History Main / MistakenForClown

A usually comedic situation, this is where (let's say) Alan wears a flamboyant outfit, and sometimes heavy makeup too, sometimes out of a misguided sense of fashion, sometimes due to circumstances out of his control. Barbara thinks Alan is a clown or something similar.

Alan may react in various ways. Sometimes he is a bad person, and he gets furious at this perceived insult. Or he may just be annoyed, or embarrassed.

Barbara may be InnocentlyInsensitive, or sometimes an actual {{Jerkass}}. Alan's getup may be an example of ImpossiblyTackyClothing, FashionVictimVillain, UncannyValleyMakeup, or more.

Calling people "clowns" as an insult has become very common lately, especially online. This is not the same thing. The mistakee has to have something (usually wardrobe/appearance) that can genuinely cause someone to think they're a clown. Even if the mistaker knows the mistakee isn't a clown and is using the term maliciously, there has to be a bigger reason than the mistakee simply being stupid.

** When Colon and Nobby have to go in "plain clothes" in ''Literature/{{Jingo}}'' they both look fairly ridiculous, Colon because his suit doesn't fit properly anymore and Nobby because [[ImpossiblyTackyClothing he's wearing absurdly anachronistic Morporkian Civil War era garb from reenactments]]. Fortunately, they need a better cover story than [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial just denying they're policemen]] and [[SureLetsGoWithThat agree they're clowns]] once the landlady asks if they are.

Compare StripperCopConfusion for a more risqué variant. See also YourCostumeNeedsWork and MistakenForSubculture.

* In ''Webcomic/EightBitTheatre'', after Black Mage's [[PrestigeClass class change]], his new outfit proves to be less than impressive. It getting him mistaken for a circus performer becomes a running gag.

* Episode 7 of ''Series/WandaVision'' has Vision [[spoiler:waking up nearby the S.W.O.R.D. base, which is transformed upon entering the Hex into a traveling circus. One of the S.W.O.R.D. agents-turned-performers mistake Vision for a member of their gang of clowns, due to his bright red-and-green color scheme and overall appearance.]]

%% Image removed per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1602560612060123200
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* In the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' series, we have the historical note of Bouncy Normo, "the greatest clown who ever lived". In reality, he was just some normal guy suffering a downright extreme example of TheUnwittingComedian, a man doomed to make everybody laugh with every action he made and word he said, even as he eventually became so depressed from being everybody's punch line that he was DrivenToSuicide ([[CrossesTheLineTwice and his dangling cadaver was deemed so hilarious that nobody thought of cutting it down for months]]).

* In ''VideoGame/DragonQuestIX'', the protagonist's Celestrian uniform gets them mistaken for a traveling minstrel after suffering from a case of HumanityEnsues. It becomes their default class, making them a [[BecomingTheMask minstrel for real.]]

[[quoteright:350:[[ComicStrip/{{Garfield}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mistaken_for_clown.gif]]]]

* One ''ComicStrip/{{Garfield}}'' [[https://garfield.dale.ro/garfield-1999-october-20.html strip]] has a big, tough guy see Jon's [[ImpossiblyTackyClothes ridiculous outfit]] and assume he's a clown. Jon tries to reason with the guy, but ends up being threatened: "Make me laugh, ''clown boy.''" Garfield is [[CrazyPrepared somehow ready]] with a seltzer bottle.

** When Colon and Nobby have to go in "plain clothes" in ''Discworld/{{Jingo}}'' they both look fairly ridiculous, Colon because his suit doesn't fit properly anymore and Nobby because [[ImpossiblyTackyClothing he's wearing absurdly anachronistic Morporkian Civil War era garb from reenactments]]. Fortunately, they need a better cover story than [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial just denying they're policemen]] and [[SureLetsGoWithThat agree they're clowns]] once the landlady asks if they are.

