 Grimaldi 's fame was established primarily by his numerous successes as Clown in pantomimes . His Clown satirised many aspects of contemporary British life , and made comic mockery of absurdities in fashion . Grimaldi quickly became the most famous Clown in London , gradually transforming the Clown character from a pratfalling country bumpkin into the most important character in the harlequinade , more important even than Harlequin . He expanded the role of Clown to include a range of comic impersonations , from the rival suitor , to household cook or nurse . Grimaldi 's popularity changed the balance of the evening 's entertainment , so that the first , relatively serious , section of the pantomime soon dwindled to " little more than a pretext for determining the characters who were to be transformed into those of the harlequinade . " He became so dominant in the harlequinade that later Clowns were known as " Joey " , and the term , as well as his make @-@ up design , were later generalised to other types of clowns . 
