All the world really doesn’t love a clown.
Take children, for instance. Many fear clowns. But Lucio Pinto wants to present clowns in a whole different light — one that will delight instead of frighten.
Pinto’s new show, “Spotlighting Clowns,” is set to begin at 2 p.m. Saturday at Imagine Children’s Museum, 1502 Wall St., Everett.
“Spotlighting Clowns” is billed as a highly sophisticated and colorful comic gyration of marionettes and music that reintroduces the art of the marionette to all ages.
“What I am trying to do is to take away the fear the children have with clowns, although some even like clowns, some have a fear,” Pinto said. “So in the show, the children will see the clowns doing different things, dancing and so forth.”
Pinto’s presentation uses 16 handmade marionettes.
Pinto, a former anthropologist for the United Nations, uses his science background to come up with different characters for the clowns and matches the character with facial features and designs.
The 3-foot-tall marionettes perform acts like those presented under the big circus tent by standing on top of a ball or balancing on a teeter-totter.
The performances are backed by circus music, which Pinto, who is of Italian descent, said started in Italy.
Pinto, who lives in Lynnwood, and his troupe of puppeteers have entertained folks in the Northwest for more than 20 years.
Pinto, now 67, put the puppets aside for awhile but is ready for his comeback show at Imagine Children’s Museum.
“For me, putting on this show is something to give in return,” Pinto said. “I want to do something before this life takes another route, something the children and parents can remember more.”
Theresa Goffredo: 425-339-3424, goffredo@heraldnet.com.
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