To many, it may come as a surprise that clown college even exists, but even more surprising is the fact that it's harder to get into clown college than it is to get into Harvard. The Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Clown College only accepted 50 applicants a year from a field of thousands of would-be students. Circus owner Irvin Feld understood the importance of having a ready supply of performers and the need to train people in the ancient art of clowning. In 1968, he opened the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Clown College in Venice, Fla. To apply, an extensive personality profile had to be submitted to give the school’s directors a clear understanding of the prospective student’s psychology and motivation. Most notable was the free tuition offered, but that came with a few stipulations. The graduates had to agree to a 1-year contract with The Greatest Show on Earth. Any student not offered this contract would be required to work in some other capacity within the organization. The classes at the college included courses like make-up application, juggling, pantomime and acrobatics. The students studied movies of classic performers like Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin. The humor and action of cartoon characters like Wile E. Coyote and Bugs Bunny was also analyzed and applied. In 1984, Feld’s son Kenneth took over management of the school, but closed it in 1997 because the needs of the circus had changed. The college wasn’t profitable and many of the graduates were privately teaching others the skills. Today, a half a dozen clown colleges still exist, but it's unlikely any of them are as hard to get into as Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Baily Clown College.
