Line #31 Main/MagicalClown


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4	[[quoteright:253:[[TabletopGame/YuGiOh https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/performagetrickclown.png]]]]
5
6	->''"You can't teach clowns to do magic, you have to have a magician and turn him into a clown. And, believe me, it's tough teaching a good magician to put on white face and act like a clown."''
7	-->--'''Tico Bonomo''', about his TV series ''The Magic Clown''
8
9	In works of fiction, clowns and magical powers seem to go hand-in-hand. Whether [[NonIronicClown good]] or [[MonsterClown evil]], it's not unusual for even otherwise seemingly-normal clowns to have a multitude of magical powers on their side - or even turn out to [[AFormYouAreComfortableWith not be human at all]].
10
11	This trope probably goes back to TheMiddleAges, when RealLife [[CourtJester jesters]] would perform magic tricks for people on the street, or in the houses of those with higher social status. This trope may be effective because a clown calls up the wonder and imagination of childhood or the willing suspension of disbelief of a stage show. For example, the ClownCar act - it seems impossible to fit that many people in such a small car.
12
13	The cause of this trope may also be similar to that of MonsterClown or VillainousHarlequin- [[UncannyValley with their deformed faces and outlandish behavior, clowns seem very]] AmbiguouslyHuman.
14
15	Even if the clown ''is'' evil, don't expect his or her magic to be [[CastingAShadow dark and scary]]. Clown magic is almost always bright and colorful, to reflect their flamboyant costumes and personalities. For this reason, PlayingWithFire and LightEmUp are common ElementalPowers used by clowns.
16
17	Compare MagiciansAreWizards, another trope about costumed performers having magical powers, and CircusOfMagic, where an entire circus is magical. Not to be confused with MonsterClown, although, due to the prevalence of that trope, there is a pretty large overlap. Also not to be confused with FightingClown, which is not always about literal clowns.
18
19	----
20
21	!!Examples:
22
23	[[foldercontrol]]
24
25	[[folder:Advertising]]
26	* UsefulNotes/McDonalds mascot Ronald [=McDonald=] is called "The world famous magical clown". In one commercial, he uses his magic to turn [[PersonalRaincloud the cloud above a sad girl's head]] into a ball of sunlight.
27	[[/folder]]
28
29	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
30	* In ''Manga/HunterXHunter'', Hisoka dresses like a clown and uses his ''Nen'' ability to create the appearance of magic.
31	* ''Anime/KirbyRightBackAtYa'' gives us the Training Clowns, a bunch of Monster Clowns created by the DreamWeaver Nightmare, who serve to train Nightmare's monsters for battle. The Clowns' leader, Whippy, carries a magical whip that can [[BrainwashedAndCrazy mind-control]] others.
32	* Buggy The Clown in ''Franchise/OnePiece'' is a MonsterClown with DetachmentCombat ability that he uses for his stunts.
33	* In ''Anime/SailorMoon'', one [[http://sailormoon.wikia.com/wiki/Mr._Magic_Pierrot Mr. Magic Pierrot]] was dispatched to eliminate the [[CoDragons Amazon Trio]]. His magic involves ace of spades, transmuting knives into butterflies, fire-eating, and more. Don't let this fool you; he's a HeroKiller extraordinaire.
34	%%* [[MonsterClown Joker]] from ''Anime/SmilePrecure''
35	* In ''Manga/YandereKanojo'', sometimes the main characters will pass by a mysterious clown in the streets. Whenever they do, the rest of that chapter will feature something supernatural happening to them, such as [[FreakyFridayFlip Reina and Tanaka switching bodies]] or [[FountainOfYouth Reina turning into a child]].
36	* ''Anime/YuGiOhArcV'': Dennis Mackfield's main archetype is called Entermage/[[DubNameChange Performage]] (one of them being this trope's picture above), which is full of magical clowns. His combos invoke the image of stage magic tricks. As Dennis is an Entertainment Duelist, his Entermages are good at entertaining his audience and they're quite flashy.
37	* ''Anime/DigimonAdventure'' has a main villain and leader of the [[FourIsDeath Dark Masters]], Piedmon is a MonsterClown who can use his swords at distance with telekinesis as well as use magical tricks and techniques to fight against the chosen children's digimon.
