How far ahead do I need to book your services?
My availablility is on a first come, first served basis. If your party time is not flexible, you should plan to book me as early as possible to be sure your time slot is available. My busiest times are in the spring/summer and near Christmas holidays, so plan to call at least 2 to 3 weeks in advance any time of year to be sure you can get the date you want. The earlier, the better and remember that the deposit is only non-refundable if you cancel with less than 2 weeks notice.
My availablility is on a first come, first served basis. If your party time is not flexible, you should plan to book me as early as possible to be sure your time slot is available. My busiest times are in the spring/summer and near Christmas holidays, so plan to call at least 2 to 3 weeks in advance any time of year to be sure you can get the date you want. The earlier, the better and remember that the deposit is only non-refundable if you cancel with less than 2 weeks notice.
What if I need more entertainers?
I can certainly call a few more entertainers if needed for your event! Face painters, balloon twisters, clowns, crafts, puppet shows, whatever you may need. Just ask and I will find someone for you.
I see that you accept credit cards, how do you do that?
You may see me accepting credit cards (Visa or MasterCard, not debit at this time) using my iPhone. I do this through a service called PAYD which is run by Moneris. Moneris is a very secure and well known company for credit card transactions. You can feel safe knowing that your transaction is safe and confidential. If you give me an email address at the time of the transaction, I can email you a receipt. The transaction will show up on your credit card bill as "PERRY NOIA THE SCAREDY CL" so you'll recognize it easily.
What kind of face paints do you use?
I use only professional, FDA compliant face paints that have been tested to be as safe as possible for use on children's skin. There are several brands of professional face paints, but I use mainly Snazaroo, my UV reactive paints are made by Kryolan, and a few paints by TAG. They are more of a water activated make-up than a paint and will wash off easily with soap and water. My glitters are all cosmetic grade which means that they contain no metal and all edges have been rounded over so that should they get into the eyes they will not cause any damage.
Why did the chicken cross the road?
To deliver the Chicken-o-Gram, of course!!
How do I remove the face paints?
Most of the time, soap and water with a soft wash cloth will take it all off without a problem. If you find that there is some slight staining of the skin, you can apply some moisturizer or baby oil, wait a few minutes and wash with soap and water again. Be sure to take off paint before putting the kids to bed as it may not come out of fabrics as easily as it does from skin.
What kind of balloons do you use?
I use Qualatex twisting balloons. They are made from real latex. My apologies go to those with latex allergies, but there is not yet a good and affordable alternative for twisting with non-latex balloons. On the up side though, real latex is very environmentally friendly.
Why did the clown go to the doctor?
She was feeling a little funny.
What happens if you are sick the day of my party?
It doesn't happen often, but even clowns can catch colds. If I should happen to be ill the day of your party, I will do my very best to find another clown/entertainer to replace me at your party. If I am unable to find a replacement, I will refund your deposit and give my sincerest apologies. I will only call entertainers that I feel will provide the same quality of entertainment that you were looking for when you hired me. I have not had to cancel a party yet at this point, but I wouldn't want to spread germs to all the children when I am ill.
Why do you charge the amounts that you do?
You expected it to be a lot higher, didn't you? I use only quality face paints that are FDA compliant, Qualatex balloons and I have entertainer insurance through my membership with Clowns Canada (for everyone's peace of mind). My years of clowning experience and training through my BMA and BEd in Vocal Music, attendance at many workshops and weeks at Moosburger Clown Arts Education, have given me many sources to draw from when creating all of my performances. You can be assured of a quality performance that is adjusted to the ages of the children in attendance and a truly special experience for the guest of honour.
Do I need to have supervision while you are entertaining?
Yes. I am trained to work with groups of children, however, as an entertainer I cannot always be watching for little ones that would rather go find their mom at any time. Most of the children will be happy to participate, but just in case there are any children that wander off or start to cause a problem for the others participating, I recommend that there be a few parents nearby to be responsible for those children.
What do you call a bear with no teeth?
A gummy bear.
What do you do if children seem afraid of you?
This is not usually the case, but it can happen at the beginning of a party when children are unsure of what to expect. If I notice that a child is uneasy, I will not approach them. I will let them know that I am there and they can feel free to come over when they are ready. I will usually kneel down to their level as they come closer to me as well so that I am not towering over them (not that I'm all that towering a figure at 5'2" anyway, but you get the idea). Please do not push a child towards me until they are ready to come, often the child that was crying in the beginning is hugging me at the end. I do not deny that coulrophobia exists, however, it is much more rare than many may think and young children are usually just wary of the unknown.
