I was flattered when Ned Hayes asked me to provide some professional face painting to support Kids at Play during Sunday’s Sand in the City. It also provided another opportunity for intern “Crystal” to shine.
In email exchanges before the event, I quickly found out that an emergency comedy consultation was in order. They let me know they were providing two palettes of Diamond FX 12 Essentials with four #2 & four #4 brushes. It’s the same palette I use. However, the Hands On Children’s Museum (who sponsors the event) had suggested that painters be prepared for 2500 faces over the course of 7 hours! [uh... six faces a minute?!]
I advised: I would get way more brushes of varying sizes and shapes. And sponges. And baby-wipes. Just saying. Especially if you let kids say ‘Tiger’ you need to get a square foot of orange (for example) up in a hurry. Sidebar: if the paints are not depleted I might suggest you trade those for (a portion of?) the labor of my assistants. Those clowns have been using my paint!
Luckily, it made sense to them, and we had enough paints AND brushes to cover many many faces. Of course, we didn’t serve anywhere near the estimate. In the end, I was able to bequeath my used palette to Crystal and accept a brand new & unopened one as a perk.
“Justin is the consummate professional clown. He loves his work — and it shows! He knows his way around kids, makeup, crowd control, and parents. What I love most about working with Justin is that he strives to create a complete atmosphere of fun — with pies, music, professional props, and all the accouterments. Justin is great to work with — and I highly recommend him to anyone who wants to have a GOOD TIME !!!” Ned Hayes
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Then I rushed home to get into clown and gather supplies [pies, Coke & Mentos, and water balloons]. I had a previously booked party for that evening. The client had called Marie from Sustainable South Sound asking whether I would extend my coupon from last year. She was especially excited when I further offered to bring Crystal as a Buy One Get One special.
The Campers got their turn to be pied… and, of course, to pie Jusby!
Campers also had the chance to do their own make-up or have it done by a counselor. Memo, Smoothy, and Monstro did their own; they’ve been trying different types of make-up each day in the same basic pattern. Mini-Silly had her face done by Miss Kate. Miss Kate did her own and created a new speaking clown, Curley. I recreated Checked’s checker-board face using grease paint instead of water-based face paint.
We reviewed the skills by rotating at 1 minute intervals through 12 stations:
juggle balls
juggle rings
juggle scarves
balance stick/pole/club/etc.
unicycle
stilts
fans
balloons
parachute
laughter yoga – hula hoop
baton
devil sticks/ flower sticks
At 1pm we were joined by an Olympia Parks & Recreation Camp and put on a show for them. We concluded by inviting counselors up to supervise several of the stations (stilts, hula hoop, parachute). We replaced the unicycle with the wagon and miniature bicycle.
For Kai’s 11th birthday at the Circle Hawk Farm house on the 11th with approximately 11 guests…
a highly interactive mini-clown camp from 1 – 3 PM, a microcosm of the week-long camp in July: juggling/ object manipulation lesson, balloon twisting lesson, joke telling lesson, laughter yoga session w/ Trish & Orion, & pies in the faces… in the theme of Lego Star Wars meets Old MacDonald.
For this party, I realized where the advice of other clowns was leading me astray from my natural instinct. It’s been ‘common knowledge’ among party clowns that the clown’s role is over when the cake arrives. No one wants to compete with the cake and presents. I’ve been making my exit as mom takes over and everyone gets their sugar buzz on.
During the discussions with Kai’s mom, however, I followed my own inclination and offered:
Presenting the cake by Clowns!
Lighting the candles by Clowns!
Singing the birthday song by Clowns!
Slicing and serving the cake by Clowns!
Delivering the presents by Clowns!
Thanking the gift-givers by Clowns!
A comprehensive multi-hour, multi-clown party package that everyone would be sure to remember!
“I hired Justin to manage the entertainment at my son’s 11th birthday party. The entire class was invited, and I wasn’t sure how to keep a dozen pre-teenagers (boys and girls) adequately and appropriately entertained. The results were nothing short of spectacular. “Jusby” and his team of clowns engaged the kids by first leading them in an icebreaker Laughter Yoga session. He came prepared with lots of different activities, but the two that the kids went absolutely ga-ga over were the face painting and the pies. I’ve never seen kids line up so enthusiastically to get a pie in the face. Additionally, several of the parents opted to be pied as well. Everyone was laughing hysterically and very happy. As an added bonus, Jusby and his team handled the cake presentation and serving (clowns serving cake!) and the unwrapping of gifts (hilarious). BUT THAT’S NOT ALL – Jusby also provided me with beautiful online photos of the event (he’s a terrific photographer). Would I hire him again? In a New York minute. He will give you every dime’s worth of your money and then some. He’s also great with all ages, from little kids to adults. Highly recommend -
- Jennifer Waldref, Communications Specialist at Democratic Caucus/Washington State House of Representatives
[edit.. tracked down a few on facebook. This mom said her son had taken a big, medium AND mini.
