The odds of landing a coveted spot on the Ringling Bros. Circus’ elite traveling clown corps might be slightly higher than winning the lottery. But not by a whole lot. More than 4,000 clown ...

He was 4 years old when he saw his first Ringling show, and he knew that’s what he wanted to do. The Brooklyn, New York, native auditioned three times before finally landing a job as a clown.

Right after that come the elephants, galloping horses, guys on stilts, dancers, goats riding on little ponies, clowns and the rest of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus. This ...