I use to be irritated by clown jokers. I thought they should have jesters on them. But through the years, my sensitivities have changed and I'm now a big fan of clown jokers. Which is good since I have a ton of them. (BTW, even though this article was just published in Feb, I'm updating in April since I added and rearranged the clown jokers.)
This first set is classic old clown jokers of which three are on the Joker Poster printed by the Playing Card Museum.
Want details on which ones from above are in the Joker Poster? The clown with the banjo or mandolin (top center) was first made by King Press c1937. It's MSN51 King Press, P159 of Hochman and also appears as Imperial King Press. NJ c 1935. The parachuting clown (top row right) is in the top row of the poster and is a USPCC special edition circa 1950. The clown with the goose and the balloon (bottom center) is another USPCC special edition c 1935.
The next page includes the two (top left and right) … to be continued
Here's more classic old clown jokers or modern ones in the vintage style. The two clown heads in the middle row are from a Steamboat deck made by Novelty Playing Cards in 1935 (which I know because he's 5H on the Joker Poster). Notice that there are drumming clowns but my rules are that they go in the clown section, not the drummers.
More vintage clowns including a number from the
Joker Poster. Notably:
Top row left and right are 4I E.E. Fairchild, Rochester NY. 1910.
Top row middle?
Middle Row left. 5D
The middle row middle is 8A on the poster, Printed by Criterion Cards for John High Company, 1932. Middle row left?
.
The next page is just clown heads which is scary not so much because of how terrifying they are but there are also some clown heads in the Heads section, a detail that needs attention. I should either have a clown section inside the heads or a heads-only section in the clowns. To be continued...
The top row of clowns below are jack-in-the-boxes. I've wondered sometime if they should be a section. There are also som
e dog jack-in-the-boxes (sixth page) an
d four jokers of heads coming out of box in the
jokers heads on a stick section. Top row right below is also on the
Poster in the 2B spot. He is USPC for Barton Playing Card Co, c1960. His pair is top left.
Some clowns can stand on balls and spin plates and juggle. Lets group these clowns together.
Some clowns can balance on a ball upside down!
More juggling clowns.
Baggy old clown has 13 variations on the next two pages. What was his history again? Initial introduction or publisher?
Mixed in with Baggy Clown, there's five here holding helium balloons.
These clowns are a mixed lot. Two of them belong perhaps in the cartoon section since Bob Terwilliger of Simpsons fame is sort of slumming it by hanging out with these clowns.
I tried to group the clowns with similar painted-on faces. Working on it still...
Here’s some cheesy cheapo clowns.
More cheeping cheesy...
I like this next set and I’d like to group the two holding balloons with the five holding balloons on a previous pages. Another big reorg? Can I manage the time, trauma, tedium, and terror of another reorg?
Where else can you find clowns in this collection?
Some are in the
heads section. MY rules over whether clown heads go there or here is not consistent. sigh.
