Clowning around
For 28 years, Patti Faloon has been fascinated by the opportunities that her career can bring to other people’s lives.
A long career in entertainment has transcended into her self-employed professional clown business, Pittsburgh Pizzazz by Patti Faloon, which operates out of Beechview.
Calls for children’s birthday parties, family reunions and fairs, all with different ideas for her services, have recently turned into worrisome conversations.
“I’ve had three different phone calls from little kids asking me if I’m a scary clown,” Faloon said. “It’s a shame.”
Those calls are a direct result of the widespread clown pranks that have encompassed the country in fear.
Pranks with a scary clown costume sneaking up on people in remote areas have turned violent with the inclusion of weapons, sparking social media to take a firm grasp on the experiences some have encountered.
Those fears have crept into the lives of citizens who are beginning to take matters into their own hands.
“I think people just naturally have a fear of clowns,” Mt. Lebanon police Lt. Duane Fisher. “Social media has allowed people to elevate gossip and paranoia to a different level.
“A couple of isolated incidents throughout the country have created fervor of our face-painted friends,” Fisher said. “From our aspect, we are going to have a typical Halloween. We’ll have our typical amount of officers in the various neighborhoods.”
While it may not be a concern for local police departments, it is a worry for professional clowns like Faloon, who is battling the same stigma as other professional clowns, including the famous Ronald McDonald.
Company executives recently decided to reduce his appearances because of the current climate around clown sightings.
“It’s definitely hurting the business and it’s sad,” Faloon said. “It’s a craze that keeps on rolling and it’s spilling into the lives of these little kids.”