h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

For reasons best left unknown - I want to find what the various types of clowns faces look like - from one of Terry Pratchetts books, it seems like there are a lot of different types - but is this just fiction? And what would the 'classic' be - red nose, white lip area, I guess - but what about eyes? and the rest of the face?

MyRedDice - hasn't been to the circus... ever...

Well, there´s two archetypes that has been used for ages. But others have appeared since. The White Clown and Augustus. The White Clown is the clown in white(you probably guessed that already), he is the smarter clown and has a pointy white hat. Augustus is the tramp-like clown, who is kids-friendly, makes fun of the white clown and is very clumsy. That´s about all I know. I´ve only been to the circus once, and it was when I was like 3 so I don´t remember a thing.

Well the archetype thing is quite right. Just add a little, the augustus normally has a red nose, white make-up, red make-up around the lips and some coloured stuff around the eyes... And the normally/sometimes have red hair that sticks out from their head... or so..
If you don´t want to go to the circus and see a clown, watch Stephen Kings "It"... Pennywise, the clown, looks pretty much like all clowns do and he is like all clowns pretty scary...

Chili, who still hates clowns...

I'd just like to add that clowns are not funny and quite frankly give me the willies!!

Every clown has a different face. Somwhere there is shelves upon shelves of painted eggs each showing a clowns face, all different. A bit freaky if you ask me Until later....
BCNU - Crescent

The exact make-up that clowns used in Europe were like registered trade marks. Every one was different and no clown was allowed use another's face pattern. How this was enforced I don't know. In recent times, with the fall off in popularity of circuses, the "professional clown" community is probably dwarfed by the number of "normal" people dressing up as clowns for parties, functions etc. You probably get quite a lot of duplication.

A good example of clowns is Disney's "Dumbo", where the ultimate indignity heaped on the little elephant was to make him join the troupe of clowns.

So where were these trademarks registered? And are they now, like everything, on the web?

Well, I doubt they´re on the web. How would you get an egg-shell scanned in a flatbed scanner? But who has all those egg-shells standing on a shelf, the Supreme Clown?

Clowns aren´t scary, killer clowns are. The whole point about them is that it is something that usually is a symbol of laughter and joy, that is turned into evil. The worst monster isn´t the one that has fangs and horns, it´s the one that looks beautiful.

Even happy clowns are scary, as anyone who has ever attended a party full of four year-olds can attest.

I haven´t attended a party of four year olds in the last twenty years, but I know that I´ve been one of them... scared to death by clowns.
I can remeber that my grandfather took me to the circus once. We were sitting wqquite upfront and before the show started they had this clown running around, probably to keep the kids entertained. He had this snake-basket on his arm, and a fake arm around the basket, so it would look like he was holding it with his right arm. He came up to me, shot his snake (which now looks more like an old sock to my memory) out of his basket and pinched my nose.
We didn´t ge to see the show, because I was crying and screaming like somebody tried to kill me...
I´ve been scared of them ever since...

Chili, every clown is evil...

And the most evil clown - John Wayne Gasey (Coco the clown)

A serial killer that used his outfit to stalk kids then took them back to his house in the Chicagoland area and buried them in his crawl-space under his house.

He was also a white face clown with a red nose red lip makeup.

I to hate clowns, they're creepy.

The classic clown dressed in white is Pierrot from the Commedia Dell'Arte (spelling is probably wrong). He is the tragic hero, which is why he has a tear on his cheek.

Pantomine is descended from the Comedia - but not the crap sort with third rate ex soap stars!

And I find clowns freaky too!