A clown college teacher who trains Bobby into acting like a buffoon, but Bobby's act doesn't make anyone laugh. Meanwhile, the adults set up an impromptu game of kickball with an ownerless stray ball.
This episode contains examples of:
- An Aesop:
- Just because it's classical, that doesn't mean it's automatically good or superior to things that came later. The collage professor is the only one who finds Bobby's act that incoperates classical comedy funny.
- Comedy is subjective. There is no such thing as "real comedy". Good comedy is comedy that gets laughs.
- Brutal Honesty: Hank admits to Bobby that he doesn't think he's funny, but his classmates do and he knows that they won't find the "jester crap" Professor Twilley taught Bobby to be funny, just weird.
- Classically-Trained Extra: Professor Twilley only specializes in Commedia dell'Arte -style of classical clowning, which naturally confuses Bobby at first when he declares everything he does as unfunny, but when Twilley gives him a pile of books to read through after Bobby expresses sincere commitment to be the best clown he can be, he quickly rises to be the star student of the class and is inspired enough to perform as his dell'arte character in the school talent show, but naturally nobody thinks he's funny besides Twilley. Hank has to step in with Bobby's old comedy props that he successfully uses the make the audience laugh, which naturally infuriates Twilley, claiming that their laughter is "ill-informed".
- Clown School: At Luanne's suggestion, Bobby attends a clown class at the community college so that he'll have an outlet for his comedy, with Hank only agreeing to let him attend if he stops trying be funny at home, which Bobby agrees with. Unfortunately, the class teaches Commedia dell'Arte clowning rather than circus clowning and the teacher takes it very seriously.
- Special Guest: Comedian Paul F. Tompkins as Professor Twilley.
- True Art Is Incomprehensible: The clown collage professor certainly thinks so. He's the only one who finds Bobby's act at the talent show hilarious, and is furious when everyone else finds Bobby's usual gag humor funny.
