Clown DoctorsTM
Bringing laughter where it is unexpected, yet most needed.
Bringing laughter, joy and connection to children facing illness and hospitalisation
Clown Doctors is The Humour Foundation’s flagship program. Working in partnership with medical and healthcare professionals, Clown Doctors are professional performers who bring insightful connection, creative play and joyful humour to children’s hospitals and palliative care centres.
Building a national presence and impact .
The Clown Doctors program was piloted in 1996 at the Royal Hobart Hospital following the Port Arthur massacre. Following its success in Tasmania, the program officially launched in 1997 with the first Clown Doctors making their inaugural rounds at Sydney Children’s Hospital Randwick, followed by the Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne in 1998. The Clown Doctors program now has a continuous presence in 21 hospitals and 2 hospices across Australia, bringing laughter, joy and human connection to sick children, their families, and hospital staff.
Doses of joy and laughter
Clown Doctors use evidence-informed practice to improve quality of life for children, young people and their families and carers during hospital visits. They build connection and rapport, responding to the needs of the child at any given moment with insightful humour and creative play that can take many forms; from energetic and silly, to soft and gentle. Clown Doctors work in pairs, with each visit to a hospital or palliative care centre running over five hours.
