Albuquerque Tribune
By
Sarah Van Cott
Debi Saylor-Pierce of Albuquerque, better known as Twinkles
the Clown, makes a balloon hat for 5-month-old Milan Rede
one evening during "family night" at the Four Hills Country
Club. Saylor-Pierce is a regular entertainer at the
once-a-month event and has been clowning since 1981. She
said successful clowns are obviously good with kids, are
patient, and understand child development. They also must
be adept at running a small business.
Funny
Business
Former social worker Debi [Saylor] Pierce makes her living
spreading happiness and laughter as Twinkles the Clown
A caring, sincere social worker left her well-paying job at
the New Mexico Human Services Department to clown around.
People told Debi Pierce she was crazy, but she took her
decision to start her own clowning business seriously; she
had an idea and a plan. Pierce's plan for ‘Twinkles the
Clown" was developed during an Albuquerque TVI entrepreneur
class she took where her marketing strategy won first place
during a competition.
I just had this confidence that I could do it; that I could
make it," Pierce said.
Twinkles was inspired by her mother, "Jingles", also known
as Mary Saylor (now in Missouri), who began clowning for
charity events in 1987. The clowning was contagious and in
a few months, Pierce began her clowning business. Eleven
years and nearly 5,500 parties and 200,000 balloons later,
Pierce has made Twinkles the Clown a success.
Pierce said she loves how clowning helps people suspend
their sometimes difficult lives for a short time. I love
what I do and I do what I love. It's a winning
combination," Pierce said.
At the heart of her clowning success is Twinkles'
personality. "The most important part of clowning is
developing a character," Pierce said who created hers after
a 6-year-old.
"I've created a clown character that is really me inside,"
she said.
Twinkles, just older than a pre-schooler, often gets
"cornfused"." Ronald McDonald is her old boyfriend.
Twinkles has two sisters named LuLu and Minniehaha and a
brother named Buster.
As her business grew, Pierce continued to develop her
character through five international clown conventions and
three clown camps. Ringling Brothers helped Pierce design
her makeup.
Being a "happy clown" is challenging. She puts on her
makeup for eight to ten parties a week, and she doesn't
always feel like being happy or funny. When people are
depending on her to entertain 20 children at a birthday
party, there is little room for flexibility in her
schedule--Twinkles doesn't have a twin.
Pierce explained an experience that happened to her
daughter a few years ago. Her daughter was hit by a car
twice in two different accidents the same week. Pierce had
to find a replacement for her parties.
"When that kind of stuff is going on it's hard to be
entertaining," Pierce said.
Despite the challenges of maintaining a relentless schedule
and trying to keep her act creative and new, Pierce finds
that children are the reason why she enjoys clowning the
most.
"Kids just crack me up," she said, giggling about the time
she performed a magic trick for a young boy at a birthday
party. "It was like a ‘supposed' mind-reading trick," she
said. The birthday boy was supposed to be reading her mind,
sending her a telepathic message which would let Twinkles
know which card he chose from the deck. "The boy gave me
such a weird look I almost lost it right there," she said,
laughing the whole time.
Pierce said there is a dark side to the clowning business
that has a dearth of humor and humanity.
Some entertainers try and humiliate kids during magic shows
with "gag" routines. Others have been reported as slapping
children or showing up drunk at parties, she said.
"Get references," she recommended to anyone who is hiring a
child entertainer, "You are allowing someone in your home
with your children."
Other dangerous aspects of child entertainment are party
favors and balloons that if swallowed, can cause children
to choke.
"Balloons are the leading cause of death with little kids,"
Pierce said.
After working with children at welfare and adoption
agencies through social work for 14 years, Pierce said she
understands children well. This, in addition to the
business savvy she learned from her entrepreneur class, is
the secret combination of her success.
Last year Twinkles handed out 100,000 business cards. In
1993, she had a picture of Twinkles painted on her van.
She said the marketing and advertising has paid off with 45
percent of her business coming through the yellow pages.
She said sometimes the big picture of the smiling clown
painted on the side of her van makes her too recognizable,
especially when she drives in town to run errands or make a
personal trip.
"I feel a little weird when I have to drive to funerals and
stuff," she said.
Being Twinkles sometimes isn't enough to pay all the bills.
Since business is slow from January through April, Pierce
took up another business to even out her cash flow.
For the past two and a half years she has been doing income
taxes for about 100 customers in a business she purchased
called Tax Time.
"It's kind of an odd combination," she said of her clowning
and accounting businesses, but she favors entertaining at
parties.
"In the beginning I felt guilty charging at parties," she
said, because she had such a good time. "I got over that
though."
"It just makes you feel so good that people enjoy what you
do," she explained.
Pierce said her entertainment is purely family-oriented.