Cappy Carrig

December 2025 Issue
Photography (top) by Rob Tipton
Additional Photos Compliments of Palmetto Dunes

Cappy Carrig
Career: Clown—Celebrating 40 years!
Hilton Head Icon!

Cappy, you are a Hilton Head legend, and you’ve built a life clowning around. Tell us what you love most about being a clown.
Imagine the joy when a wheelchair-bound child twists (with a little help) a balloon. A child battling serious illness laughs for a few minutes. A kid with autism learns a magic trick. A teen who lacks confidence learns how to paint. Teaching and inspiring confidence in kids is what makes my heart happy.

There has to be a story behind becoming a full-time clown and making a living at it. We can’t wait to hear about your personal journey.
Me? A story? I was raised in Massachusetts. I was enchanted by the Tall Ships that sailed into Boston. This evolved into taking a Windjammer vacation aboard the 152-foot Tall Ship “Shenandoah” (Martha’s Vineyard). The captain and 1st Mate taught me the ropes, so to speak. Their confidence in me changed the course of my life. From there, I volunteered with building a 125-foot schooner (unskilled labor department!)—“Spirit of Massachusetts”—then quit my career as a recruiter at Tufts University to sail aboard it all the way to the West Indies, making every passage of that voyage. After acquiring my own Captain’s License, I got a job on Hilton Head Island. A knee sprain kept me ashore until off crutches, yet I still needed income. While working at a local card shop, customers often asked about entertainment for kid’s birthday parties, so off I went to clown school.

You have a love for children, though you have none of your own. What is something extra special you’ve done for children?
One night, a girl thought she was too old to be hanging around Cappy any longer. It broke my heart, so I offered to teach her. This is when the idea for The Clownettes was born. Now Clownette Training lets kids learn and experiment with clown arts and balloon school and allows the older children to work alongside Cappy during their vacation. There are now Clownettes around the country and even overseas who have their own little businesses. Many Clownettes with their own children still come to visit Cappy. I am so proud of them all!

Other than being a clown, what’s something about you that would surprise us?
Here are three things: I like to go gem mining; When I was little, I wanted to be a nun so people would be nice to me; and I still worry about not being good enough.

What are the 3 important lessons you’ve gleaned by being a clown?
1. When working with kids nothing is predictable, so you better learn to go with the flow. 2. Learn to laugh at yourself; and 3. Never ever judge anyone.

You have a mantra about “the glad thing.” Tell us more!
My childhood home was not a happy place: alcohol, constant fear, injuries, never good enough, etc. Fortunately, I was born with a great imagination. I convinced myself that Walt Disney was my father and Pollyanna my cousin. I just knew It was only a matter of time before they would rescue me. Pollyanna, in spite of being an orphan and paralyzed, saw good in everything with her “Glad Game.” No matter how bleak things looked, she always had something glad to point out. She eventually changed the perspective of an entire town. I played her “Glad Game” as a child, and continue to play it today, reminding myself and others to look for the “glad” thing in every situation. I still have my Pollyanna doll.

What is something a clown gets to experience that most people don’t?
Hanging around other entertainers—clowns, fire eaters, magicians, musicians, jugglers. It’s always a hoot!

They say one of the saddest things is the tears of a clown. Tell us about something you’ve overcome against all odds.
Childhood. If it wasn’t for teachers, choir directors, and Girl Scout leaders believing in me, who knows what path I could have followed? I learned (and always remind kids) the hardship that makes you feel ashamed or embarrassed as a kid can become your gift to others when you grow up.

You are one courageous lady. People don’t know you work year-round, traveling alone to festivals and venues in other parts of the country. How did you become so brave?
Sometimes you have to simply go for it. Like going to sea…I was terrified, yet others were going so I thought why not me? I could always get off if I needed to. Having options helps with courage. Years ago, a special little girl who was battling cancer, asked Cappy to come to her birthday—in Ohio! I was afraid to drive that far alone in my RV (not to mention the expense) but I started thinking about what little Haley was courageously fighting every day. Off I went to Ohio. Obviously, I made it—as did Haley, who is now in college. What I learned, and try to teach kids, is you can do more than you realize.

Do you ever find it difficult to be taken seriously?
You betcha! Try adding dyslexia and ADHD to the mix! I have life and work goals like anyone else, yet it is not always easy to get folks to realize I also have intelligence.
What’s the hardest part of going to work every day?
Unloading supplies, setting up, unloading, cleaning it all, reloading…

What are you currently roaring?
Although I do teach arts/crafts/clowning, as I begin my 40th year on Hilton Head Island, I will be launching a more structured after-school program. Instead of me driving everywhere, my goal is to have locations where kids can come and create. It will be a “glad” place where Imagination Builds Confidence!