The funny part is, when you USE the slide, you never realize what you are sliding out of. It's only when you turn around and look do you see the clown. And then, if you are close, as in IN the pool, the clown is so big, it's not obvious what it is. You need to be like, over in the kiddie area to really get a full impact of the visual. I'd go over there, without much discussion beforehand, and just feel it all out, rather than writing it off. He may be surprised at just how little impact that clown ends up having. Everyone is different in how they handle it but I do think many end up being surprised