Aim To examine how children in hospital perceive their meetings with clowns.

Methods An interview study with ten children and an observation study of 12 children were carried out at two different hospitals employing clowns in southern Sweden.

Findings Analyses of the interviews produced four main thematic categories: the clowns’ attributes, feelings that the clowns provoked, children’s thoughts about the clowns’ visit, and one negative experience. Analyses of the observations produced two main categories: clowns’ interplay based on initiatives from children, and children’s reactions to the event. The children experienced their hospital stay as being fun, which helped them feel more at home. A visit from the clowns was evidently important for the children.

Conclusion The clowns brought play and humour into the hospital and this gave children the opportunity to focus on something other than their illness, aiding their wellbeing and recovery.