"What being funny is - if you reduce that, the root is the word 'fun.' And it's some one who knows how to have fun, the way kids do. That part of you stays vital in comedy. You never give up just wanting to play and have fun." - Jerry Seinfeld

A couple of years ago I was walking on the beach with my sister and father. I picked up a clam shell and through it like a Frisbee into the water. My sister commented, "My brother always has to have his toys."

It has been said that play is the business of childhood. Children learn valuable lessons through playing. I still make play part of my business. That has been the origin of some of my clown and magic routines. I start playing with a prop just to see what is possible with it. I have fun with it. When I created my golf act, I took a rubber ball and a golf club to a park and played around with them. I tried to find as many ways to hit the ball as I could. For example, I missed the ball with the swing, but hit it when I brought the club back so the ball went in the wrong direction. I swung, missed the ball, but hit the toe of my foot instead. I used the club as a cue stick to sink the ball like a billiard ball. I hit the ground with the club so hard that it rebounded hitting me in the forehead motivating a backward fall. I just had fun exploring without being concerned about what would be useable. Then I took the best ideas and put them into a logical order. I began performing the routine as part of the preshow with the Carson & Barnes Circus in 1980. I listened to audience reaction and edited out the portions that didn't get the response I was looking for. In 1981 I began performing the routine as an act in the Carson & Barnes Circus. I continued performing it as a circus act for five more years in appearances with the Funs-A-Poppin and Family Showcase Theater.

I also play during my performances. When I do strolling entertainment at festivals in the Seattle area I often see a large sculpture created from water jugs, hub caps, and other objects. A container of drumsticks is nearby so guests can explore the sounds made by hitting the sculpture. I start juggling my clubs. I try to strike the sculpture with my clubs between throws. (This is inspired by seeing Kenny Ahern perform a routine where he strikes a metal mixing bowl with his clubs.) It is fun to attempt it, and people standing nearby always seem to get a kick out of it. I often notice that the number of people using drumsticks increases after they have seen me.

Lord Baden Powell, the founder of Boy Scouts, said, "Scouting is fun with a purpose."

In the training that I have received from the Boy Scouts of America they emphasize that character development is one of the purposes of scouting. However, they stress that lecturing to boys will not achieve that goal because the boys will not pay attention. Instead the scouting method is to provide a program the boys think is fun and then slip the message into that program. For example, the theme for December is respect. One way that I covered that was to have the boys sing "Rudolph, the Red Nose Reindeer." Then I said, "At first the other reindeer didn't respect Rudolph because he was different, he had a shiny nose. After they discovered that there was an advantage to his shiny nose, the other reindeer respected him. We should respect those people who are different from us because that difference can be used in ways that we don't understand." Then I had the boys sing another fun song. I try to make sure everything done during our meetings is fun. One of the parents commented that they think I have as much fun as the boys. I know that my mood is contagious and if I have fun the boys will have fun also.

Clowning, magic, puppetry, and other variety arts skills are often used to teach spiritual, safety, drug awareness, bully prevention, literacy, and other important lessons. It is important to make these programs fun for the audience. Then you can include your message.

How can you continue to have fun? How can you use play to create new material? How can you incorporate play into your performances? How can you turn your presentations into fun with a purpose?