Clown in marketing stunt at schools says he never meant to scare kids

Mr Khairin Rasoh, 24, dresses up as a clown for his job as a promoter as he has liked them since he was a child, and he never intended to scare children.

He told The Straits Times in a phone interview yesterday: "I dress up like this just to try and entertain kids. I was shocked and disappointed to learn that people were scared."

Mr Khairin has been playing a clown as part of a marketing role for Speech Academy Asia - a private education provider that guides students in public-speaking skills. His job for the past few months has been to approach students and parents with brochures promoting the centre, he said.

For the past three years, he has worn the same outfit for roadshows in shopping malls and transport interchanges, but lower footfall due to the Covid-19 pandemic prompted his team to move to primary schools, he said.

His appearance outside schools, such as Angsana Primary in Tampines, sparked a public backlash for scaring children. The principal of Tao Nan School in Marine Parade sent an alert to parents to advise their children to avoid following the clown.

Posting a photo of Mr Khairin in his costume on his Facebook page on Monday, Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin said: "Whoever is doing what I assume to be some viral marketing nonsense, stop it!"

Mr Tan, who is an MP for Marine Parade GRC, added: "I trust the police are investigating this. It's not amusing and just plain dangerous."

Chatter on social media claimed someone dressed as a clown had offered children money to follow him, but Mr Khairin says this is not something his team does.

He said: "All we do is give out brochures, free masks and stickers and we never approach children alone. We usually approach the parents first, and only children if they are in a big group."

Mr Khairin is the only person employed by Speech Academy Asia who dresses up for these marketing events, said the centre's director Kelvin Tan. When he goes out for roadshows, he is accompanied by another employee wearing a Speech Academy Asia T-shirt.

Mr Tan added that his company is sorry for the distress caused and that this was not its intention.

On Monday, the centre put out an apology on its Facebook page, saying the team would immediately stop its roadshows. The police are investigating the incident.

Freelance educator Chua Lisa, 39, who has two young children, told ST it is unfortunate Mr Khairin dressed up as a clown as clowns in movies and on television are often depicted as frightening villains.

She added that selling or marketing to children could also be considered unethical.

Mrs Chua said she had encountered Speech Academy marketing staff, including a man dressed as a clown, twice this year near Westwood Primary School in Jurong, where her son is in Primary 2.

World Clown Association's South-east Asia representative Edmund Khong, 40, told ST that when clowns interact with children, it is crucial to establish strong boundaries.

He said: "When I'm entering a classroom, I always ask the whole class for permission first, so that we can establish a connection where the children feel safe. They cannot be entertained if they do not feel safe first."

Mr Khong, who has been performing full-time since he graduated from the National University of Singapore, said a clown's make-up is a tool that should be used with good judgment and is not always necessary, especially when it may scare children.