Hispanic Heritage Month

β€˜Hiccups the Clown' Does More Than Just Put a Smile On People's Faces

The man behind "Hiccups the Clown" does more than just put a smile on people's faces, he is also helping out in the community.

NBC Universal, Inc.

Maybe you've seen "Hiccups the Clown" at Dodger games, or helped him pass out free pizza on skid row, or even been touched by his compassion for kids with cancer.

NBC4's Gordon Tokumatsu visited the Mexican American man behind the makeup whose motto is "stay humble and focus on your goodness."

If there's one thing Frankie Mercado loves to do, more than anything else, it's make people smile.

"I realized one day, like, 'Man this is a gift. Not everyone can do this,'" Mercado said.

About 27 years ago he'd dress as a clown at a Halloween party. His boss at the time at a school where he was a teacher's assistant told him parents were asking for his number.

Not long after, he created "Hiccups the Clown," a big show wearing, Dodger blue donning cut-up who speaks fluent Spanish with a twinkle in his eye. Although he loves to entertain everyone, he gets special kick out of Latino families.

"There's always a grandmother or the older dad that loved clowns when he was a kid," Mercado said.

As a little boy, Mercado's own hero was legendary Mexican clown, Cepillin. The album he'd listen to on his grandma's record player is still a treasured item in his collection of clown memorabilia.

Most of the time Mercado does not do it for the money. He gets paid for occasional appearances but his real love is volunteering like his monthly pizza giveaway on skid row. On his days off, he entertains children fighting cancer.

Mercado is also a Dodger super-fan who often works with his favorite team to give things away to needy families.

He tells us, what he gets from all this is much more valuable than money. He's made lifelong friends, he's comforted families during their worst possible pain, and recently he discovered another pay-off.

The passing of his beloved "abuela" this January devastated him, but he know she's proud of what Hiccups does for so many people and that keeps him going.

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