This story is based on a conversation with Eric Zander-Hussey, also known as EZ. It has been edited for length and clarity.
In 2010, Kolinda and I met at a clown convention, where we were introduced to each other while wearing full clown makeup.
I had been a clown since 1988, when I enrolled at clown college. Upon graduation, I was hired to perform with the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus and then went on to perform at Circus Circus in Las Vegas and as the clown for McDonald’s corporation in North Carolina.
Kolinda, or Kozy as I call her, was working in her field as an early childhood education teacher, but discovered (after being informally asked by the school she worked for to be an elf at Christmas and later a clown) she loved being a clown. She became her hometown clown, entertaining at daycares, parties, and festivals in her spare time, eventually signing up for a clown training course. It became the start of her successful clown career.
A year after we met at the clown convention, Kozy and I started dating and got married in 2013.
We had to combine our clown gear
When we moved in together, all our clown gear combined. I remember we had 17 rubber ducks, 18 dove pans, all kinds of magic tricks, exploding props, noses, makeup, and eight pairs of clown shoes, all scattered everywhere throughout our home. We had to reduce and recycle, but we still have 17 bins of clown gear.
We were a perfect match, both born to be clowns, to make people happy. Both of us understood the industry and lived by the adage “get back to work,” a common slogan in the clowning world.
Kozy moved to North Carolina with me, taking on the role of assistant, while I clowned in at schools and events. But her role was anything but secondary — she made the show, adding herself into the act as a primary clown. At 50, she learned to walk on stilts. She’s that kind of person, determined.
Once our kids were gone, we started touring together
Once our children had graduated from high school, we began touring together, often on the road for up to 40 weeks every year, performing in different circuses throughout the US, as well as shows in Europe and Asia. We became the heart of whatever show we were in. It was an exciting time for us; we completely embraced it, spending all day, every day together.
I’d like to say that this huge amount of time spent together has made our relationship stronger, but that wouldn’t be entirely accurate.
What’s made our relationship strong is that we both have the heart of a clown. A heart that is always giving and trying to make others feel better, happy, and cared for. When two people come together, both with this type of heart, it creates a strong relationship — one where both want the best for the other person. It works the same when clowns come together with their audience, too.
Our retirement plan is to be Santa and Mrs. Claus
When the pandemic hit in 2020, we started considering the future. We couldn’t perform in the circus the way we preferred — up close and personal with the audience, making connections with people.
Once we got back on the road after restrictions had lifted, we both felt it was time to plant ourselves somewhere, rather than always travelling. We wanted to have neighbors, attend a bridge club, eat dinner before 11 p.m., and do things that normal people do on a day-to-day basis when they aren’t on the road all the time.
Also, I’d grown a long beard so that I could be Santa, with Kozy as Mrs. Claus, over each Christmas period — it had become our retirement plan, and had changed my whole clown look.
We both knew it was time to retire, to slow down.
At the beginning of November, we performed our last touring show as clowns, in our 6th year with Loomis Brothers Circus. There were plenty of tears, with heartfelt, final goodbyes from everyone we had worked alongside.
We’re looking forward to what’s ahead for us — teaching opportunities, small gigs, and festive seasons as Mr. and Mrs. Claus.
And at the grocery store or walking down the street — we’re clowns, even when wearing “normal clothes,” always looking to light up the day of every person we encounter.
Although we’ve officially retired, we both still have that clown heart. A clown isn’t only a clown when wearing shoes and a big nose — you’re always a clown.
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