Heck Yeah, Clown Murals!

Have you been to the Fun Factory on the Pier? You should go for several reasons:

1. Fun is apparently manufactured there. I'm not exactly sure the process by which fun is synthesized, but it has something to do with a tilt-o-whirl, claw machine, and change machines that work 60 percent of the time.

2. They have Pong there. That's right—Pong. The Fun Factory is less like the carnival it touts itself to be, and more like an archaeological dig site. Each game is a monument to a way that people had fun at one point in time. The Pong machine at the Fun Factory is like the Holy Grail or a dodo—I've read about it in books but I didn't think I would ever see it in real life. Not to mention that it's only a quarter a game to step back in time.

3. Prizes. It's apparent that the ghost of Adam Smith smiles upon the Fun Factory. What's that? You spent $50 worth of quarters getting 20 tickets at the skee-ball machine? Well, you my friend, are entitled to a sticky-hand, a gumball and a stuffed animal that looks vaguely like a bear. Enjoy. The economics of the Fun Factory are such that everyone walks away happy, or if they don't then they're really bad at skee-ball and should be punished mercilessly.

So, the Fun Factory is a bastion of all that is good in carnival gaming. Why is it not teeming with thrill seekers of all ages at all times? 

The terrifying clown mural.

The clown mural on the outside of the Fun Factory could possibly be the most terrifying piece of art I have ever seen. David Lynch films have nothing on this mural. It seems as if the artist wanted to depict the seventh ring of hell as a carnival themed jail for clowns.

As a child I remember picking up my pace as I walked by the mural, trying not to make eye contact with any of the clowns for fear they would eat me before I was able to win a sticky-hand.

Each of the clowns in the picture is looking just past the viewer, as if they're about to do something illegal. The smiles on the clowns seem forced, making you think that if you stray too closely to the mural, your wallet will be stolen. At the bottom right of the mural is a clown with a shotgun, because what's more hilarious and inviting than a jester with a weapon? Welcome to the Fun Factory. Watch your back at the Pong machine.

Regardless of the deeply upsetting clown mural, if you find yourself on the pier, check out the Fun Factory. The Pong machine is toward the back by the air hockey tables, but watch out—the player 2 controller sticks a bit. If you can make it past the clown mural, you're in for a good time.