38	[[/folder]]
39
40	[[folder:Asian Animation]]
41	* The appropriately-named Clown Monster from ''Animation/HappyHeroes'' Season 7 episode 13 uses a magic orb on his outfit to absorb laugher and fire it against the person who is laughing, turning them into stone.
42	[[/folder]]
43
44	[[folder:Comic Books]]
45	* ''ComicBook/EmperorJoker'', in which [[ComicBook/TheJoker everyone's favorite evil clown]] gains RealityWarper powers. This also happens in a ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold'' episode of the same name.
46	[[/folder]]
47
48	[[folder:Fan Works]]
49	* In a fanfiction work that has since vanished from the internet, [[Literature/TheOutsiders Ponyboy Curtis]] was [[{{Clownification}} transformed]] into one of these by MagicGenetics passed down by his father. While the permanant clown-like features didn't win him over immediately, the genuine magic he became capable of using gradually made him view the situation a lot more favorably.
50	[[/folder]]
51
52	[[folder:Film - Animated]]
53	* The BigBad of ''WesternAnimation/LegendsOfOzDorothysReturn'' is a VillainousHarlequin who is the brother of the Wicked Witch of the West. In the climax, he summons a ''[[BlowYouAway tornado]]''!
54	[[/folder]]
55
56	[[folder:Film - Live Action]]
57	* In ''Film/KillerKlownsFromOuterSpace'', the titular Klowns are monsters from space that are quite capable of doing things that violate humans' laws of physics such as the Klown car, firing plasma guns that can convert plasma into solid cotton candy and creating shadow puppets that can take the shape of dinosaurs that can devour an entire crowd of people.
58	[[/folder]]
59
60	[[folder:Literature]]
61	* Horrabin, one of the main antagonists in Tim Powers's ''Literature/TheAnubisGates''. However, unlike Pennywise and other examples, he seems to be just an ordinary human being that studied both clownish arts and sorcery.
62	* Pennywise the Clown is an EldritchAbomination from Stephen King's ''Literature/{{It}}'' who shape-shifts to feed on people's fear.
63	* The titular clown of ''Literature/LaughingJack'' has magical abilities; he can conjure candy for children, make himself invisible or vanish into smoke, and make one's toys move on their own. The official prequel reveals that he was sent by a guardian angel in a jack-in-the-box to be Isaac's NotSoImaginaryFriend, but as the child grew to be a SerialKiller, Laughing Jack changed from a NonIronicClown to a MonsterClown after adapting to Isaac's personality.
64	[[/folder]]
65
66	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
67	* Wizzo the Wizard, a clown EthnicMagician from [[{{Qurac}} "Arobia"]] on ''Series/BozosCircus''. Most of the time he uses the [[PowerCrystal Stone of Zanzabar]] to perform his magic.
68	* The 1949-1954 TV series ''The Magic Clown'' was about [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin just that]]: a clown performing magic tricks for the viewers.
69	* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'': The episode [[Recap/SupernaturalS07E14PluckyPennywhistlesMagicMenagerie "Plucky Pennywhistle's Magical Menagerie" (S07, E14)]] has two magical clowns that attack Sam.
70	[[/folder]]
71
72	[[folder:Podcast]]
73	* Nightmares the Clown is a [[Literature/{{It}} Pennywise]] {{Expy}} who is a recurring foe of the ''Podcast/ThrillingAdventureHour's'' Frank and Sadie Doyle. In his case being a clown works against him because Sadie, who doesn't differentiate between a MonsterClown and a NonIronicClown, finds him hilarious and constantly mocks him.
74	[[/folder]]
75
76	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
77	* ''TabletopGame/{{Shadowrun}}''. The Immortal Elf character Harlequin has lived since the previous age of magic and is thousands of years old. He is one of the most powerful magicians in the Sixth World. He usually wears clown-like face paint and acts in a clownish manner on on-line forums.
78	* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'' Cegorach is a very good representation of TheTrickster and PhysicalGod. Some of his Harlequin followers also fill the requirements of this trope, but they are also the LaResistance that fights against not just [[TheEmpire all humans in the galaxy]], but also [[GodOfEvil the biggest, most powerful]] [[JerkAss and yet]] [[ForTheEvulz so evil]] beings in the setting.
