Luke Stephenson
& Helen Champion
THE CLOWN EGG REGISTER
Stan Bult: here.
Debbie Smith: here, here (Oggy), here, here (Charlie), here (Freddie).
Kate Stone: here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here (Francois Fratellini), here, here, here, here, here (Chunky Russell, Julius), here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, (Kristof, Andik), here, here, here (Pippa, Pee Wee), here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here.
Janet Webb: here (Izzo and Malteser), here, here, here, here, here here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here (Coco-Nut, Zeeco, Nigel the Clown), here, here (L.O.), here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, (Yo-yo, Poppy, Sozo), here, here, here, here, here, here (Happy, Zakko), here, here, here, (Clown Orange, Lofty), here, here.
UK | USA | Canada | Ireland | Australia
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Particular Books is part of the Penguin Random House group of companies whose addresses can be found at global.penguinrandomhouse.com.
First published 2017
Copyright © Luke Stephenson and Helen Champion, 2017
The moral right of the authors has been asserted
Cover design: Richard Green
ISBN: 978-0-141-98358-5
To fun
It is an unwritten rule within clowning that no clown should copy another clown’s look. As such, the Clown Egg Register acts as the record of copyright for the carefully designed faces of the members of Clowns International.
Stan Bult began the tradition in 1946 when he founded the organization, one of the oldest to support the art of clowning. He recorded the clowns’ faces by painting them on blown eggs, some of which, due to their fragile nature, have been damaged or lost. The practice was revived in 1984, and many of the original register have now been repainted, using more durable ceramic eggs and so preserving them for posterity. Since Stan, there have been three different egg artists, the most prolific being Kate Stone, whose work adorns many of the eggs in this book. Creating an egg can take up to three days and often the clown supplies the artist with cuttings of their wigs and costumes so a true likeness can be achieved. Nowadays, Wookey Hole Clowns’ Museum in Somerset houses the majority of the collection, although a small number of eggs are kept at Holy Trinity Church in Dalston, East London. The church also plays host to the commemorative service for Joseph Grimaldi (see here), revered as the godfather of clowning. Held annually on the first Sunday in February, it is attended by clowns in full costume – combining Whiteface, Auguste and Character clowns (see here for an explanation of the types of clown) – and is truly a sight to behold (it is this service which gives Holy Trinity its alternative name of the Clowns’ Church).
As a photographer, I am fascinated by the odd traditions that the British seem to have a gift for fostering. So when I first came across these peculiar eggs, it was immediately evident to me that they needed to be documented and shared with the wider world. Whether you see them as a copyright register, a folk archive, or simply a collection of curiosities, each one tells the story of someone who dedicated at least a portion of their life to bringing joy and laughter to others. Some of these lives are written about by my colleague and co-author in this project, Helen Champion. For a painted face on a little egg, those stories and histories are a powerful achievement.
Luke Stephenson
Rob Bowker discovered clowning completely by accident on Sunday 14 September 2003 at around 2.30 p.m.
He was attending his niece and nephew’s fourth birthday party. His sister Julie and her partner Paul had invited a clown called Topoff to entertain the children.
Rob was working as a DJ at the time but, watching how Topoff entertained both the children and the adults, he was transfixed.
Walking out of the garden, Rob declared that he was going to become a clown right there and then and Clown Bibbledy Bob was born. Rob had never planned to become a clown, but it just happened, by chance.
Gavin (Malteaser) and Ian (Izzo) Radforth are brothers from Wolverhampton.
Their clown act was formed in 1991 after encouragement from their hero, Wakefield clown Ted Pickles. Brightly coloured wigs were part of their first costumes, as they wanted to be just like Ted.
They joined and trained at the Leeds-based Circus Zanni.
The brothers have a keen interest in classic cars, having been around them all their life. They attended many car rallies and when they first started clowning and were too young to drive they were driven to their gigs in their father’s 1954 Morris Minor. Over the years the Rapide Brothers have had some of their car collection featured in classic car publications and been photographed alongside them in their clown costumes.
The Rapide Brothers are skilled jugglers and unicyclists. Happily, Izzo’s son Owen now performs as Clown Oggy.
Nick Clark from West Sussex performs as Tricky Nicky.
He has worked at Chessington World of Adventures, Thorpe Parke, and Sandown Racecourse, amongst others.
Nick now works part-time for West Sussex County Council.
He has travelled across Britain and Europe with clown shows and circus troupes and was lucky enough to support Paul Daniels at the London Palladium as well as obtaining walk-on supporting roles in television and film.
His talents include stilt-walking, balloon modelling, juggling and slapstick.
Ian ‘Taffy’ James was born in Cardiff in September 1930. He attended Cardiff High School for boys, where he was quite often told off for fooling around. During his clowning career he entertained families around Cardiff, and in 2005 he won a Grimaldi Clown Award for services to clowning.
After completing two years of National Service, Taffy worked as a residential social worker with physically and mentally disabled children. Through this work he met his wife, Shirley.
Taffy was a much-loved member of Clowns International and worked as the Clowns International chairman for many years.
He died in October 2009.
Chester Eugene Barnett was born on 23 October 1903 in Tenaha, Texas.
His long career spanned the 1920s through to the early 1970s.
His nickname of ‘Bobo’ came from childhood, when he would wear a paper bag over his head with holes cut out for his eyes.
He joined the circus as a caretaker for the elephants, and after honing his clowning skills, became a white-faced clown and member of Clown Alley.
Bobo was married three times – his third wife, Dorothy, was a dancer in the Cole Bros. Show.
He was inducted into the International Clown Hall of Fame in Wisconsin, an institution dedicated to preserving and celebrating the art of clowning.
Bobo died on 18 February 1985.
Sam ‘Sammy Sunshine’ Rowe has worked in the trade for over fifty years.
He broke a world record when he made himself the largest pair of clown shoes in the world.
PyschoThe Last of the Summer Wine
He died aged sixty-five at Leeds General Infirmary.