!!Examples

[[folder:Film - Live-Action]]

[[folder:Newspaper Comics]]
* ''ComicStrip/{{Zits}}'': Jeremy is looking through the photo album and finds an old picture of Walt. Jeremy says he never knew Walt used to be a clown, and asks him if he used to perform at supermarket openings and children's parties. After Jeremy leaves, Connie looks at the photo and comments that it isn't a clown outfit, but what he wore to their friend's wedding. Walt asks her not to blow his newfound cool.
* One ''ComicStrip/{{Garfield}}'' [[https://garfield.dale.ro/garfield-1999-october-20.html strip]] has a big, tough guy see Jon's [[ImpossiblyTackyClothes ridiculous outfit]] and assume he's a clown. Jon tries to reason with the guy, but ends up being threatened: "Make me laugh, ''clown boy.''" Garfield is [[CrazyPrepared somehow ready]] with a seltzer bottle.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Webcomics]]

[[folder:Web Original]]
* ''Roleplay/TropersTheSeries'': In "Queen Victoria's Secret", at one point Afterwards is wearing an outfit with an enormous dress and hat, and heavy makeup. Puma, himself a NonIronicClown, thinks After wants to join him at the circus and is thrilled. After doesn't really get a chance to respond.[[note]]But fortunately, his player's reaction out of universe was more like ActuallyPrettyFunny.[[/note]]
[[/folder]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mistaken_for_clown.gif]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueUnlimited'' episode "The Once and Future Thing, Part 1", when Batman, Wonder Woman, and Green Lantern accidentally travel to the old west, the cowboys that come across them think they're circus folk and proceed to [[BullyingTheDragon attempt to intimidate them]].
* In ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' episode "Joker's Wild", The Joker, after hearing that someone made a casino based on his likeness, goes to said casino to wreak who-knows-what sort of havoc... but another guy dressed as him shoves some chips in his hands and tells him to man the blackjack table.

Compare StripperCopConfusion for a more risqué variant. See also YourCostumeNeedsWork.

* In ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueUnlimited'' episode "The Once and Future Thing, Part 1", when Batman, Wonder Woman, and Green Lantern accidentally travel to the old west, the cowboys that come across them think they're circus folk and proceed to [[BullyingTheDragon attempt at intimidating them]].
* In ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' episode "Joker's Wild", The Joker, aftering hearing that someone made a casino based on his likeness, goes to said casino to wreak who-knows-what sort of havoc... but another guy dressed as him shoves some chips in his hands and tells him to man the blackjack table.

A usually comedic situation, this is where character A wears a flamboyant outfit, and sometimes heavy makeup too, sometimes out of a misguided sense of fashion, sometimes due to circumstances out of their control. Character B thinks character A is a clown or something similar.

Character A may react in various ways. Sometimes Character A is a bad person, and they get furious at this perceived insult. Or they may just be annoyed, or embarrassed.

Character B may be InnocentlyInsensitive, or sometimes an actual {{Jerkass}}. Character A may be an example of ImpossiblyTackyClothing, FashionVictimVillain, UncannyValleyMakeup, or more.

Compare StripperCopConfusion for a more risque variant. See also YourCostumeNeedsWork.

* ''Film/BigFatLiar'': Marty is tricked into to visiting a house he doesn't realize is full of royally rowdy children (and one shamelessly sadistic boy). He's not ''dressed'' like a clown, but his oranged-up hair and blued-over skin are motivation enough for the kids ("it's the clown, let's hurt him!").

* In ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' episode "Joker's Wild", The Joker, aftering hearing that someone made a casino based on his likeness, goes to said casino to wreck who-knows-whar sort of havoc... only for another guy dressed as him to shove some chips in his hands and tells him to man the blackjack table.

* In the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' series, we have the historical note of Bouncy Normo, "the greatest clown who ever lived". In reality, he was just some normal guy suffering a downright extreme example of TheUnwittingComedian, a man doomed to make everybody laugh with every action he made and word he said, even as he eventually became so depressed he was DrivenToSuicide ([[CrossesTheLineTwice and his dangling cadaver was deemed so hilarious that nobody thought of cutting it down for months]]).