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In recent decades, humour has come to be viewed not only as a very socially desirable trait for any human being but also as an important component of mental and physical health. Clown therapy represents a peculiar way of using humour in order to promote people well-being. Clown Therapy officially started in 1986, but it is thank to the well known 1998 movie “Patch Adams” that clown therapy has gained worldwide popularity. Nowadays, it is very easy to find clown doctors in hospitals and it is therefore paramount to define their status and role. When thinking about clowns in hospitals, people tend to see them as volunteers dressing in clown’s clothes whose main purpose is to improve hospitalised children’s and adults’ mood. In actual facts, clown therapy is much more than this. Every year many people express their interest in becoming clown doctors. Consequently, the necessity of creating adequate training courses has emerged. To this end, some Clown Care Units in Italy have founded an association called Federazione Nazionale Clown Dottori, which aims to establish the role and status of clown doctors, along with providing adequate training. Key words: humour, well-being, clown doctors, clown therapy. [author summary]