You are now entering the Jewish Currents archive.
January 2: Bozo the Clown
lawrencebush
January 2, 2013
Larry Harmon (Weiss), who bought the rights to the character Bozo the Clown and turned him into an international mascot, was born in Toledo, Ohio on this date in 1925. It was a television writer, Alan Livingston, who created the character, and a vaudevillian named Pinto Colvig who brought Bozo to life (as well as providing the voice for Disney’s Goofy) in 1946, but it was Harmon who franchised the ever-insipid character, trained more than 200 Bozos for television affiliates across the U.S. and, in the words of the Associated Press, “embellished the clown’s distinctive look: orange-tufted hair, a bulbous nose and an outlandish red, white and blue costume.” He renamed the character “Bozo, The World’s Most Famous Clown,” modified the voice and laugh, started his own animation studio to create Bozo cartoons (with Harmon providing Bozo’s voice), and licensed a museum’s worth of Bozo products. Harmon died a millionaire at 83 in 2008.
“Bozo is a star, an entertainer, bigger than life. People see him as Mr. Bozo, somebody you can relate to, touch and laugh with.” —Larry Harmon
I’m Arielle Angel, editor-at-large of Jewish Currents. Before you go, there’s something I need to ask.
We’ve seen over and over how the mainstream media falters in telling stories on our beats—whether it’s antisemitism, Israel/Palestine in American politics, Jewish identity, or the American left. At Jewish Currents we’re committed to uncompromising analysis and longform reporting on these issues and more—stories you won’t find anywhere else. In a media landscape that obscures injustice and flattens discussion, we’re changing the conversation. But we need you.
If you believe in this work, please consider making a donation—or even better, a recurring one—to ensure that we are able to keep publishing stories like this one. We can’t do it without you.
