Tag Archives: Clown

Springtime in Caerphilly

Caerphilly Garden T.Ricks

Hello Everyone,

What a fantastic two days I had at the Caerphilly Garden Centre spring festival event.

Lots of people came to visit the garden centre, and while the adults were checking out all of the special offers, I was entertaining the young ones. Children had the choice of a balloon animal, face painting, glitter tattoo or all three! We were also lucky to have my good friends at Red Dragon Magic performing a range of tricks which proved very popular with both the old and young.

In-between all the fun there were supplier representatives on hand giving great advice on the new spring range of plants and shrubs, and also plenty of staff, with their wealth of knowledge, helping anyone who needed it.

Caerphilly Garden Centre

I also had a visit from my new best friend, Lola, who came to say hello, and got a glitter tattoo and balloon.  You can read all about this lovely little girl here.

The onsite restaurant at the centre is fantastic – providing lovely hot food and drinks, and was very busy around lunch time (on both days) so obviously I am not the only one who loves their food!

While exploring: I got bitten by a venus fly trap, rode a donkey, made some new friends, and had a big kiss on my big red nose from a lovely young lad by the name of Luke. (Kept an eye out for Darth Vader – thankfully he did not turn up). You can see some of my adventures below.

Children's Entertainer Caerphilly  Caerphilly Garden Centre  Caerphilly Garden Centre

All in all it was a very enjoyable few days and can’t wait to go back. I will of course post when I am back at Caerphilly Garden Centre, and hope to see you all there.

Bye for now!

Mr. T. Ricks.

A Party Thank You

Hello everyone,

Recently I blogged about the Fear of Clowns which gained a lot of interest both here, on my blog, and my fan page.  This fear was brought to my attention yet again on the weekend, while I was attending a birthday party which included fairly young children.

At one point I noticed a little girl sat on her grandmother’s knee, who seemed interested in my appearance, but looked incredibly shy. Using my quietest voice I asked if she would like a balloon model, and she said yes. A picture was taken (which you can see below,) and at this point I sensed that she might be afraid as well as shy. After this I was careful to make her feel at ease, and over the course of the party her confidence around me grew.

Mr. T. Ricks

The following day I received a lovely email from the grandmother who has kindly let me reproduce it below:

“Would just like to say thanks from me and my daughter so much for making my granddaughter comfortable today at Ollie’s party, she is no longer afraid of clowns and has watched your ice bucket challenge over and over before bed tonight. She asked me to thank you for her balloon dog and sword, my daughter and I will also be recommending you to friends. Thanks again. x”

This of course has made my day that a little girl can now grow up enjoying clowns, and not fearing them. Her grandmother has also mentioned that if her confidence continues they would like to have me back for her party, and I cannot wait.

Bye for now.

Mr. T. Ricks

Why I charge what I do.

Mr T Ricks Childrens Entertainer Bridgend Hello everyone, While out and about in my clown car the other day, I spotted a notice in a shop that I would like to share with you all as I am occasionally asked why there are other children entertainers that charge more or less….

“It is unwise to pay too much, but it is worse to pay too little. When you pay too much you lose a little money; that is all. When you pay too little you sometimes lose everything, because the thing you bought is incapable of doing the things it was bought to do. The common law of business balance prohibits paying a little and getting a lot. It cannot be done. If you deal with the lowest bidder it is well to add something for the risk you run, and if you do that you will have enough for something better. There is hardly anything in the world that some person cannot make a little worse and sell for a little cheaper, and the people who consider price only are this person’s lawful prey.” John Ruskin 1819 -1900

So let me tell you why I charge what I do…….. I am a professional children’s entertainer. That means this is my business and my main source of income. This is not a second job, and I don’t just work weekends. I work 7 days a week 365 days a year. (Yes, I have worked many a Christmas Day) For me clowning is a serious business. When I am not performing I am either practicing routines, working on jokes, or keeping up with the latest trends. In the past I have even asked for footage of my performance, filmed at a birthday party by a family member, so I can evaluate the show from a spectator’s viewpoint. …and then there are the props! I am constantly buying new props to replace those that get worn through age, or wear and tear (and for those who have seen my act some of these get deliberately whacked about. :-p) This helps keep the act looking professional and presentable. Cheaper I am now in my 23rd year of being a professional children’s entertainer, and I’ve had many imitators, but I have always seen these inferior performers come and go when things get tough. So the next time you want to build childhood memories for your child, or make everyone laugh and smile at a once in a lifetime event, ask yourself: why do some so called ‘children’s entertainers’ need to charge so little to secure their bookings? I am Mr. T.Ricks – professional clown, magician and children’s entertainer. My prices are competitive for the quality service I provide, and although I may not be the cheapest… I would rather be the best. 🙂 Bye for now… Mr. T. Ricks.

Fear of Clowns – It’s no laughing matter!

Hi boys and girls,

In my last post you might have noticed that I mentioned the word Coulrophobia. For those of you who don’t know Coulrophobia is the fear of clowns! This is a very real phobia and can easily be present in adults even more so than children. Those of you that follow me on my fan page will know that I have even spoken on BBC Radio Wales on the subject, which was a little tricky for Steffan Garrero who just so happened to have this phobia.

Naturally, I am saddened to hear that people have this phobia, and do whatever I can to try and put people at ease – especially if they happen to be at my show!  This just so happened to be the case when I attended the 1st Abercarn Beavers Christmas party in December.

A lovely lady by the name of Kelly (who is a helper at the group) has been Coulrophobic since a child and had no rational explanation for her fear. This phobia was so great that she wasn’t even going to stay at the party, but was persuaded to help at the back of the hall where she could hide in the kitchen if she wanted to! Fortunately this was quietly mentioned to me at the start of the show and I was able to perform my routine down the other end of the hall, while Kelly watched surrounded by all the other leaders.