Will you perform for free for charities?
Due to the many expenses involved in the services that I provide, I have selected one charity that I support for free and need to cover expenses when helping other charities. If you are running a charity event, I can offer discounted rates to cover my costs. See the Event Services Page for more information.
Won't you stay for cake?
I really do appreciate the offer that some people make for me to have something to eat before I go, but I am allergic to gluten (wheat, rye, barley and oats) in even the tiniest amounts. So I regretfully cannot stay for a snack. I truly don't mean to insult anyone's hospitality, I understand that in some cultures it is frowned upon to turn down food from the host, but my whole house is gluten and dairy free so I couldn't even bring it home for anyone.
I use only professional, FDA compliant face paints that have been tested to be as safe as possible for use on children's skin. There are several brands of professional face paints, but I use mainly Snazaroo, my UV reactive paints are made by Kryolan, and a few paints by TAG. They are more of a water activated make-up than a paint and will wash off easily with soap and water. My glitters are all cosmetic grade which means that they contain no metal and all edges have been rounded over so that should they get into the eyes they will not cause any damage.
Why did the chicken cross the road?
To deliver the Chicken-o-Gram, of course!!
How do I remove the face paints?
Most of the time, soap and water with a soft wash cloth will take it all off without a problem. If you find that there is some slight staining of the skin, you can apply some moisturizer or baby oil, wait a few minutes and wash with soap and water again. Be sure to take off paint before putting the kids to bed as it may not come out of fabrics as easily as it does from skin.
What kind of balloons do you use?
I use Qualatex twisting balloons. They are made from real latex. My apologies go to those with latex allergies, but there is not yet a good and affordable alternative for twisting with non-latex balloons. On the up side though, real latex is very environmentally friendly.
Why did the clown go to the doctor?
She was feeling a little funny.
What happens if you are sick the day of my party?
It doesn't happen often, but even clowns can catch colds. If I should happen to be ill the day of your party, I will do my very best to find another clown/entertainer to replace me at your party. If I am unable to find a replacement, I will refund your deposit and give my sincerest apologies. I will only call entertainers that I feel will provide the same quality of entertainment that you were looking for when you hired me. I have not had to cancel a party yet at this point, but I wouldn't want to spread germs to all the children when I am ill.
Why do you charge the amounts that you do?
You expected it to be a lot higher, didn't you? I use only quality face paints that are FDA compliant, Qualatex balloons and I have entertainer insurance through my membership with Clowns Canada (for everyone's peace of mind). My years of clowning experience and training through my BMA and BEd in Vocal Music, attendance at many workshops and weeks at Moosburger Clown Arts Education, have given me many sources to draw from when creating all of my performances. You can be assured of a quality performance that is adjusted to the ages of the children in attendance and a truly special experience for the guest of honour.
Do I need to have supervision while you are entertaining?
Yes. I am trained to work with groups of children, however, as an entertainer I cannot always be watching for little ones that would rather go find their mom at any time. Most of the children will be happy to participate, but just in case there are any children that wander off or start to cause a problem for the others participating, I recommend that there be a few parents nearby to be responsible for those children.
What do you call a bear with no teeth?
A gummy bear.
What do you do if children seem afraid of you?
This is not usually the case, but it can happen at the beginning of a party when children are unsure of what to expect. If I notice that a child is uneasy, I will not approach them. I will let them know that I am there and they can feel free to come over when they are ready. I will usually kneel down to their level as they come closer to me as well so that I am not towering over them (not that I'm all that towering a figure at 5'2" anyway, but you get the idea). Please do not push a child towards me until they are ready to come, often the child that was crying in the beginning is hugging me at the end. I do not deny that coulrophobia exists, however, it is much more rare than many may think and young children are usually just wary of the unknown.
Will you perform for free for charities?
Due to the many expenses involved in the services that I provide, I have selected one charity that I support for free and need to cover expenses when helping other charities. If you are running a charity event, I can offer discounted rates to cover my costs. See the Event Services Page for more information.
Won't you stay for cake?
I really do appreciate the offer that some people make for me to have something to eat before I go, but I am allergic to gluten (wheat, rye, barley and oats) in even the tiniest amounts. So I regretfully cannot stay for a snack. I truly don't mean to insult anyone's hospitality, I understand that in some cultures it is frowned upon to turn down food from the host, but my whole house is gluten and dairy free so I couldn't even bring it home for anyone.