African Ghost Valley – Hondas Goblins (JS014)

Hello! Our slang word of the day is ”Jollies,“ which means “fun, thrills, enjoyment.” ⠀ Origin: From “jollification” (n.) - “merrymaking," 1809, American English. Shortened form “jolly” led to phrase get (one's) jollies "have fun" (1957).

You need example sentences with pronunciation? Try our app for learning English slang - click the link onelink.to/ewf6kr

Ah, I’m so happy to finally get to this topic! Clown babies, or sometimes called Jollies, are honestly the cutest things I’ve ever seen. As you may know, clowns aren’t born with their colorful plumage! They’re actually born almost completely white, as you can see in this picture of a newborn jollie.

This jollie can be no older than one week. Clowns are born knowing how to stand and walk, but just like other animals, their hearing and sight is underdeveloped. And aren’t they adorable?

The mother should always be close by during this time, although care varies from breed to breed. Mimes are the closest to how humans care for babies, while breeds of party clowns seem to be the farthest. I’ve heard of party clown mothers juggling their babies! The owners are always there to make sure the jollies are safe though. Plus, jollies aren’t as delicate as human babies.

Here’s a jollie that must be a couple months old! His head-to-body ratio is evening out, and he’s gaining black plumage. At this stage, jollies begin to show traits of their breed, like the strong black sad-appearing eyebrow marking on this jollie’s face. They usually have odd proportions that may or may not carry into adulthood, as seen with this jollie’s feet.

The mother begins to separate during this time. If she’s too doting over her jollies, it stunts growth, and makes them dependent. The only time that a mother would do that was if she is apart of a troupe, to teach them complex social skills. The fathers are sometimes introduced at this stage. They weren’t introduced before, due to the “holdover” effect from wild clowns. When in the wild, the father clown would sometimes eat the newborn jollies. This instinct hasn’t been completely eradicated, so mothers will keep their children away until they consider it safe.

And here is a six month old jollie! She looks to be almost ready to leave her mother. Notice the detailing on her plumage, her evened out proportions, and her far more complex facial markings. This is a very fancy jollie, likely a purebred British Royal Court Jester. She is fully self-reliant, can perform tricks, and has learned to communicate perfectly with other clowns. Other breeds will look drastically different at this stage, but it all stays the same — they’re ready for a forever home!

It’s important to note that even though clowns at this age can be separated from the mothers, and can be adopted by new families, it’s always a good idea to set up days where the jollie can see his or her parent(s) again. Clowns value the familial ties, and will cherish their time spent with those who raised them.