Thread: Looking for clown/circus theme ideas

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My family wants me to design next years haunt around clowns and/or circus.

Right now I'm trying to come up with ideas for at least four different rooms & several hallways. Since we use two 30x20x7 canopies to contain the haunt height of the props can pose a problem but the size and shape of the rooms is not.

Any ideas you've used or even better, photos using this theme would be greatly appreciated.

Hi, I just posted my 2010 pics. I did a circus theme. Stop by and look. I stiil have to post my videos.

I'm planning on a circus/carnival theme this year myself. Here's some ideas for areas that I've been toying with using. BTW will you have actors to add to the fun?

A Hall of Mirrors-type room (I've been toying with hanging long reflective mirror-like strips of mylar (from giftwrap glued to cardboard) all around a blacked out room for ToTers to navigate through. A few small strobe lights to help with the disorientation, if used with an actor maybe a scary figure hiding among the panels (dressed all in black on the back side but costumed in the front--he can stay hidden with his back to the ToTers until the last minute when he turns around)

or

a Dot Room with hidden attack clown (there's a black clown suit being sold but you could easily make one too, use a black clown wig for him).

A Fun House Mirror area with those mirrors that make you look squat or tall, fat or thin.

A Side Show area with curiosities from around the world--shrunken head, two-headed creature, snake lady (head of a woman with a body of a snake), wolfboy, etc.

Concession area with unusual twists to the items being "sold". I have finger fries, eyeballs, rotten cotton candy etc.

Among the carnival/circus characters I'm considering adding are sword-swallower, snake charmer, magician, fortune teller, tightrope walker, character rotating on a knife throwing wheel, weight lifter, illustrated man (might look cool in a black light room especially if done with an actor who can move about instead of a static prop guy), gorilla, and clowns of course. If I go with the dot room I'd like to have a clown juggling balls in there (using a rotating vertical wheel with balls attached to it).

If you go more carnival than circus, a game area could be added.


Halloween Lady, just looked through your album and "Outstanding!" One of the best carnivals I've seen. Really can't say enough but encourage others to take the time to look through your album. I'm also anxious to see your video when you post it. Would have loved to have been there in person to experience.

Here are some of my ideas 2010,
They are in a trailer I bought to store my halloween.

YouTube - Knotts Scary Farm 2009 - Uncle BoBo's BigTop of the Bizarre

you could do the classic "spider victim" but make the webbing pink instead of white for cotton candy!!

Here are a few props that I have posted before.

The first I made with a PVC frame, chicken wire, wig head and a kids clown costume. I picked up the kiddie car for $2 at a yard sale.




Next are "The Twins"



Tightrope walker. This was our entry for our neighborhood scarecrow contest.
The flash shows the rig. We had a pinpoint spotlight on it for display purposes and it was effective.



Dead mime on a FCG rig. I built this for the Rigor mortis theater. I added a couple of extra pulleys and lines so the arms and legs moved, in addition to the general up and down motion of the FCG.



We had witches making candied poison apples, rotten candy, etc.

Eric

Love the triplets/twins idea and the tightrope walker as well. I might use your triplets idea since I already have most of the parts needed to construct a similar setting. The tightrope idea will be a bit of a challenge to reproduce due to the location where we do the haunt. But I think I have plenty of time to work out the construction details.