The Dumb Clown and the Serious Clown

So there's this character trope that I've been noticing quite a bit recently in my favorite stories, a common thread you might say, and that trope is the dumb clown and the serious clown.

You probably know this trope, even if you don't think you do.

Here, have a brief list of my favorite pairings:

• Crowley and Aziraphale (Good Omens)
• Nick Wylde and Judy Hopps (Zootopia)
• Sherlock Holmes and John Watson (The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes)
• Jim Kirk and Spock (Star Trek)
• Maui and Moana (Moana)
• Kuzco and Pasha (The Emperor's New Groove)

You may notice the similarity between the dynamics of these characters. In each relationship, there is one absolutely irresponsible, outlandish, ridiculous character and one equally endearing but more practical character. When combined in virtually any situation, their dynamic is hilarious and iconic.

This is one of my favorite character tropes, and since I have now ended up writing it myself in Robbing Centaurs and Other Bad Ideas, I feel the deep need to talk about how to do this and possibly more importantly, why I love it.

Just look at all that sarcasm! I love it.

These characters are great together because they think absolutely nothing alike. Due to their massive differences of opinion, there will tend to be a lot of eye-rolling and general sarcastic opinions. Their decision making patterns may clash, and they certainly wouldn't want to live as each other for a day. The way the characters are designed makes them foils(a word here meaning opposites) of one another.

The advantage to this trope, besides the overall allure of the hilarious banter, is that these characters combined can appeal to everyone. Anyone who observes them can relate to something that's going on with them. And you would probably have to be a brick wall not to find them funny. This dynamic is legendary, at least in my book.

So how can we write our own pair of clowns?

The Dumb Clown

The dumb clown sounds fairly simple at first glance, and sometimes he is. The basic elements of this character are 1) some kind of crazy personality, 2) quite often a morally questionable nature, and 3) more often than not a loner personality. There's something about the dumb clown that tends to be dark, sad, or alone, but there is no real requirement for the dumb clown other than the crazy and often impulsive personality.

The important thing to remember with the dumb clown is to avoid making them only comedic relief. The dumb clown is quite often comedic on their own, but most of the humor of this character appears through their dynamic with the serious clown. The dumb clown is a character in and of himself, and he needs to be treated as such, with needs and wants and fears and depth of emotion.

The Serious Clown

The serious clown, in my experience, is the more complicated one to write. The dumb clown is hilarious and likable to everyone, but the serious clown can often come off as boring if the writer isn't careful. That's why more often than not, the serious clown is the main character, that way the antics of the dumb clown can stay in check and not take over the spotlight.

A trick I've learned through enough study(and trying to make my dear character Wick just right as the serious clown) is to give the serious clown some kind of endearing personality trait. If you want your serious clown to be a full character and not just a foil and safeguard for your dumb clown, include some kind of personality trait that sets them apart from the dumb clown and makes them lovable on their own.

For example:

In The Emperor's New Groove, Pacha is a very feisty character, especially when he has to put up with Kuzco's antics, but he is very caring and can't stand to see anyone suffer.

In Star Trek, Spock is our serious clown, and while he is very good at keeping Jim Kirk's reckless personality in check, he himself is a man of logic and reasoning, and he doesn't really understand why other people operate the way that they do. His confusion makes him appear childlike and therefore endearing to the audience.

I dearly love my sweet clown characters. What are some of your favorites that I didn't mention? Let me know in the comments! Maybe I'll discover some new favorites.