Clown Around were they popular?

[Werewolf]

I get Mego was trying to go after that sweet Smurf money with this. You can't really blame them for that. I'm curious though, were clowns their first choice? Did they pass on any other ideas before settling on clowns or was that the plan from the start. Clowns just seem like kind of an odd choice, to me, considering so many kids are afraid of them. Were they popular? Does new Mego still own the rights? You know, I can actually see these selling now with all the creepy clown obsession going on in pop culture right now.

[monitor_ep]

I was thinking the same thing, why not release a wave of creepy clowns again. FTC did and they still sell them (at least in parts). If the are releasing DC Characters in 8 inch that Joker could use some henchmen or release a few under there Horror lineup. Just a thought...

[Nostalgiabuff]

I don't think the clown around line sold well, but I could be wrong

[Brue]

I have never heard of clown around. Therefore based on a case study of one, no.

[monitor_ep]

here are some of the Clowns:

Mego Clown Around 3.jpgMego Clown Around 1.jpgMego Clown Around 4 Monster Clowns.jpgMego Clown Around 2.jpg

[palitoy]

To Quote from my interview with then Mego head of R&D, Bill Baron:

MM: Were the Eagle Force a good seller? I’ve heard rumors that they were?

BB: I don’t know, about the time that it was out there, the place was going under. We chased some dumb things too, a guy who worked for me by the name of Pete once said “everybody’s a clown” and I thought “whoa, is that an idea?” And so Pete the Clown [of the Clownarounds] was born and it was just a turkey.


MM: I have a Pete the Clown shirt from Toy Fair

BB: My daughter had one on when she was in her late twenties and ran into one of the model maker’s kids in Washington Square Park. Just walking by [the kid] said “Oh my God! Where did you get that?” That was another one of those things where they put a lot of hope into it, they didn’t put much money they were running out of money.

MM: Was it meant to emulate the Smurfs?

BB: No, not really. We bought the name from Hassenfeld Brothers [Hasbro] for a buck. They were real gentlemen, both [ Alan and David Hassenfeld] . [Clownarounds] was a turkey, it was not knocked off from the Smurfs, it was supposed to be a collectible, we did a lot of puns (such as characters as Ronald Reaclown). By the way, it just didn’t have the legs to bail anybody out, not even a little bit. It was one of those things where everybody got excited and one of us should have been saying, “whoa, this is desperation guys!”

[Wee67]

(((wrote this and posted before I saw Brian had responded)))

They were released during the last gasps of the once-great company. The electronic games they introduced in 1980 didn't do well. The science fiction lines added that year didn't too great (except maybe Buck Rogers). I'm not sure any of the lines introduced in the 80's would've been considered a hit. Mego was taking on so much debt in 1980 and '81, though, that it would have taken several major hits to save the company.

[Werewolf]

I find it very hard to believe they weren't trying for the Smurf market. They are the exact same size and style of figure by complete accident? Several companies were jumping on the Smurf band wagon at the time, like Empire toys Gnome Family. Makes sense Mego would try for that market. Like they went after Barbie with Candi. Good idea just maybe not with clowns.

[palitoy]

This doesn't apply to everyone I've ever interviewed but I strongly believe whatever Bill Baron says, he is brutally honest and wouldn't have minced words. He clearly was aping the collectable figure format made popular by Smurfs but i doubt he spent any significant time studying their concept beyond that.

"Kids are buying these little PVC figures, we should do a line" is probably the thinking there. The format and trend itself which was gaining significant ground in the late 70s/early 80s. Most of my toy trade mags are just filled with lines like that, some i've never heard of.

[Werewolf]

Most of my toy trade mags are just filled with lines like that, some i've never heard of.

Neat! If you ever get some spare time to scan those, they would be super cool to see. If there are any unreleased Smurf like lines that would be especially awesome to see.

[Agent4125]

Many years ago there was a series of articles on "The History of Mego" in a magazine called "Action Figure Digest".
It seems to be based on interviews with Marty Abrams. In part 9 of the series (issue 137) the following was
said about Clown Around:

"... Smurfs were just starting to get big at the time. I went out to get the Smurfs license and they were not yet hot
- they were strong, but not yet hot. I tried to get the master toy license and they started to screw me around.
... So I say "Well, listen. Obviously you've got a different idea for the brand and if you're not going to do the
kind of program line proposed, we'll have to do it ourselves," and we created Clown-A-Rounds.
We had 60 characters, sets, celebrities, the whole nine yards.
They were really cool- except for one thing - the kids wanted Smurfs. They didn't want Clown-A-Rounds. ..."

[Werewolf]

They were really cool- except for one thing - the kids wanted Smurfs. They didn't want Clown-A-Rounds. ...

Because, you know, Smurfs are cute and clowns are creepy.

I did not know Mego had tried for the Smurf license. I know Wallace Berrie /Applause had license for Smurfs starting in 79 in the US. They released the Schleich figures and houses with additional Wallace Berrie or Applause markings. That lasted all the way until 95 when Irwin got the license.

I still think Mego could have had success with a Smurf like line had they gone with something less scary to kids. Like the Astrosniks or Snorks.

[palitoy]

My parents brought me back a Smurf figure from a West Coast trip in 1979, I didn't know what it was at the time. It was a slow boil.

[Nostalgiabuff]

I had tons of smurfs as a kid. gave them all to my girls when they were little and they absolutely loved them. smurfs are one of those toy lines I loved as a kid, but have absolutely no nostalgia or fondness for as an adult

[Earth 2 Chris]

My Mom managed a Hallmark store, so I was in on the ground floor when the Smurfs came to the US. I had the figures and even some of the houses before the HB cartoon hit.

I never heard of Clown Arounds before joining the museum here!

Chris