Bozo the Clown dead at 83
LOS ANGELES (AP) - July 3, 2008 His publicist, Jerry Digney, told The Associated Press he died
at his home.
Although not the original Bozo, Harmon portrayed the popular
frizzy-haired clown in countless appearances and, as an
entrepreneur, he licensed the character to others, particularly
dozens of TV stations around the country. The stations in turn
hired actors to be their local Bozos.
"You might say, in a way, I was cloning BTC (Bozo the Clown)
before anybody else out there got around to cloning DNA," Harmon
told the AP in a 1996 interview.
"Bozo is a combination of the wonderful wisdom of the adult and
the childlike ways in all of us," Harmon said.
Pinto Colvig, who also provided the voice for Walt Disney's
Goofy, originated Bozo the Clown when Capitol Records introduced a
series of children's records in 1946. Harmon would later meet his
alter ego while answering a casting call to make personal
appearances as a clown to promote the records.
He got that job and eventually bought the rights to Bozo. Along
the way, he embellished Bozo's distinctive look: the orange-tufted
hair, the bulbous nose, the outlandish red, white and blue costume.
"I felt if I could plant my size 83AAA shoes on this planet,
(people) would never be able to forget those footprints," he said.
The business - combining animation, licensing of the character,
and personal appearances - made millions, as Harmon trained more
than 200 Bozos over the years to represent him in local markets.
"I'm looking for that sparkle in the eyes, that emotion,
feeling, directness, warmth. That is so important," he said of his
criteria for becoming a Bozo.