#HAPPYCLOWNSIGHTING
Its not always easy to believe that the world is filled with good. And when things are looking bad, it's especially hard to believe in ourselves. #happyclownsighting stands for the goodness in all of us, and Whirlie is here to remind you that you're one-of-a-kind (like a snowflake!) Come follow Whirlie with her heart-shaped balloon on her journey to bring out the happy clown in all of us, transforming the world for good. Because that's the thing with snowflakes: When all of us get together, we become an avalanche.
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WHIRLIE IN THE NEWS
Santa Monica Daily Press
By: Margarita Rozenbaoum
#happyclownsighting
Yesterday I met a clown. Her name is Whirlie. At this point, you’ve probably heard about the “scary clown sightings” sweeping across North America since August of this year. The whole thing allegedly started in South Carolina, where a couple people dressed in creepy clown costumes tried to lure a terrified child into the woods. That seemed like a super idea to some other people, then a few others, and next thing you know, the country’s in a panic over clowns. Clown costumes have been banned in schools, hundreds of people have joined mass clown hunts, and several “clowns” have been arrested on charges of terrorist threat. It’s enough to make you put away your clown shoes and hang up your red nose for good.
Unless you’re Whirlie the Clown. When this whole thing started, and public clown approval ratings plummeted, Whirlie was confronted by the reality that people suddenly hated the thing she did for a living. And I’m not talking about a casual animal balloon making side hobby. This woman went to a prestigious arts university, has preformed for rock stars and presidents. This is her life’s work. A lot of professional clowns have retreated, afraid of being misunderstood or confronted by the hysterical masses. Whirlie didn’t know what to do. Then she had a moment of clarity. Between all the chaos and the fear and the arrests, things were looking bad. Well, what do people need when they’re feeling down? A clown, of course!
So while her colleagues were complaining about the injustice of the situation and calling it quits, Whirlie amplified her efforts. She put on her costume and signature pink wig, got a big balloon (also pink, in the shape of a heart, naturally) wrote #happyclownsighting on it, and took to the streets. She went to a Dodgers game, did a breast cancer awareness drive— she even voted in costume. It took a lot of guts, and as she sat in the back of an Uber on her way to a polling place on Tuesday, she felt a little scared. But as Whirlie the Clown likes to say, “If something scares you — laugh at it!”
And guess what? People loved her. They gave her hugs and took pictures. She got media coverage and had news stories written about her commitment. It actually brought unexpected attention to the importance of voting. When it seemed like being herself was the last thing she should do, choosing to stand for what she believed in— regardless of public approval ratings— turned out to be the most extraordinary opportunity. How often are we confronted by the circumstances around us, as though everything is working against our success? It’s no joke, we live in strange, often scary times. But this morning I caught myself thinking, What Would Whirlie Do?
By the way, when I met Whirlie, she wasn’t wearing her clown costume. I asked her what her “real” name was. She happily told me to just call her Whirlie. It’s not the costume that makes her a clown. What makes her a clown is that she stands for the goodness and happiness that exists inside all people.
Happy clown sightings to you all.
Cheers - Whirlie