Mantolo, King of Clowns to Retire

If you have lived in Bay Head or Mantoloking or any other nearby towns, you may not know Emmet Terrifiante, but there's a good chance you have heard of Mantolo, King of Clowns. Terrifiante has been bringing joy to local residents as Mantolo for nearly 50 years. Whether at a child's birthday party or a local charitable event, Mantolo, King of Clowns was a familiar sight. Unfortunately for kids of all ages, Terrifiante has decided that it is time for him to hang up his squeaky nose and giant shoes and enjoy his retirement.

"I've had a wonderful career," Terrifiante said. "I had the great pleasure of working with the Big Apple Circus for a number of years. It was a wonderful experience, but they do play rough in the big leagues. I had my share of broken noses from a pie thrown too hard and concussions from a pratfall that went wrong. In the end, I realized I enjoyed working with small groups of kids best."

For a long time, Mantolo, King of Clowns was the party clown for kids in Bay Head, Mantoloking, Point Pleasant, and other areas around the shore. Especially during the 1980s and 1990s, it wasn't a party if Mantolo wasn't there. There are many local chidden, and adults, who recall the highlight of their birthday when as the guest of honor they were prompted to scream, "Dethrone the king!" All the children would then pelt Mantolo with bean bags until he would cry out, "I yield, peasants!" 

"To be honest, those bean bags did kind of hurt," said Terrifiante, "and in retrospect I should have used foam balls or something, but the smiles on the kids faces as they watched me cringe made it worth it."

Terrifiante's wife, Kelly, and daughter, Gilda, are Mantolo's biggest fans. "Some people think it's odd that my husband is a clown, I always tell them I think most men are clowns, my husband just gets paid for it," Kelly says with a laugh. Gilda said she never really minded having a clown for a father. "Dad used to test out his act on me," she said. "Growing up my friends would always end up going home with some balloon animals whenever they came over."

Kelly and Gilda wanted to do something special for Terrifiante's retirement. Last week they told him they were going to have a small family cookout. He was completely surprised when a car pulled up in front of the house and 12 of his clown friends piled out. They then pelted him with pies and bean bags. Even a broken nose couldn't keep the smile off of Terrifiante's face. "It was the best surprise ever!" he said.

Terrifiante said even though he is retiring he still plans to make occasional appearances. "I'll always show up for things like the Bay Head Tree Lighting, and I'll still visit hospitals so sick kids can throw things at me," he said. "I may be retired, but inside I'll always be Mantolo, King of Clowns."