February 2nd: Clown memorial service

On the first Sunday in February, a memorial service is held at All Saints' Church, Haggerston, Hackney, for Joseph Grimaldi, the famous Grimaldi the Clown. Clowns from all over the world attend the service in full costume, and afterwards put on a show for local kids. So here are 10 things about clowns which you may not know.

1. Joseph Grimaldi was the first modern clown (clowns are said to have existed in Ancient Egypt, Imperial China and in Native American societies), and is credited with creating the white-faced make up we are familiar with today in 1801. He was so famous for playing the clown in London theatres, that “Joey” became a traditional name for clowns.
2. There are three distinct types of clown: The Whiteface, which has exaggerated features in red or black on a white face. They wear elaborate costumes with ruffled collars and tall pointy hats, and in a group of clowns, tend to be the “straight man”. Then there is the Auguste clown, whose face is painted pink or tan. They wear brightly coloured clothes that do not fit, and are the ones who are usually on the receiving end of the pie in the face or the bucket of water. Finally, there are character clowns, who portray a specific type of person, eg. A policemen, a chef, a baby or a tramp.
3. You are unlikely to see a clown with blue paint on his or her face, as blue face paint is thought to be unlucky amongst clowns.
4. The word “clown” is thought to come from a Scandinavian word, klunni (Icelandic) or kluns (Swedish) meaning a clumsy person.
5. An irrational fear of clowns is called Coulrophobia. It is estimated that 2% of adults suffer from it, including Johnny Depp. It is so widespread that in 2006 The British arts and music festival Bestival cancelled its planned clown theme after a number of complaints from coulrophobes who had been planning to go.
6. For coulrophiles, which is presumably the term for people who like clowns a lot, there is a dating site especially for clowns (www.clowndating.com).
7. John Wayne Gacy, the American serial killer and rapist, performed as Pogo the Clown at children's parties.
8. The full name of Krusty the Clown in The Simpsons is Herschel Shmoikel Pinchas Yercham Krustosky.
9. Clowns International is the oldest clown society. It was set up in 1946, initially for circus clowns, until 1978 when clowns working outside circuses also became eligible to join. Clowns International has set up a museum of clown memorabilia and a register of clown make-up, in which a replica of each clown's registered style is painted onto an eggshell.
10. A 19th century clown, Dan Rice, is thought to have been the inspiration for the appearance of American patriotic character of Uncle Sam.