34 Occupational Outlook Quarterly • Fall 2012

Drew Liming

Drew Liming is 

an economist. 

He worked in the 

Office of Occupational Statistics 

and Employment 

Projections, BLS, 

at the time he 

wrote this article.

You’re a what ?

Wearing his colorful face paint 

and costume, Dale “Gizmo” 

McCracken may look like a typical clown. But as a professional rodeo clown, 

in addition to making audiences laugh, he’s 

responsible for keeping bull riders safe.

Rodeo clowns entertain crowds during 

and between rodeo events, such as bull riding and steer roping. While these events take 

place in the center of the arena, rodeo clowns 

walk along the outskirts and provide comic 

narrative. “We call it ‘walk and talk,’” Dale 

says. “It’s standup comedy mixed with the 

action of competition.”

Between events, rodeo clowns take center 

stage and perform brief sketches to keep the 

crowd entertained. Rodeo clowns perform 

different types of sketches, depending on 

their specialties. Some rodeo clowns work 

with animals, such as horses or monkeys, that 

are trained to perform tricks. Others perform 

slapstick comedy or acrobatics.

Dale has a diverse cast of characters he 

uses to amuse audiences. In one sketch, Dale 

drives a golf cart—modified to resemble an 

ambulance—into the arena, where he plays 

a bungling medic clumsily attempting to 

treat a patient. In other sketches, he parodies 

characters from popular television shows. 

And, as befitting his clown name, “Gizmo,” 

Dale is known for using mechanical gadgets 

in his acts. Many of Dale’s gadgets, such as 

his mock ray gun, emit smoke and sparks to 

excite the crowd.

From a young age, Dale’s natural comedic ability and showmanship entertained his 

classmates—if not his teachers. “I was the 

kid that they kept sending home from school 

with notes saying not to send him back,” Dale 

jokes.

As an adult, Dale continues to amuse—

but now he does it professionally. He watches 

the news to prepare jokes on current events, 

such as political races and celebrity mishaps. 

Dale also gets ideas for new sketches from 

classic comedies and everyday life. “Sometimes, I just go to a fair or to the mall,” he 

says. “You can pick up some funny stuff just 

watching the world walk by.”

But being a rodeo clown isn’t just about 

the fun. Some rodeo clowns also perform an 

important safety job, called bullfighting. A 

typical comedian might have to dodge boos 

from a restless crowd, but rodeo clowns must 

know how to handle a much more dangerous 

threat: angry bulls.

In bull-riding events, cowboys hold on to 

a bucking bull. When a cowboy gets thrown 

from a bull’s back, the cowboy might be too 

injured or disoriented to escape the angry bull. 

Rodeo clowns, along with other bullfighters, 

attract the bull’s attention so the cowboy can 

escape from the arena safely.

After attracting a bull’s attention, rodeo 

clowns might try to escape the bull by climbing out of the arena or by taking cover behind 

a barrel that’s in the arena. Frequently, 

however, the safest place for a rodeo clown is 

to stand as close to the bull’s side as possible. 

As a bull twists its body to face the clown, it’s 

unable to charge. The rodeo clown moves with 

the bull, remaining in its blind spots, until 

the bull gets corralled and taken back into the 

pens.

Rodeo clown
Fall 2012 • Occupational Outlook Quarterly 35

But becoming a professional rodeo clown 

isn’t easy. As self-employed workers, rodeo 

clowns need to generate their own business. 

Rodeo clowns build their reputations slowly, 

through networking and word of mouth. 

Beginners might start out by working at amateur rodeos, earning a small amount of money 

in exchange for making contacts and showcasing their acts.

Rodeo clowns work wherever there are 

rodeos across the United States. Because 

rodeos are temporary, rodeo clowns travel regularly. Dale estimates that he works in about 

50 cities a year. In the summer—his busiest 

season of the year—he might work at a major 

rodeo every evening. This busy schedule 

means Dale spends a lot of time away from 

his family.

But the job’s danger and time away from 

home aren’t enough to keep Dale out of the 

arena. He loves entertaining the crowds at 

rodeos. “There’s nothing like walking out 

there and seeing those people have a good 

time,” Dale says. “It makes you feel good to 

see them laugh.”

Getting close to an irate bull weighing 

almost 2,000 pounds requires caution—and 

nerves of steel. When sharing an arena with 

bulls, rodeo clowns need to know how to 

protect themselves. “You need to know how to 

fight bulls for your own safety,” Dale says.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics does 

not collect employment or wage data on rodeo 

clowns. Rodeo clowns are hired by rodeo 

organizers and are paid per performance. 

Depending on a clown’s experience and the 

size of the rodeo, the money they make varies 

considerably. New rodeo clowns might earn a 

couple hundred dollars for each show, and the 

most popular rodeo clowns at a large rodeo 

might make more than $2,000 for a single 

performance.

Many older rodeo clowns learned their 

trade through on-the-job trial and error. 

Today, however, there are rodeo schools that 

teach bullfighting skills. These schools also 

help aspiring rodeo workers gain experience 

in different rodeo events and become comfortable working with livestock.

Photo courtesy of Dale McCracken.

Dale “Gizmo” McCracken 

entertains audiences 

with his humorous 

costumes. But his work 

to keep bull riders safe 

isn’t for laughs.