What kind of a clown is Ronald McDonald?

Factual Questions
1

I have heard there are elaborate clown taxonomies. Specifically, what kind of clown is Ronald McDonald?

2

A con artist.

3

Ronald would probably be classified as a white face (he’s the straightman, and his get-up (make-up and costume) are pretty simple and straightforward).

but i’m not positive. i’ll have to email my friend (went to clown college) and get back to y’all.

jb

p.s.- first person to chime in with the identity of the first Ronald will get a quarter and applause (extry points for mentioning Steelritter)

p.p.s.- kinda a clue, kinda a GQ- what is the name of the other heavy-set African-American early morning weather guy? the fake Roker (or Froker, as we call him in these parts). I think his first name’s mark, but searching gets me get nothing.

4

OK, jb - “Froker” would be Mark McEwen, and I was really confused about the “clue” portion of that p.p.s until I found that the first Ronald was actually Willard Scott!

Well. Learn something new every day (around these parts, anyway!).

5

Minor nitpick: Scott was the first to portray Ronald McDonald on television. Previously the character had been used for live promotional appearances at MCDonald’s stores, presumably portrayed by miscellaneous people.

6

Excuse me, I believe you have my stapler.

7

The crying-on-the-inside kind, I guess.

8

Consider the following…
Ronald McDonald:

A) Has pasty white skin
B) Likes the company of children
C) Lives in seclusion
B) Has his own fantasy world
Michael Jackson:

A) Has pasty white skin
B) Likes the company of children
C) Lives in seclusion
B) Has his own fantasy world

Hmmmmm…

9

Evil Clown.

10

A happy corporate shill.

11

Clown sites seem to be divided between a “Whiteface” and an “Auguste”.

From http://cheesecakeandfriends.com/c-faq.htm

From http://sunniebunniezz.com/clowning/clowns.htm

“Whiteface” seems to have the edge, though there are sites besides that one claiming “Auguste”.

Methinks “clown taxonomy” is not all that precise. The confusion seems to stem from the fact that Ronald McDonald’s routine and much of the costume tends to put him into the “Auguste” category, but the paint job includes a completely white face.

“Whiteface” is probably more appropriate for a corporate shill flogging beef products anyway.

12

Don’t know if this helps, but I thought it was worth mention.
http://adbusters.org/creativeresistance/35/4.html

:smiley: