Now for my favorite part of the show… What does that say? Talk to the audience? Ugghhh, this is always death…

Anyone with coulrophobia aka a fear of clowns should not click more… don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Todays’ post is about a clown you know and hopefully love…

Wrong clown? D’oh!  I do love this clown but nevermind…. How about this one?

We all float down here….  (Sorry if you screamed or peed yourself a little.  It is Halloween time after all and I couldn’t help myself.  I promise that’s the scariest thing in the post…. or is it?)  

Well I know this was supposed to be about a Simpsons Clown and apparently I suck at this.  Clown, clown, this post is about a clown… Oh!  I got it!  Krusty the Clown, don’t mess a round…. Wait, that’s Homey the Clown, right?

Well, that’ll teach me to read my source material before starting to type on a post.  Off to the ultraweb I go…

Ahhhh…  here we go… Krusty the Klown quotes:

“I work like I drink: alone, or with a monkey watching.”

“Nice work, Brockman. There are only two rules in television: Don’t swear and don’t whip it out. It’s not rocket science!”

What was that Alissa?  I’m supposed to write about the character and not ramble about whatever else I find amusing?  Sorry boss…  I’ll get back to it.  Just don’t throw me in the basement with that crazy rabbit.  I like the attic, I swear.  Can I at least pepper the post with more of these quotes I like?  Cool beans, thanks boss lady.

Sorry about that folks…. let’s press….

“Hey, kids! Don’t forget to watch my 29th Anniversary Show, featuring clips like this one of Sideshow Mel, whacked out on wowie sauce!”

Krusty aka Herschel Krustofsky is probably one of the best known Simpsons characters besides the nuclear family we all love.  An original addict, he is the Clown we probably would never bring around our children based on all his character defaults but nevertheless enjoy watching interact with all the children of The Simpsons. 

“A famous entertainer once said that ninety percent of success is showing up on time.  Sorry I’m four hours late.”

Wow… makes me want to dish out some complex psychology for a second but I’ll save you from all that craziness.  Whether Krusty is worrying about ratings/finances, promoting his obesity/heart attack-inducing food products or faulty toys, I personally enjoy the piss out of any appearance by Krusty no matter how silly.

A complex character, the differences between Krusty’s on and off stage personas are often hilarious albeit a bit sad.  Why we laugh at his frequent bouts of depression, addiction, etc. is a self-examining exercise for all of us. 

“Don’t blame me! It’s the percadan.  If you ask me, that stuff rots your brain… And now a word from our new sponsor…Percadan, Oh CRAP!!”

Krusty appears to have been on the air since the 1960’s although he was on TV a decade prior but was banned for a decade for saying “pants” on the air.  Oh how the times have changed.

“Hey, Frosty! You want some snow, man?”

Between Krusty’s unfortunate poor health and tendency to endorse anything placed in front of him, he is a character hard to dislike despite his many potentially un-likeable traits/motivations.

According to Dan Castelleneta, Krusty’s voice was based on Bozo the Clown from his childhood.  Krusty’s name actually came from a clown from Matt Groening’s younger years known as Rusty Nails (with a name like that, it’s ironic Matt describes him as a nice clown.)  The writers of The Simpsons love this character as it gives them a complete and complex opportunity to lampoon anything they desire about the entertainment industry, including former co-workers/bosses.  Originally designed to be Homer in disguise, this idea was abandoned.  It is interesting to watch his #1 fan, Bart, idolize him while being disappointed by his own father.  Ok, I promised no psychology… back to more Krusty…

You still there?  Well… I’m pretty good at talking to myself so I guess I’ll keep going….

In TSTO, we get to begin enjoying Krusty during Level 7 when the first Krusty Burger is built for $2600.  He makes occasional appearances in game dialogue but really gets his say after Level 20 when tappers get the chance to build Krustyland.

Here are Krusty’s tasks in Springfield…

“Ahh, there’s nothing better than a cigarette… unless it’s a cigarette lit with a hundred-dollar bill.”

This post wouldn’t be complete without his KL tasks.  I love this quote from Krusty which makes me understand why KL is the way it is…  “Get ready for two weeks at the happiest place on earth… Tijuana!”

Krusty may not be a model citizen/Springfieldianite but he is OKKK in my book. 

“Hey! Hey! Hey! It’s great to be back at the Apollo Theater! (notices the sign behind him for the Krusty Komedy Klassic)  “KKK?!  That’s not good.”

To keep with the Halloween theme this month, (no more scray clowns…  I promised didn’t I?) Krusty even makes radical appearances in the Treehouse of Horror episodes.  We all know about the evil, little Krusty Doll sold at the House of Evil, but I personally like his appearance in the Avatar spoof in TOH XXII.

While nobody loves a clown at midnight, I couldn’t imagine TSTO without good ol’ Krusty.  Hopefully a few of you stuck around past the scary clowns for all my rambling.  I think the best way to sum up this post is with some words from Homer J. Simpson.

“That’s it!  You people have stood in my way long enough.  I’m going to clown college!”

Wookiee out!