Editor's Note: (Judy Quest is a board member and past president of Clowns of America International, an organization of clowns that promotes the craft. She has been a clown for 35 years and has trained hundreds of clowns. She writes regularly for clown journals. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.)
(CNN) To begin the discussion of the so-called "scary clowns" that have been frightening and threatening people across the country: It should be stated that these people are NOT clowns, they are impostors. They wear masks rather than makeup, and they bring fear, not fun!
A REAL clown is a person who is part of a long, long tradition. We go to school to learn our makeup, costume and craft. Our only goal is to bring joy and laughter to the world.
It takes most clowns over an hour to get ready to dress to perform -- and the makeup, costumes and especially the shoes are very expensive. We are continually learning the craft: REAL clowns can make balloons, paint fun faces, do silly magic, perform in skits and in parades.
The appalling news about impostors has affected the clown world in many ways.
Many clowns make their living doing parties, corporate events and working in many other venues. Jobs have been canceled because of the public fear engendered by the impostors. This is taking people's livings away. Even Ronald McDonald is scaling back. I personally was asked not to come to a citywide charity run last Sunday that I had been doing for 20 years.
Photos: Most memorable clowns
The famous fast-food clown is back in the spotlight as McDonald's
re-introduced Ronald McDonald on Wednesday, April 23. Ronald, who has been the face of the company since 1963, was shown to the public with a fresh wardrobe that included cargo pants, a technical vest, and a red and white striped rugby shirt. But he isn't the only well-known clown in the biz. Take a look at other memorable clowns from throughout the years.
American circus performer Emmett Kelly Sr. lifts his hat at the circus in 1943. His character Weary Willie, a sad and tattered tramp, is one of the best-known clowns of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey combined circus. He joined the Ringling Bros. circus in 1942 and stayed with it until the late 1950s. In 1952, he made his motion-picture debut in "The Greatest Show on Earth" with Charlton Heston and James Stewart.
Everybody knows the lovable, corrupt cartoon character Krusty the Clown from "The Simpsons." He is host of his own "The Krusty the Clown Show" and owner of his own fast food chain, Krusty Burger, known for its variety of animal meat burgers.
From left, Red Skelton, Loring Smith and Tim Considine in "The Clown" in 1953. Skelton was a radio and television comedian and best known for his television show "The Red Skelton Show." His father was a circus clown who died two months before he was born. Skelton delighted audiences as the sentimental clown for 20 years. He even produced dozens of clown paintings.
If Tim Curry's portrayal of Pennywise the Dancing Clown in Stephen King's "It" wasn't enough to scare you, nothing could. This demonic, child-killing clown torments a group of social outcasts and feeds on their fears after killing them. Once defeated, Pennywise returns to the children 30 years later to finish off what was started.
Lew Anderson, right, as Clarabell the Clown from "The Howdy Doody Show" with Howdy Doody, Jerry Mahoney (dummy) and Paul Winchell. Clarabell was a mute clown who broke his silence in the show's final episode. With trembling lips and a visible tear in his eye, he spoke the show's final words: "Goodbye, kids." The show ran on NBC from 1947 to 1960.
Promoter and entertainer Larry Harmon portrays Bozo the Clown. Although Harmon was not the original Bozo, he appeared as Bozo in dozens of television shows for decades and licensed the name to other Bozos around the world. Another notable Bozo would include Willard Scott, who became the first Ronald McDonald.
Heath Ledger played one of the darker versions of The Joker in "The Dark Knight," but comedian Cesar Romero and Jack Nicholson portrayed him more as a prankster clown. And though his origins have not been definitive, he is the most popular and well-known clown in comic books.
Circa 1915, Italian tenor Enrico Caruso poses for a portrait as Canio from Leoncavallo's opera "Pagliacci." The plot to the famed opera has been boiled down by the San Diego Opera as "Crazed clown murders wife in front of live audience." The central role has been played by such notables as Enrico Caruso and Luciano Pavarotti.
Last but not least, Pogo the Clown, probably the most notable and horrific clown to date. John Wayne Gacy, who dressed as Pogo, was convicted in 1980 of killing 33 men and boys in the Chicago area. Gacy worked as a contractor and part-time party clown, who lured his male victims with promises of construction jobs, drugs, alcohol or money for sex, or by posing as a police officer.
Right now, most of us are afraid to be seen in public in our legitimate, carefully designed clown characters. In some communities, we have been asked not to drive in clown costume.
Scary (fake) clowns turn an upbeat, uplifting profession upside down -- away from the sunlight and into the darkness: Most REAL clowns give a good portion of their time clowning in hospitals, senior citizen facilities, programs for people with disabilities and schools.
A group of clowns entertain children at a camp for migrants and refugees at the Greek-Macedonian border.
Red Nose Response goes into areas where there has been a disaster and helps the Red Cross distribute needed goods. Clowns work in children's hospitals alongside child-life professionals helping to make the hospital a more friendly environment.
We LOVE people. People of all varieties. We train to bring joy and laughter to the world. We work hard and we love what we do. We wonder why people have taken our profession to make people afraid. We are profoundly sad and we wonder how long this will go on and what the long-term effects will be.
If you love clowns and would like to help us, here are some suggestions:
-- We ask law enforcement to arrest the impostors and treat them as they would others who terrorize our communities.
-- We ask parents to explain the difference between the impostors and real clowns to their children.
-- We ask schools to invite real clowns to come and get into costume in front of the children so that all can see a lovely, fun person emerge who is hoping to make people happy.
-- We ask costume shops to quit selling scary clown masks, and haunted houses to quit having these impostors in their attractions.
The world right now has so much sadness. The impostors are taking away the joy clowns can bring without thinking of the real consequences of their actions. Please stop.