79	* ''TabletopGame/{{YuGiOh}}'': The Performage archetype revolves around this combining it with StageMagician. They are all Spellcasters. The page image depicted above is Performage Trick Clown. Earlier examples of this trope are Saggi the Dark Clown and Peten the Dark Clown, both of the Spellcaster archetype.
80	[[/folder]]
81
82	[[folder:Toys]]
83	* Jestro from ''Toys/NexoKnights'' uses the evil Book of Monsters to summon evil lava monsters into the futuristic kingdom of Knighton.
84	[[/folder]]
85
86	[[folder:Video Games]]
87	* Blanca from ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossing'' seems to be one in ''New Leaf''. She wears a colorful acrobat's suit, and uses unknown powers to near-perfectly impersonate your town's villagers on April Fool's Day.
88	* ''VideoGame/Bomberman64'': The penultimate boss of the game, Spellmaster, is a clown with a vast arsenal of magical spells to choose from. Because of this, he's perhaps the most difficult boss in the game due to being so unpredictable.
89	* Umlaut from ''VideoGame/CarnEvil'', a magical flying jester head. In a way, he's also the mechanism that summons the haunted carnival.
90	* ''VideoGame/CavernOfDreams'': Invoked. The Jester Boots are a pair of sentient, talking jester shoes. When Fynn wears them, they give him the ability to walk on air. They also teleport back to their starting location if Fynn leaves the area.
91	* Beppi the Clown from ''VideoGame/{{Cuphead}}'' can transform into and summon amusement park rides and other objects.
92	* ''VideoGame/DarkCloud'': A recurring entity in the series is the ''Happy Clown'', a floating clown that pops out of treasure chests and offers the player the choice of two gifts, some of which are some of the best items in the game.
93	* ''VideoGame/{{Deltarune}}'' has the {{superboss}} from Chapter 1, [[spoiler: Jevil. He was apparently the jester to the Spades King, but was [[PowerBornOfMadness driven mad and given incredible power]] after [[MediumAwareness learning the nature of his world from a mysterious stranger]].]]
94	* ''VideoGame/DemonsCrest'': One of the enemy types in the final dungeon are Jesters that pop in and out of paintings while throwing fireballs.
95	* ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry3DantesAwakening'' gives us Jester, whose abilities include teleporting and shooting a barrage of magic orbs at the player.
96	* ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'':
97	** Kefka Palazzo from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'', who was implanted with special technology that turned him into a magical, maniacal [[ComicBook/TheJoker Joker]] {{Expy}}! In the final battle, he goes OneWingedAngel and becomes the God of Magic!
98	** Zorn and Thorn from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX'', two jesters who are also wizards and spymasters for Queen Brahne.
99	* ''Franchise/{{Kirby}}'':
100	** Marx from ''VideoGame/KirbySuperStar'', a jester who gains magical powers when [[spoiler:he tricks Kirby into activating the wishing star NOVA for him, allowing him to wish for power]], turning him into [[spoiler: a giant BatOutOfHell]] with many ElementalPowers, including AnIcePerson and GreenThumb. It gets worse in ''Kirby Super Star [[VideoGameRemake Ultra]]'', in which he becomes [[spoiler:Marx Soul, which is similar to his first OneWingedAngel form, but ''even more'' powerful and AxCrazy!]]
101	** In ''VideoGame/KirbyTripleDeluxe'' Kirby himself gains the Circus ability, which allows him to summon burning hoops and juggling pins out of nowhere among other attacks.
102	** However, whether or not Clown Acrobot - the enemy that gives Kirby this ability - is magical is debatable. Whenever Kirby encounters one, it already has its juggling pins or its hula hoop out, so we don't know whether or not it pulls these items out of nowhere. However, one could argue that Clown Acrobot still counts as one of these simply by virtue of being an inhabitant of Dream Land.
103	** When [[spoiler:Magolor]] from ''VideoGame/KirbysReturnToDreamLand'' gains magical powers, he transforms into a jester-like monster.
104	* ''VideoGame/{{Klonoa}}'':
105	** Joka from ''VideoGame/KlonoaDoorToPhantomile'' is a clownlike CartoonCreature who has a wide range of abilities including, but not limited to, shapeshifting, teleporting, and [[BreadEggsMilkSquick summoning giant monsters at will]].
106	** One interesting encounter with Joka occurs in ''Klonoa Heroes''. Klonoa and his friends think they're about to fight Joka, but it turns out that [[spoiler:it's not really Joka, it's [[ActuallyADoombot actually a clone named Flower Joka]].]] The heroes do battle with [[spoiler:Flower]] Joka, who attacks them by PlayingWithFire.
107	** ''VideoGame/Klonoa2LunateasVeil'' gives us the boss Leptio the Flower Clown, whose abilities include summoning a giant spiked wheel to run over Klonoa, and MesACrowd.
108	* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfKyrandia'': Malcolm, strangely enough, has become such a powerful magic user that the others in the realm can hardly stand up to him. And he is a ''jester''.
109	* Harlequin from ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaCDIGames Link and the Faces of Evil]]'', a clown PigMan who can turn people into werewolf-like creatures.
110	* In the arcade game ''VideoGame/MegaTwins'' (''Chiki Chiki Boys'' in Japan), the BigBad and FinalBoss is Riepotmahn. He physically resembles a silly, fat circus clown, but he has the demeanor and powers of an EvilSorcerer. He can summon monsters, teleport, and shoot projectiles such as energy blasts and fire rings from his finger. He's also apparently immortal, and can only be defeated by [[spoiler:being turned to stone]].
111	* This trope is strongly prevalent in ''VideoGame/NiGHTSIntoDreams'', due to most of the characters being dream creatures. For example, we have [=NiGHTS=] [[AmbiguousGender him/herself]], a magical jester who was born from nightmares, but made a HeelFaceTurn and uses his/her powers to fight other nightmares. There's also Reala, [=NiGHTS=]' EvilTwin, who stayed on the dark side. Some of the bosses fall into this category as well: for example, Jackle, a clown-like DeathDealer, and Puffy, an opera singer who resembles a clown due to her big red lips and colorful costume. The sequel gives us Donbalon, a ball-like clown.
112	* Twisto, the BigBad of the bizarre arcade beat em' up ''VideoGame/NinjaClowns'' is a MonsterClown who can summon goblin/ogre-like monsters and [[OneWingedAngel transforms]] into a fire-breathing, three-headed clown [[ScaledUp dragon]]. He also casts a spell causing all the townspeople to [[BrainwashedAndCrazy attack the player's character]]. Strangely, he has PointedEars and [[GreenAndMean green skin]]. While these may just be part of his costume, or to make him look more ObviouslyEvil, they could also be hints that he isn't entirely human.
113	* The MascotWithAttitude platformer ''VideoGame/MrNutz'' featured a boss named Little Clown, who could change his size, and also unscrew his own head, causing a bunch of Little Clown heads to fly at Mr. Nutz.
114	* From ''VideoGame/Persona2'' there is Joker, a mysterious jester that grants the wishes of anyone who summons him. However, should one fail to bring their wishes to bare, then Joker will steal all your dreams and turn the victim into a shadow-man.
115	* ''VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon'':
116	** Popplio, the Alola Water starter is based on a clown with its large pink nose and frills around its neck. It creates balloons made of water to attack.
117	** ''VideoGame/PokemonUltraSunAndUltraMoon'' features Blacephalon, an eldritch alien lifeform that vaguely resembles a clown. Its signature attack, Mind Blown, involves throwing its own head as a bomb at the opponent.
118	* ''[[VideoGame/LittleBigPlanet Sackboy: A Big Adventure]]'': Vex is a jester with a variety of magical abilities. He can fly, summon portals, teleport Sackboy into an AmazingTechnicolorBattlefield, and more.
119	* The clown from ''VideoGame/TheSims1'' would qualify, with his ability to teleport through a PortableHole. Also, in the Makin' Magic expansion pack, one of the ingredients needed for a spell is "Clown Confetti", which somehow gained its magical properties because it was carried around by a clown.
120	* ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'':
121	** Dimentio from ''VideoGame/SuperPaperMario'', an evil magical jester. As his name implies, he has control over dimensions, and can even create his own. His {{Leitmotif}} is even called "Dimentio, Charming Magician."
