When I was 3 or 4 years old I used to watch the Happy The Clown show on TV. This was the mid sixties and this is one of the earliest TV shows I can remember along with Sally Starr. One day my parents surprised me with a trip to the television studio. To my absolute joy it turned out that it was to the Channel 6 ABC studio to be on a live Happy The Clown show. And my Cousin and I were going to be part of the show. We were going to be able to walk around marching and banging those sticks like the other kids did every week. Now I wasn't just your casual Happy The Clown fan. I was probably an obsessed little child then just like kids are today with Barney and the Tubbies. I even had the official Happy The Clown Pajamas. And I have a picture to prove it.

The only thing I remember from the show was marching around in a circle pulling my Cousin in a wagon and going a little too fast and dumping him out on to the floor. And I think I remember that more from being told about it from other people. Most of my relatives were watching the show. Must have been torture for them. Forced to watch a silly clown just to see little us.

I do remember seeing Sally Starr many times the next few years. And seeing her with Chief Halftown at Dutch Wonderland or somewhere else. But when the 60's were coming to an end I was ready to turn in my Cowboy boots and Six gun for a Space suit and Ray gun. Over the years I had forgotten about Happy The Clown. Until my Mother found a picture my Uncle took of the TV with my face on it while I was on the show. But that picture is long gone. In 2005 I was given all 1600+ 35mm slides from the family collection to try and get them digitized to preserve forever. After a few weeks of sorting and scanning I come across a couple surprises from the November 1965 batch. Look who I found from the Thanksgiving Day Parade in Philadelphia from 1965. Its Happy The Clown and Sally Starr! After 40 years I get to see Happy The Clown again. And in Full Color. This is great because I only remember him in black and white. Except for the pajamas ...

And Sally Starr. Our Gal Sal, You gotta love her. Still on the air at the young age of 80. Check out the Sally Starr website.

Please don't use these pics without permission. If you would like a copy of the full slide just send me an email

People wish they had a picture of Happy The Clown.