry Melody’s Musings: Adapting Performances to Audiences
Boxers Who Didn’t
- Another classic two-clown skit — the boxing match. Done many times, in many ways — by Charlie Chaplin, Red Skelton, and a thousand others — but still funny!
Lightweight Diet
- Another classic two-clown skit. The strongest clown in the world (complete with lumpy “muscles”), trying to intimidate the other clown.
Smiling Sam’s Secrets: Routining
Golf Gooforama
- Another classic clown skit — two clowns playing golf, with a gimmicked golf club — the ball is attached to the club via elastic cord.
War Is Heck!
- Two-clown skit, with Drill Instructor clown teaching the new recruit clown the ins and outs of combat. Shades of Gomer Pyle.
Merry Melody’s Musings: Troublesome Children
Clowntown News
- When one clown interviews another
Clown Crimefighter!
- When one clown investigates a ‘crime’ against a second clown — using the ‘clown in trouble’ routine
Smiling Sam’s Secrets: Adapting and Modifying Skits
Hypnosis
- Classic clown skit — your eyes are growing heavier and heavier…
Open Gizzard Surgery
- Classic two clown skit — the (clown) doctor is operating
Merry Melody’s Musings: Safety First!
Mopping Up
- Another classic clown skit — mayhem with mops, ending with the famous ‘bucket of confetti’
School’s Out
- Classic clown skit -one clown is the teacher, the other is the (disruptive) student. The Marx Brothers did a version of this early in their career, as detailed in Harpo Marx’ autobiography, Harpo Speaks.
Smiling Sam’s Secrets: On Being a Clown
Fly Trouble!
- Classic clown skit — trying to swat a fly. Surely a fly isn’t smarter than our two clowns, is he?
Thank You Kindly
- A very good conclusion to virtually any clown show — can be a one- or two-clown skit. A ‘thank you’ to the audience.
Appendix
I rate it 4 clowns out of 5.
(Or Amazon UK)