Glen Gordon "Frosty" Little (December 5, 1925 – October 26, 2010) was a circus
clown
A clown is a person who performs comedy and arts in a state of open-mindedness using physical comedy, typically while wearing distinct makeup or costuming and reversing folkway-norms.
History
The most ancient clowns have been found in ...
who served with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus for over 20 years. He was one of only four clowns ever to have been given the title "Master Clown" by the Ringling organization.
Early life
Born in 1925 in
Genoa, Nebraska
Genoa ''(pron. je NO uh)'' is a city in Nance County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 1,003 at the 2010 census. The city was founded by Mormons in 1857. In the fall of 1859, the Mormon Colony was forced to abandon Genoa when the town ...
to Elsie and Glen Little.
Little saw his first circus at the age of seven, which instilled a lifelong love of the circus in him. His nickname "Frosty" was given to him as a boy by his grandfather, who compared him to
Jack Frost
Jack Frost is a personification of frost, ice, snow, sleet, winter, and freezing cold. He is a variant of Old Man Winter who is held responsible for frosty weather, nipping the fingers and toes in such weather, coloring the foliage in autumn, ...
due to his love of playing in the snow. Little used the pseudonym extensively, even signing his checks "Frosty Little".
Little served in the US Navy during World War II, and was wounded. He learned juggling from a fellow patient while convalescing, a skill that would later help him land his first clowning jobs.
In 1971, he married his wife, Patricia, a photographer and former schoolteacher, with whom he had two daughters. He had an additional daughter by a prior marriage.
Early career
Prior to joining the Ringling outfit, Little worked as a postal employee and
land surveyor
Surveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, art, and science of determining the terrestrial two-dimensional or three-dimensional positions of points and the distances and angles between them. A land surveying professional is ca ...
in
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...
. From 1954 to 1956, he performed as a clown at a local amusement park on weekends, wearing a rented costume. In 1956, he went into clowning full-time after he was hired by the Joe King Circus, with which he toured the
Rocky Mountain States
The Mountain states (also known as the Mountain West or the Interior West) form one of the nine geographic divisions of the United States that are officially recognized by the United States Census Bureau. It is a subregion of the Western Un ...
for half of the year. The rest of the year, he freelanced as a clown at birthday parties and special events. He continued working for the Joe King circus for seven years until its closure in 1962.
With Ringling Brothers
Little also worked for other small outfits like the Tom Mix Show and
Sells Floto Circus
The Sells Floto Circus was a combination of the Floto Dog & Pony Show and the Sells Brothers Circus that toured with sideshow acts in the United States during the early 1900s.
History
Frederick Gilmer Bonfils and Harry Heye Tammen owned the first ...
, but he had long had his eye on "The Greatest Show on Earth" – Ringling Bros. In 1968, he finally got his chance when Ringling Bros. created the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College; Little was in its first graduating class, and at the age of 44, he landed a job with Ringling's newly split-off second touring unit.Clowning Around . Sarasota Herald-Tribune, October 27, 1979.
In 1970 Little was promoted to "Boss Clown" of his unit, and from 1980 until his retirement in 1991, he was the circus' "Executive Clown Director", overseeing clowns in both units, and writing new gags for the clowns to perform. In his lifetime, he wrote over 300 gag routines. In his later career, Little also served as an
advance man
A publicist is a person whose job is to generate and manage publicity for a company, a brand, or public figure – especially a celebrity – or for a work such as a book, film, or album. Publicists are public relations specialists wh ...
for the circus.
From 1980 until its closure in 1997, Little also taught at his alma mater, the Ringling Brothers clown college. In 1988, Little also helped establish the Ringling circus' first overseas touring unit (based in Japan), choreographing gags and training members of their clown staff.
Among the dignitaries he entertained were
US Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point of ...
Justice
Sandra Day O'Connor
Sandra Day O'Connor (born March 26, 1930) is an American retired attorney and politician who served as the first female associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1981 to 2006. She was both the first woman nominated and th ...
and US President
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...
. He also appeared on 12 Ringling Bros. TV specials.
Little sustained several injuries over the course of his career, including seven broken ribs, ruined knees, and numerous other injuries that left him with "crooked fingers". After one accident, he was rushed to the hospital (after completing his performance) still wearing his clown suit.
Honors
In 1983, Little was named "Master Clown" by the Ringling organization, only the fourth clown ever to be so named (after
Otto Griebling
Otto Griebling (April 28, 1896 – April 19, 1972) was a German-born circus clown who performed for many years with the Cole Brothers and Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circuses. He was one of four clowns given the title Master Clown by ...
Lou Jacobs
Johann Ludwig Jacob (January 1, 1903 – September 13, 1992), professionally known as Lou Jacobs, was a German-born American Clown#Auguste, auguste clown who performed for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus for more than 60 years. ...
– Little's mentor).Clown Has 'Mastered' Comedy at Ringling . ''Sarasota Herald-Tribune''. April 22, 1983. Little was the last person ever to have been awarded the title, and was the last surviving Master Clown at the time of his death.
Little was inducted into the
Clown Hall of Fame
The International Clown Hall of Fame and Research Center (ICHOF), located in Baraboo, Wisconsin, United States, is dedicated to the preservation and advancement of clown art and achievement. Represented by professional and amateur clown associa ...
in 1991.
Post-career
After his retirement, Little lived in
Burley, Idaho
Burley () is a city in Cassia and Minidoka counties in southern Idaho, United States. The population was 10,345 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Cassia County.
Burley is the principal city of the Burley, Idaho, Micropolitan ...
, where he ran a circus museum.http://www.isubengal.com/home/index.cfm?event=displayArticlePrinterFriendly&uStory_id=59947c8d-1242-492b-94e2-a717434d07a2 In 1996, Little wrote a book on his experiences as a clown, titled ''Circus Stories: Boss Clown on the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus for More than 20 Years''.
In 1977 Little was asked by the ''Sarasota Herald-Tribune'' what he would do after he retired from the circus. Little replied, "Leave here? Are you out of your mind? I'm never going to leave here. I'll always be a clown."
On October 26, 2010, Little died in
Kimberly, Idaho
Kimberly is a city in Twin Falls County, Idaho, United States. The population was 3,264 at the 2010 census, up from 2,614 in 2000. He was survived by his wife Patricia.