My son has won many a "7 year old one up" conversation with the zinger, "Well, have you ever taken a PIE IN THE FACE?" - Erica Van Lierop, Queen Beef at Van's Burger
“My services have undergone expansions, improvements and tweaks. This includes an additional clown retinue,” began the conversation that led to 2011′s Purim Extraordinaire, a few notches above last year’s “Special Visit” which concluded with 10 pied faces. Although I pied a few additional faces this year, I also brought a few additional clowns along, so the energy was significantly higher.
To the Romans it was Cobbler Rasa, the French referred to it as La Tarte Blanche, aboriginal clowns called it Entering the Creamtime, and of course the ancient Qabbalah clowns spoke of soulful and doleful schmaltz by the bowlful
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We are engaging with clowning as our Right Livelihood. We would prefer to provide services to those who can afford the asking rate, but we will not deny the needy and the appreciative.
All reasonable barter and donation exchanges considered.
We are committed to providing safe, appropriate, and profoundly memorable surprises that are customized to your occasion and audience. We want everyone to enjoy a healthy dose of laughter and leave with a deepened sense of their place in the community.
Here’s the artwork for Orion’s Birthday invitation. Those are Lego 1xs (One By’s). The bottom of the seven is a piece that represents scoops of ice cream.
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Lego Brick Cake from Cakeitecture. She also makes Cake Pops (Frosted Doughnut Hole on a Stick) in the form of minifig heads.
Have to order these next time.
Parachute Fun
Birthday Boy gets the first pie in the face!
A Five Clown Party: Ridiculah, Honey, Sage, Jusby & Elliot!
I was SUPER EXCITED when I saw that Heather Pearl was coming to the Lacey Parks Children’s Entertainment Series…
because She’s a CLOWN!
And as much as I love watching humorists, and humorful jugglers, and comedic magicians, and funny musicians… I am first and foremost, A CLOWN! DUH!
And as an added bonus, she’s from Portland, so maybe I’ll get to visit… do a little coffee talk… perhaps a Pie-in-the-face.
And as an added added bonus-bonus… she’s a movement instructor for the Waldorf school down there. And Orion just completed two years of Waldorf Kindergarten.
Captain Jusby, First Mate Miss Kate and their Pirate crew
Dear Jusby,
I am in need of a clown quickly, my son is having his 6th birthday party in Lacey WA. at Rainier Vista park on Sunday May 23rd, the party is from 3:30 to 6:30, but we need a clown for an hour or so. I know it’s short notice but he wanted a pirate party and well no pirates around here I guess, now he wants a clown. Is there anything you can do? What is your cost?
Thank You! A Mom
Dear Mom,
I am totally willing to tweak my costume and routine toward a Pirate themed party.
As you have noticed from the website, the pie-in-the-face is my specialty, and I find it best if parents have advance warning so they can be prepared with 1) spare clothes & 2) their own camera!
Of course, I’ll bring “Snowball” the pie-rat and plenty of pies.
***
I found an assistant who is available on Sunday: (“First Mate”) Miss Kate! She also attended The Silly Fool School of Top Secret Esoteric Clowning AND has clowned abroad with Patch Adams, AND she is a Certified Laughter Yoga Leader.
Her services are included in my rates. We will paint faces twice as fast. We will PIE faces twice as fast.
We can split guests into two teams for pirate games.
We can engage adults AND children simultaneously.
Oh, I love it when an assistant is available!
Jusby
Oh, kid, this is gonna be great! Are you absolutely sure you want this?
This girl kept trying to put the labcoat on forwards instead of backwards like a smock. We had a little matador action going on for a minute.
Jusby gives advice about pie-ing your own mother: “She carried you for nine months… don’t hurt her!”
Okay, Mom, this is what happens when you hire Jusby.
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Hire Jusby to provide the safe, appropriate, and profoundly memorable surprises at your event in Thurston County, Washington. Call 360-888-2729 to schedule a visit before the date is booked.
"Jusby takes clowning seriously. Can I say that? He is great and gentle with kids, holding their attention and keeping them entertained, and is silly and irreverent, but respectfully so, with adults. He adds life and joy to any party. And if getting a pie in the face is on your list of things to try at least once in your life —c'mon, life is short—, then he's your clown. So go ahead and call him already.”
Chris Marquardt, CT, Translator & Medical Interpreter, Spanish Pronto
Faces Pied
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About Jusby
“I hired Jusby to clown for me during one of my music shows. He was spontaneous and flexible in how he performed with me and the crowd loved him. Jusby is a very organized, kind, and on time clown. I recommend him for any and all sorts of parties!”
-Chris Sand, Sandman the Rappin' Cowboy
“My wife and I have had the joy if seeing Jusby the Clown perform on two separate occasions. Once at a nonprofit organization fundraising event, and he was excellent! His jokes were funny and appropriate; his presence was enjoyed by all. The second event we saw Jusby at was at a birthday party for an adult, but all of the children there were ecstatic to see a clown. He made the birthday girl feel special, yet was attentive to all the children and the other guests as well. He performed for the crowd and made balloon animals for the kids. There was even the classic 'pie in the face' that got the adults and kids even more hysterical with laughter. We highly recommend Jusby for any event where an adorable clown can make all the people happy.”
Guido Hunt, CSM, CSPO
Posted by Jusby the Clown 
