At Orewa Beach Farmer’s Market on a Sunday, it’s easy to get lost in the crowds of prams, parents, and people, but Rich Kitto stands out.
From the bright red pants with orange suspenders, to his long blonde hair that frames a comically large polka dot bow tie, he looks every part the professional clown.
Survey the area, and you’ll see his camping chairs assembled and his table laid out. Kitto only takes a moment to be ready. Moments later, a line of people will form that usually spreads down the street.
That is how the autistic teen spends his weekends. He travels to markets and sports games to make balloon animals for kids for free.
“I like doing this for fun and having photos with lots of people,” explained Kitto.
He does it in his own time with a gentle stare that surveys the stimulating crowds around him. But as time passes, his little creations come to life: the classic dog, a more complex rabbit, and the ever-requested sword.
A smiling child receives each creation with nothing expected in return.
When Seven Sharp asked him why he donates his time for free, he seemed confused for a moment — as though it was a bit of a silly question — because why wouldn’t you do this?
“I like making people happy, and that’s why I make balloons for them.”
Musically minded
The bright garb of his weekend clowning outfit slightly differs from what Kitto wears in the evenings.
In his Riverhead home, he turns into a rock star wearing baggy jeans and an old beanie, ready to hit the drums.
He’s only been doing it for a year, and he’s good. Amazingly good. And he knows it.
“He just listens to songs, sits down and plays them. I asked him how he learned to play them, and he said, ‘I just listen to the song’,” said his dad, Mike Kitto.
But even alone in his garage, he’s thinking about others.
“Hi guys, welcome to my video today.”
Kitto creates instructional videos teaching others how to play the drums. His introductions can be stunted and forced, but once he starts drumming, his talent sings.
Ask him what his favourite bands are, and he’ll quickly list them.
“ACDC, Justice Crew, Hi5, and The Wiggles.”
The very Wiggly room
Step into Kitto’s bedroom and you first notice the four colours across one wall: yellow, blue, red, and purple.
“It’s because I love the Wiggles. I’ve liked them since I was a kid.”
According to his dad, “liked” is a slight understatement. As a two-year-old, Kitto was nonverbal, but when the Wiggles played, he came alive.
“The Wiggles made sense to him when other things probably didn’t,” said Mike.
“He had a Red Wiggle t-shirt, which was the only thing he would wear for about two years.”
He’s got a hand-painted Captain Feathersword picture on the wall (he’s one of the original mascots), a Wiggles soft toy on the bed, and Wiggles stickers plastered all over his brightly coloured name on the wall.
It’s been a connection he never let go of. One he shared with his mum Kathy.
“She used to take me to Wiggles concerts,” he said as he stared at a beautiful montage of pictures with her.
Since he was two, Kitto had always gone with his mum to see The Wiggles perform every year — until last year.
‘Mum will be looking down at me’
“She died on the third of May last year,” he shared.
“My mum is the only one I knew who had that rare thing in her brain.”
Kathy was having trouble with her vision when she was diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer. Eight weeks later, she was gone.
“He sort of looked it as though life is really fickle,” said Mike.
And so Kitto started clowning. He taught himself to make balloon animals. He threw himself into drumming.
“She will be looking down at me and all the things that I’ve done this year,” reflected Kitto — not whimsically, but like it’s a fact he knows to be true.
Meeting The Wiggles
Kitto does so much for others, so his family contacted Seven Sharp and asked for something for him.
With The Wiggles concert fast approaching, they asked the show to help organise a special meeting — a chance for Kitto to meet the heroes who have been with him since he was a little boy.
They strode through the double doors in a quiet backstage room at Spark Arena — The Wiggles. Brightly clad with smiles plastered across their faces.
They’re the ones who taught him to clown around and gave him his first connection with music.
They introduced themselves to Kitto one by one. He’s not one to shout or cheer. Instead, Kitto showed his devotion to the band with a coy smile and some very “wiggly finger” photos.
And then they burst into song.
“Fruit salad. Yummy, yummy!”
It’s an old-school Wiggles banger, one Kitto would’ve heard countless times before and that he knows off by heart.
“Yummy, yummy, yummy, yummy, fruit salad!” he sang, surrounded by his idols.
“I was so excited that everyone would see that on Seven Sharp,” he said.
Kitto has made hundreds of kids smile this year. On this particular day, it was his turn.
