I See Clowns

I've mentioned before that I used to collect clown dolls. This is one of the ones that I kept after the "Great Clown Purge of 2006 (maybe)".

What I like about this guy from Show Stoppers is his simplicity. He reminds me of Marcel Marceau, the legendary mime, in his stripes and beret.

I found this attractive mime in the late 80s at a cart at the mall, Potomac Mills in Northern Virginia.

This was pretty much at the height of porcelain doll mania when all you had to do was turn around and you'd see new, mostly Victorian styled, dolls for sale.

He has a little flexibility in his arms so he can be posed, but he is meant to be a stationary doll.

I decided to talk about this guy today, because I saw a hilarious Ebay auction yesterday of another porcelain clown doll I used to own (also acquired in the 80s). 

Photo and text are blatantly stolen from the Ebay auction.

THIS IS A BEAUTIFUL AND DELICATE HAND MADE FRENCH JESTER DOLL, IT WAS BOUGH IN PARIS RIGHT AFTER WORLD WAR II HOWEVER, IT WAS ALREADY AN ANTIQUE, THE STORY GOES THAT THIS IS THE SAME OUTFITJESTERS WORE IN MONTECRISTOS ERA.
HAND PAINTED POCELAIN FACE AND HANDS, SATIN SHIRT AND PANTS, MULTICOLOR VEST.
SEVEN BRASS BELLS ALL IN WORKING CONDITION.
UNIQUE ITEM FOR YOUR COLLECTION.
PERFECT CONDITION.
22 X 13 X 4 INCHES WITH HANDS OPEN.

I had to laugh (not even mentioning what the seller wants price wise). Heck, it might even be my old doll, I donated it to Goodwill with a bunch of other clowns. The downfall of this fella, versus the mime, is that the hat is too heavy to stay upright on the doll's head and the elastic around the hat and the pants degraded quickly. 

Just a little humor for today, after all, clowns are supposed to make you laugh.