Arts & Entertainment
The Super Secret Story of Budderball the Clown
She's been entertaining local children for years, but for one Petaluma woman, being a clown is more than fun and games
At first I wondered if Budderball the Clown was pulling my leg when she was reticent to tell me her real name.
Is there a Clown Relocation Program? A secret Second Identity League open only to professional pranksters? Perhaps a Protective Federation to Prevent Crank Calls to Clowns?
Well, sort of.
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Just like when a young girl becomes a nun relinquishing her worldly name to take on a new one, so too do clowns.
“As a clown, it’s important to protect the fantasy. It’s important that children believe in clowns,” said Budderball the Clown, a former Kentucky Street shop owner and Petaluma resident for 25 years. “When I perform in town and someone calls out my real name, I pretend I don’t hear them. If a child sees a clown respond to a regular name, it’s like telling them Santa isn’t real.”
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Her clown name is an homage to a favorite doll she called Butterball.
“But when I ordered my first clown name tag, it came back misspelled with d’s instead of t’s,” said Budderball. “I thought, isn’t that just a big clown mistake? Isn’t that how a clown would spell it? Besides, nobody says butter with sharp t's, other than Martha Stewart.”
She views clowns as lighthearted lovers of their audiences and cherishes the history of court jesters and early theatrical clowns.
“People are shocked by the historical significance of clowns; the roles they played in royal courts. There was even a Chinese clown who convinced the Emperor not to paint the Great Wall, saving thousands of lives. That clown is still revered,” she said.
Indeed, she is working on a two-part performance piece that covers the history of clowns and the benefits of laughter. She is also planning to become a Laughter Yoga practitioner.
In recent times, the blue-haired Budderball has a website to book children’s parties, seniors' parties, wedding entertainment for children, parties for children with special needs and church retreats. She also has alter egos that include royal, homespun, Christmas-themed and pirate personas.
Above all, Budderball believes in the power of humor to heal.
“I’ve done some really poignant skits at women’s’ retreats that allow women to really open up,” she said.