Having performed for the Beavers before, the other leaders knew how approachable I am and convinced Kelly to come a little closer at the end of the show where I could have a chat with her. I took this opportunity to make her one of my special balloon bouquets and she was thrilled to bits that she could come close enough to collect it. Kelly was absolutely fantastic and even asked if she could have her photograph taken with me to show her mum as proof of her accomplishment. Her actual words were “my mum is going to be so proud of me!”

and so she should be! – Well done Kelly!

Mr. T. Ricks

If I am attending one of your events and you think someone at the party has a fear of clowns then please let me know in advance and I will do my very best to put them at ease during my time there.

Alternatively you can now book my children’s show, without the clown element, and you’ll still get Mr.T.Ricks the colourful magician turning up to entertain your guests. Just get in touch via any of the methods on the contact page for more information.

Bye for now!

Mr. T.Ricks.

 

New shows for 2015

Hi boys and girls.

You may have read on my Facebook Fan page that I would be creating new packages for 2015 suitable for all budgets and events. These include everything from magic, clowning, balloon modelling, face painting, glitter tattoos. I’ve even put together a package for people who might be Coulrophobic so you can book with confidence! 🙂

These are just some of the total packages available, but if you would like to know about all of the packages, or require more information about the ones below please feel free to get in touch for a chat.

Mr T Ricks Shows

Bye for now!

Mr.T.Ricks

Mr T Ricks does the Ice Bucket Challenge

For the last few months social media has been awash with people dumping buckets of ice cold water over themselves to raise money and awareness for ALS and other charities. I had almost got away without a soaking when my good friend Dave nominated me just the other day.

Naturally as a clown, the idea of throwing buckets of water around is a very natural thing to do, and as it was for charity how could I say no? Rather than just dump the water on my head I decided that, in true clown tradition, to create a quick slapstick routine that incorporated the challenge. With the help of friends and family, I managed to create the film below that I hope you enjoy.

If you know someone who you think would enjoy a giggle please remember to share it with your friends and family. You can also leave a comment on my new Youtube page. (Either click the Youtube logo at the bottom of the video, or the new Youtube button at the bottom of the home page)

Bye for now!
Mr. T.Ricks

Cameo in a 6 Second Film!

Last night I got the chance to meet up with some friends of mine after performing a show nearby. Naturally after coming straight from the show I was still in full slap and motley (Clown make-up).

Being creative people, who never let an opportunity pass, we decided to film a vine. For those who do not know, a ‘vine’ is an app on a phone that allows the user to make short films that are only 6 seconds long. This is great for short sketches and funny scenes, and it wasn’t long before we came up with a concept.

Here’s the link: Road Rage

Look out for my brief ‘cameo’ appearance and thanks to Dave and Alan for a fun evening. ;-p

Bye for now,
Mr. T. Ricks

A Special Delivery…

As a professional clown, magician and children’s entertainer I constantly look for ways to enhance my services and where possible, dedicate some time to this cause. So a little while back I conceived an idea that I wished to put into practice but it would need some bespoke props. Having done hours of research, I could not find the props that I needed at a high enough quality for my show, and I began to fear that my idea may just have to remain as such.

Fortunately, I took in confidence some very good friends of mine and one of them mentioned that his extended family may be able to help. A few days passed and I received a phone call to say that what I needed was being made…. in Australia!

You can imagine my excitement when the items turned up the other day, and as you can see from the photos below it took quite a lot of Australian stamps just to get it to Bridgend, South Wales!

Mr T Ricks     Mr T Ricks     Mr T Ricks

What can I say: the items are fantastic and I can’t wait to put them to use. Unfortunately, there are still a few pieces of the puzzle left to complete and they will take some time, but hopefully I aim to have the latest addition up and running just in time for Christmas.

Bye for now!

Mr. T. Ricks

TV Drama appearance – 35 Diwrnod

MR T Ricks performs at a birthday party in the drama 35 Diwrnod

MR T Ricks performs at a birthday party in the drama 35 Diwrnod

Recently I had a call from a production company based at the TV studios at Culverhouse cross in Cardiff asking if I would be willing to perform on one of their new productions. 35 Diwrnod; a drama series for S4C.

After meeting with the production company, I discovered that I knew some of the crew from other TV programmes that I have been involved in. The filming went well, and it took around five hours to film the brief sequence in which I appear as an outsider witnessing the beginning of an event.

You can see the end result in the pictures above,  but to find out why my party was interrupted by some uninvited guests you’ll have to watch the series. (Mums & Dads only)

Bye for now

Mr. T.Ricks

Here comes the…clown?

Well there I was sitting in my car at Barry Civic Centre when a beautiful bride by the name of Susan came and sat with me in the car! Not as strange as you may think as I was attending Sue and Stuart’s wedding, and yes I was in full slap and motley!

The best thing was, I was a surprise. Sue had only told her maid of honour and the registrar that I was going to be there. You can imagine the look on all of the guests faces when I walked in, seconds before the bride, juggling three balls to the music of Scottish bag pipes and made my way to stand next to the groom. I took his arm and said ‘Hi honey, I’m here!’ –  his face was a picture!  I quickly moved aside and made room for the real bride, and the ceremony was fantastic.

childrens entertainer wedding clown

So after some photos we were all off to the reception at the Brynhill Golf Club where I entertained the guests with some close up magic and balloon modelling around the tables. As there were a few children present, I had them to help with most of the magic. After around an hour and a half, with music playing in the background, I wished the happy couple all the very best and made my way home. It was a fantastic day, enjoyed by the happy couple and all the great guests, and I was pleased I could bring even more joy to their special day.

Congratulations to you both.