122	** ''VideoGame/SuperMario3DWorld'' gives us Motley Bossblob, a jester-like Koopa who can transform into a giant BlobMonster clown.
123	** Recurring character Lemmy Koopa counts whenever he gets his hands on a magic wand. Unlike most of his siblings, whose wands shoot magical fireballs, his wand shoots bouncy balls identical to the one he is usually seen balancing on top of. In ''VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBrosWii'', the wizard Kamek uses his own magic on Lemmy's ball, making it bigger and making it harder for Mario to attack Lemmy.
124	** [[spoiler:Rudy the Clown]] from ''VideoGame/WarioLand 3'', a SealedEvilInACan monster who turned the inhabitants of the world where the game takes place into monsters.
125	** Clown-A-Round, a boss in 'VideoGame/WarioWorld'' is a clown that can create fake heads to hide his real one.
126	* ''Franchise/TouhouProject'': Clownpiece, as her name suggests. Though her having magic powers probably has more to do with her being a fairy (hell fairy, to be specific) than a clown. She's also the most powerful fairy ever seen in ''Touhou'' (yes, way beyond Cirno), although that's probably due to having been "refined" by Junko, not a reflection of her native power.
127	[[/folder]]
128
129	[[folder:Webcomics]]
130	* In the ''Webcomic/FeliciaSorceressOfKatara'' novella "The Cult of the Rubber Nose" the cultists do things like make vicious balloon animals and cram dozens of themselves into a two-person horse costume (cars haven't been invented yet).
131	* In ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'', Gamzee has a clown theme, and at one point [[spoiler: uses "chucklevoodoos" to create/replicate a CreepyDoll in Dream Dave's bedroom on Derse.]]
132	[[/folder]]
133
134	[[folder:Web Original]]
135	* The ''Website/SCPFoundation'' has JustForFun/BobbleTheClown ([[http://scp-wiki.net/scp-993 SCP-993 ("Bobble the Clown")]]) contained. Bobble must have some sort of magical abilities to make teens and adults sleep and to continue broadcasting a show that violates every rule the FCC ever thought of.
136	[[/folder]]
137
138	[[folder:Western Animation]]
139	* ''WesternAnimation/AlfredJKwak'': There's a clown named Pierrot who lives on the moon. He apparently doesn't need to breathe or eat, and has a [[MagicMusic magical violin]] which can be used to make a deadly pandemic in a poor country go away.
140	* ''WesternAnimation/Ben10'': Zombozo combines this with MonsterClown. WordOfGod is that he was once a normal man before being bitten by a zombie and given the ability to feed on emotions of happiness and fear. By doing so, he could gain supernatural powers, such as teleportation and illusion creation. He used his circus as a way to feed on the happiness of his audience while having his performers steal money and valuables for him and themselves. Draining people of their happiness leaves them depressed and weakened, which doesn't bother him at all, and he is willing to kidnap children and drain them until they shrivel up.
141	* ''WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory'': Dexter got bitten by a clown -- which apparently carried clown contagion -- and became a were-clown. [=DeeDee=] had to turn into a mime to figure out a cure.
142	* ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls1998'': Rainbow the Clown only developed powers after being hit with bleach -- at which point he became sad and angry, and used his powers to leech color out of the world until the Girls figured out a way to stop him. When he got his own color back, he went back to being an ordinary clown.
143	* One of the villains of the ''WesternAnimation/SwatKats'' is a cursed magical Jester trapped since the Middle Ages in a jack-in-a-box that possesses a modern time comedian giving him magical power.
144	* The French stopmotion series ''WesternAnimation/TouliLeGardienDesReves'' is about a magical clown boy whose job is keeping children's dreams safe inside boxes. In each episode, he'd release a dream, and inside the dream, would meet strange characters with problems and he'd use his magic to summon special items or skills to help them.
145	[[/folder]]
146
147	[[folder:Real Life]]
148	* Downplayed. Many clowns do magic tricks, especially those hired for birthday parties, but do not actually have magical abilities.
149	* Many medieval jesters did this as well, as noted in the description.
150	* Pardoes the mascot of the Dutch theme park ''Ride/{{Efteling}}'' in the Netherlands is a Jester who is not only playful but is also a wizard.
151	[[/folder]]

Context Main / MagicalClown