This Perak Clown Sanitises People's Houses In Full Costume To Spread Joy
We're not clowning around!
By Jananey Ramachandran — 09 Sep 2021, 11:01 AM
Recently, a 43-year-old master of ceremonies (MC) from Taiping, Perak came up with an idea to entertain people during the lockdown
Shaharul Hisam Baharuddin, who has been working as a clown since 2012, decided to dress up as 'Peewit de Clown' (his own creation) and offer house-to-house sanitisation service to cheer people up.
Speaking to SAYS, the full-time MC said he started this service because he likes to entertain people and make everyone happy.
The founder of 'Kami Clown', a Facebook page for clown entertainers, said that he created his clown character and learnt how to make balloon sculptures by himself
"I improve myself time to time by using new costumes," Shaharul told SAYS.
He has performed at school events, especially ones involving children, such as Children's Day and Canteen Day.
However, the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns had put a stop to these events and his income was affected.
"During the pandemic, all the clowns didn't have a job. So, I thought about what we can do, which is to remind people to follow the standard operating procedures (SOPs) in order to reduce the number of new cases," the father of three said.
"So, on April 2021, three members of Kami Clown and myself went to the Bazaar Ramadan Ipoh, Perak, to remind people to follow the SOPs and sanitise themselves."
It was during this time that Shaharul had the idea to sanitise people's houses by offering fogging services
"Sanitising is very important but how about their houses? So, I got an idea to sanitise their house by fogging it," he said.
To stand out and attract more customers, Shaharul decided to dress up as a clown when he does the sanitising. He then named his business 'Fogging Clown'.
Shaharul assures that he complies with all the SOPs by wearing a face mask and a face shield, while also maintaining physical distance with the residents.
It usually takes him between 15 and 45 minutes to change and he charges only a fee of RM50 for his house-to-house sanitisation service.
Despite earning a lower income compared to his previous job, Shaharul is still grateful to be able to make a living during tough times like these
When asked how people reacted, Shaharul said, "I wanted to do something different and most of them are happy to see me."
"They also ask to take a picture or video with me and of me. Some even ask for free balloon sculptures!"
Shaharul hopes that people will continue to follow the SOPs and stay safe so that the nation can recover from the pandemic.
"Our main income is from the events that can only be held when the lockdown restrictions are lifted. So we really hope it ends soon," he told SAYS.
You can check out other Malaysian clowns on Facebook at Kami Clown and Muslim Clown Malaysia.
