Celebrating 25 years of Therapeutic Clowning at SickKids!

Last week SickKids celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Therapeutic Clowning Program with a special carnival themed birthday party to honour our clown family.

A. Leboo, Soleil and Tiamo kicked off the event by cutting one of their birthday cakes! Kids who couldn’t enjoy the cake weren’t left out from the fun – they got to smash a piece of cake in the clown’s faces live on CCTV, so that patients who were up in their rooms could also join in on the fun.

From karaoke, to bubbles, to endless carnival games and prizes, our clown family sure does know how to throw a birthday bash.

The therapeutic clowns at SickKids have been playing, laughing and making friends since 1993.

Play and laughter are essential parts of physical, cognitive, social and emotional development. A. Leboo, Soleil and Tiamo use gentle play, humour, and therapeutic relationships to make the hospital a more fun and enjoyable place for patients and families. Providing children and youth with opportunities to engage in therapeutic play is important to creating a positive stay in the hospital.

You may have noticed a new face at the clown birthday party! Our clown family has grown once again! Meet the newest member of the family - Tiamo, who arrived just in time to celebrate.

Tiamo took the train across the ocean from the sun-kissed countryside of Italy to share his love of music, food, and Georgio Clooney with all of us here at SickKids! Tiamo is an aspiring chef, whose favourite foods are pasta and pizza, but he loves anything of the Italian variety! He comes to play and make friends at SickKids from Monday to Friday and he loves to make up songs on the spot with his trusty ukulele, Sorella.

Please give a warm welcome to Tiamo when you see him around the hospital! Tiamo will be primarily on the 4^th and 5^th floors, as well as some of the clinics, A. Leboo will be on the 6^th and 7^th floors, and Soleil will be on the 8^th floor and in the Emergency Department. All three clowns will make visits to the PICU and CCU.