Down the Clown: The game that shaped my childhood.

This is a true story.

Down the Clown has been around for so many years, and you can find it in almost every arcade you walk into. Playing it since I was three, it is still my favorite ever game to play. Over the years, it’s taught me so much about the real world, and it will never not be fun to throw small red balls at clowns on a wall, whether I’m happy, sad, or whatever else.

If you don’t know what I’m talking about, this is Down the Clown.

It’s a game in which you throw red balls at clowns on the wall. Once all of the clowns are knocked down, they resurrect themselves, and you have to knock as many as you can down before the 45-second timer ends. The ones on the top are 50 points, the ones in the middle are 40 points, and the ones on the bottom are 30 points. Red lit clowns are double points if you’re accurate enough to hit them. Oh, and if you miss, expect the clowns to taunt you, saying things like, “You throw like a baby!" or “Is that all you got?”, which is pretty distracting. And… that’s pretty much it. The more points you get, the more tickers you win. You can win the bonus if you get over 500.

Now, let me walk you through my journey as a serious Down the Clown player.

When I was three years old, I walked into a Chuck E. Cheese. I got my hand stamped, grabbed my cup of tokens, and ran to the nearest machine. I played ski-ball, spun a few wheels to get tickets, shot some basketball, and decided to go to the back. And that’s where I saw it. Clowns were mocking a teenage kid, as he threw the red balls with more rage than I’d ever seen. He claimed his 3 tickets (Not a great performance, I imagine), and went on his way. I decided to put 4 tokens into the machine to try and play. My dad lifted me up so I could reach the tub of balls to throw at the clowns. The game started, and I struggled to hit the clowns. And so they mocked me. “Try aiming next time!” they said. I finished with a score of 210 with my dad’s help. Those clowns stuck with me for years and years until I went back again.

Fast forward five years. I’m eight years old now, and my muscles have developed nicely so that I can stand and throw balls at clowns at my very best. I go in, get my hand stamped, and rush over to Down the Clown. I had to make up for such an embarrassing performance 5 years ago. The adrenaline is up, and I’m red. I put my tokens in, the red balls slide down the ramp, and the timer starts. I throw each ball as hard as possible to knock some sense into the disrespectful clowns. But after about 10 tries, the best I could get was a 300. And for the rest of the day, I played other games there. I cried that night, and I knew that I couldn’t let the clowns win.

I played occasionally throughout the years. Every time I went to an arcade, I played a few rounds. I even got into the 400s with a bit of strategy, but I could never break 500. I got plenty of tickets, but my childhood dream of 500 hadn’t yet been completed.

And just a few weeks ago, I went to a local arcade. My grandma took my brother, my sister, and me. We got a cup of tokens, and we went our separate ways. I went straight to Down the Clown. I’m 15 now, and my body composition is perfect for such a game. I’ve been running and working out, and wasn’t about to let a few clowns with no manners break my spirit like they had for the last 12 years. And so I played. I put my tokens in like I’d done hundreds of times before, more ready than ever. The balls rolled to me, the timer started, and I threw the balls at the clowns. I battled well and got a score of 380. Not bad for a warm-up round. And I kept playing. I got closer and closer, with scores of 460 and 450, but couldn’t break through to 500. With each game, I got a bit angrier and started throwing the balls harder and more uncontrollably. I took a short meditation break and got back to it.

A line had formed behind me, with young kids wanting to play. They reminded me of myself when I was their age, wanting so desperately to get a score of 500. But I pretended not to notice. I continued playing. After a while, I figured out how to beat this game. I had to loft the balls at the clowns accurately instead of throwing them hard. I would not be rage-baited by some silly clowns on a wall.

And after that, everything… clicked. I was knocking down toxic clowns with ease, and I was dialed in on a physical and emotional level. I was screaming “Down the clown” menacingly with each round. And before I knew it, I was at 450. Just one more clown to knock down, with two seconds left. Enough for one more shot. It left my hand, and I knew that clown was going down. All of the emotions started coming all at once. 12 years of pain and misery had come down to this day, and I had finally completed my goal. There was no toxicity from the clowns on the wall. Just a defeated "Looks like luck was on your side!" from them. I had to wait so many minutes for my tickets to come out of the machine. I had a fair share of tokens left, so I figured I’d play a little longer and see if I could get the bonus a few times more.

And round after round, I continued to get the bonus, having to wait a few minutes in between each round to receive my hundreds of tickets. The line behind me became a crowd, cheering me on with each throw. The crowd erupted behind me as I continued to get over 500 per round.

Before I knew it, people were flooding in to see me hit silly clowns on the wall with red balls. People watched in awe as they realized that I hadn’t been cheating to get such high scores. And then I heard the employees call the local news station. That showed up, and I did a few rounds on live TV on the news. After my tokens had run out, I did an interview. They asked me silly questions about how I was so good, and I just replied with a simple ‘Keek!’. I became a local hero, and I got the top prize at the arcade for my efforts (It was a pool floatie on the top shelf).

That day sparked my career as a professional player. I signed a contract for three years to play Down the Clown for a good wage. I travel all over the world for tournaments, where I usually place high and earn even more money to spend on cheesecake and Ari posters. I’ve been on the news before as the top headline: 15-year-old Down the Clown player wins yet another tournament. I sign autographs everywhere I go, and inspire young kids like I once was to always dream big, and to not let the clowns get to them.

This game has taught me a lot. These clowns on the wall will always appear in real life. If you throw the ball too hard at them, you’re too inaccurate and won’t knock them down. You need a lighter approach to such people, like how lofting the ball is better in Down the Clown. No person has ever quite gotten under my skin like those taunts from the clowns did. You can’t always throw red balls at toxic individuals, but you can get pretty close. But a lighter approach to things is always best.

That’s my story, my dears! Down the Clown holds a special place in my heart, even as I get older. It taught me so much, and I’m so glad to have the chance to play it. I guess only time will tell what direction life takes me next.

Thanks for reading, slay queens. I hope you have a great day today and are doing well.

And of course…

Keek!

wow

Third lez go

*applaudes*

4 real

Interesting.

Somewhat.

#1 down the clowns memories

#9 Basix lored us all in just less than 5 mins

And this is the #13th comment

Lol. All hail the king of "Down the Clown"

i kinda wanna try now. i mean, who doesnt wanna hurl stuff at clowns? i definitely do!

My childhood was listening to emo songs

It’s a great reliever of stress, that’s for sure. It’s like screaming into your pillow or breaking things.

My childhood is a course on managing relationships.

I’m pretty you’re in the middle of your childhood now…