We had a very different crowd in our studio today, as the clown and trolls from Crabapple Trolls showed up to talk about their show and why they make people laugh.

Aunt Aggie is telling her story to adults and kids at the Winnipeg Fringe Festival this weekend. Crabapple Trolls tells the story of Amanda, who wants to escape her family and stumbles across a culvert where only children can go. The creek is full of life and maybe some trolls.

"It came from a story I wrote about 10 years ago," Aunt Aggie said. "We're finally bringing it to stage for kids and it's so much fun."

The theme behind the show is about memories. "Things that happened in our childhood influence us as adults and they are often cherished memories that make your life richer."

Aunt Aggie is the clown who runs the show, but Sue Proctor is the woman behind the nose. Proctor isn't just your regular clown though. She has her Masters in clowning.

"[I] went to Concordia in Montreal and studied theatre and clown," Proctor said. "It's really interesting how every group of people has a need for a clown."

She says it's just like other studies and even wrote a 130+ page thesis paper on 'The Archetypal Role of the Clown as a Catalyst for Individual and Societal Transformation'.

"When [I] was younger, I clowned . . . at different festivals around the country," Proctor said.

Clowning is something that Proctor loves to do and believes that you sometimes need to be silly.

"It's a wonderful thing to make kids laugh," she said. "It's something we all need. We all need to laugh, we all need to find that enjoyment.

"It's harder to really stop and have a belly laugh and enjoy yourself. Children especially really need it."

clowning trolls