Always clowning around

SHE IS:

Star, the clown from Mars.

IN THE BEGINNING:

Susan Van Tuyl began clowning six years ago when she found herself

with free time on her hands. After proper training from a mentor and

friend, Van Tuyl’s first event was on a hot afternoon in Buena Park

at a birthday party.

An excited Van Tuyl painted on her make-up very thick before she

set off for the park where she would be making balloon animals for

the kids.

“I suffered a melt down,” she said with a laugh. “I forgot to

powder and so my makeup ran down my face, looking like red freckles.”

But Van Tuyl’s fun was just beginning. Her balloon-making skills

were as unique as the dogs she created that only had room enough for

one leg -- alien dogs -- she called them.

Her first day on the job would, in effect, create her character.

She became Star, a 4-year-old clown from Mars -- a character she

loves to be. As the story goes, Star’s parents live on Mars, but she

lives in Huntington Beach with her Earth mom, Susan.

MAKING KIDS SMILE

During the school year, Van Tuyl is a fourth-grade teacher at

Shoreline Christian School in Fountain Valley. However, Star does not

sit idly by while Van Tuyl teaches. Star performs in school

assemblies and at church functions promoting messages of self-esteem

and equality. Star’s hair is blue unlike all the other kids on Mars

who have red hair, Van Tuyl said.

“It doesn’t matter the color of your hair, your skin or anything

else,” she said. “Differences are OK because everyone is special.”

Such messages of acceptance and diversity, Van Tuyl said, reach

the children because she is in costume. Van Tuyl delights in making

kids happy by doing magic tricks, making animal balloons and painting

their faces.

“When the kids are smiling, that is my reward,” she said. “Kids

have it so hard sometimes, they need time to just be happy and

imagine.”

As a teacher, Van Tuyl loves to instill creativity in her students

by challenging them to stretch themselves and achieve whatever they

desire. Van Tuyl has taken dance classes, vocal lessons, an air brush

class and plans to take a cartoon drawing class in the future all in

hopes of becoming a better clown.

Later this month Van Tuyl will be attending Mooseburger Clown Camp

in Maplelake, Minn. where she will be critiqued by Ringling Brothers

clowns on her costume, makeup, presentation and other aspects of

clowning.

“I am very excited for it,” she said. “I know I’m going to come

out the better for it.”

A FAMILY AFFAIR

Entertaining seems to run in the Van Tuyl family. Her husband Doug

uses puppetry and ventriloquism to promote anti-violence in schools.

Van Tuyl’s son Ryan, 18, took to clowning last year as he became

the character “Pepp E. Ronih” -- a big slice of pizza that

accompanies Star to her events.

Van Tuyl’s daughter Stephanie, 21, breaks from the family

tradition by studying to be a psychologist at Cedarville University

in Ohio.

“Stephanie thinks that maybe she will be able to fix us all,” Van

Tuyl said with a laugh.

Story by Wendy Gabbe and Photos by Greg Fry