Man playing a clown as part of marketing stunt: I dress up like this just to try & entertain kids, I shocked & disappointed to learn ppl were scared.

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jonesftw

jonesftw

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Mr Khairin Rosah, 24, dresses up as a clown for his job as a promoter because he has liked them since he was a child, and he never intended to scare children with his appearance.

He told The Straits Times in a phone interview on Wednesday (Sept 22): "I dress up like this just to try and entertain kids, I was shocked and disappointed to learn that people were scared."

Mr Khairin has been playing a clown as part of a marketing stunt for Speech Academy Asia - a private education provider that guides students in public-speaking skills.

His job for the past few months has been to approach students and parents with brochures promoting the centre, he said.

For the past three years, he has worn the same outfit for roadshows inside shopping malls and transport interchanges, but lower footfall in these places due to the Covid-19 pandemic prompted his team to move to primary schools, he said.

His appearance outside schools such as Angsana Primary in Tampines has sparked public backlash for scaring children.


The principal of Tao Nan School in Marine Parade sent an alert to parents to advise their children to avoid following the clown.

Posting a photo of Mr Khairin in his clown costume on his Facebook page on Monday, Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin said: "Whoever is doing what I assume to be some viral marketing nonsense, stop it!"

Mr Tan, who is MP for Marine Parade GRC, added: "I trust the police are investigating this. It's not amusing and just plain dangerous."

There was chatter on social media claiming that somebody dressed as a clown had offered children money to follow him, but Mr Khairin says this is not something his team does.

He said: "All we do is give out brochures, free masks and stickers and we never approach children alone. We usually approach the parents first, and only children if they are in a big group."

Mr Khairin is the only person employed by Speech Academy Asia who dresses up for these marketing events, said the centre's director Kelvin Tan .

When he goes out for roadshows, he is accompanied by another employee wearing a Speech Academy Asia T-shirt.

Mr Tan added that his company is sorry for the distress caused and that this was not its intention.

On Monday, the centre put out an apology on its Facebook page, saying the team understood parents' concern for the safety of their children and would immediate stop its roadshows.

The police are investigating the incident.

Freelance educator Chua Lisa, 39, who has two young children, told ST it is unfortunate that Mr Khairin chose to dress up as a clown given that clowns in movies and television are now often depicted as frightening villains.

She added that selling or marketing to children could also be considered unethical.

Mrs Chua said she had encountered Speech Academy marketing staff, including a man dressed as a clown, twice this year near Westwood Primary School in Jurong, where her son is in Primary Two.

World Clown Association's South-east Asia Representative Edmund Khong, 40, told ST that when clowns approach or interact with children, it is crucial to establish strong boundaries.

He said: "When I'm entering a classroom, I always ask the whole class for permission first, so that we can establish a connection where the children feel safe. They cannot be entertained if they do not feel safe first."

Mr Khong, who has been performing full-time since he graduated from the National University of Singapore, said a clown's make-up is a tool that should be used with good judgment and is not always necessary, especially when it may scare children.

He said: "I would be just as effective with or without my make-up."
Click to expand...

https://www.straitstimes.com/singap...n-behind-the-mask-says-he-wanted-to-entertain
 
Quala98

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Too bad.. Bad timing

- news of kidnapping in foreign countries being spreaded in fb and some parents sees them
- pandemic. So this news become attention grabbing than the usual number of cases and so-and-so blabbering in fb
- ppl more free now while WFH. So alot of comments


Read HWZ Forum Rules!
 
andyhtc

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It is the title character and the main antagonist in Stephen King's 1986 horror novel It. The character is an ancient cosmic evil which preys upon the children of Derry, Maine, roughly every 27 years, using a variety of powers that include the ability to shapeshift, manipulate reality, and go unnoticed by adults. During the course of the story, It primarily appears in the form of Pennywise the Dancing Clown. "The Losers Club" first realizes Pennywise's presence because of Bill's little brother Georgie.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It_(character)
 
C

CkJie05

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nowadays with all the joker and media portrayal of clowns, probably is a bad idea to dress as clown
 
focus1974

focus1974

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Hiling care said:
WTF theres a world clown association??!!
Click to expand...

Pinky should head it. *insert the pinky clown photo*.


But.. i'm not surprised.... Singapore also got one guy ... last time head the World Toilet Association ... i think
This guy knows his sh.t
 
I

Ironside

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In Singapore nowadays it is impossible to get away if a kid is abducted.

I have talked to two kids in my neighbourhood that were 5 and 6 years old. They told me clowns are some of the most scary personnel they know off. And they have been told not to follow any clown outside their kindergarten.
 
andyhtc

andyhtc

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If he is dressed as a crazy professor, people will be more welcoming and it fits the purpose of the marketing better.

Singaporeans don't have a good impression of clowns, including myself. Behind the big drawn smile and fanciful dressing is always a very sad man, which is true in case too (why?!)
 
SecretAgent

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tell this to tan chuan jin.... hahahahaha




lemme put this bluntly.. narrow-minded and small!
 
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