Clownin' Around

True confession: I've been afraid of clowns since childhood and while Stephen King hasn't done much to help stamp out this irrational fear, it's one of those ‘issues' I'll tackle when I'm perfect in every other way. Clownin' Around, subtly geared toward children who are afraid of clowns (I'm not alone!), helps young viewers understand that there's a real person hiding inside the costume. Opting for funny sound effects in lieu of any dialogue or narrative, this wordless video follows a young girl and her father as they eat breakfast and go to Dad's ‘office', where he opens his briefcase and begins applying clown paint. Makeup and red rubber noses fly as both father and daughter dress up in full clown uniform, and then spend an exhaustive day in the park entertaining passersby with dancing, juggling, and exaggerated silliness. Lesson learned: clowns are people too (although they are still scary to me). A well-intended program with passable production qualities, this video may indeed shed enough light on the darker side of clown-o-phobia to allay childhood fears. Mildly recommended. Aud: P. (N. Plympton)