Well, we are finally back from Buzios. My daughter and I were actually getting a little bored at the end. Amazing how even paradise can become a bit monotonous if you spend enough time there.
A big welcome to Bossa Breezes who has finally made it to São Paulo! I’m excited to meet up and also read his Brazilian escapades, though hoping it won’t be too graphic in nature. HA!
Speaking of Buzios, one morning while at the gym (yes, one of my many NY’s resolutions, wish me luck) I caught my favorite television show playing on the tv. Bozo’s Circus! Actually, I don’t know if it was called Bozo’s Circus, but it was definitely Bozo the Clown!
Bozo’s Circus was produced by WGN, the Chicago television station. My Bozo was the beloved Bob Bell and Fraizer Thomas was the ring leader. Roy Brown was Cooky the Cook. We actually went on the set when I was about seven years old, , My parents had sent away for the tickets to go to the show when I was born, but it was such a popular show, we didn’t actually get the tickets to attend until I was seven-years-old. And let me tell you, I was very disappointed I wasn’t selected to play their signature game on the show – Bozo buckets, a game where a kid tosses a bean bag into a row of buckets trying to get in all to win a prize. I had been practicing. I knew that Bozo had been popular in the U.S., especially when WGN became a national station. But in Brazil?
Yep, apparently, Bozo was popular in Brazil and produced for more than 10 years! It was also big in Mexico. Now it looks as though Brazil brought him back and are even running the cartoons!
Now my daughter can watch (I think, haven’t checked to see if it’s made it to São Paulo television). And while the woman in the photo ain’t no Frazier Thomas, I’m excited to see what Bozo has in store for my little one.
If you grew up on Brazil, did you watch Bozo?
born again brazilian 
I did watch Bozo when I was a child! One of my neighbors even got a bike in one of those telephone calls. They had some different characters, Papai Papudo, Salci Fufu and Vovó Mafalda – who was actually a man (all deceased now).
Here is a video from the 80’s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4k-JDkonbU
Thanks! Love it! Isn’t it interesting that during a time when countries certainly weren’t as connected as today, a balding clown in a blue suit broke through cultural barriers? HA.
Yup, Bozo was fun to watch. Did you know there was more than one Bozo in Brazil? I mean the actor who played Bozo. Legend has it that the first one was fired because of his cocaine addiction. I think he’s now a born again evangelical preacher.
We also had other famous TV clowns like Atchim e Espirro. They made a comeback last year in a really cool TV ad:
It’s incredible that we had Bob Bell in Chicago as Bozo for 24 years. That commercial is hilarious! What’s so interesting is that the sponsoring company, Vicks, doesn’t even appear until the very last seconds. From a marketing perspective, it is very risky, both in structure and brand image. Love it! Thanks for the link!
bozo is very popular! everyone knows him!! I even thought it was a brazilian show.
That’s so funny!
Megan, this cracks me up. Being from Chicago as well, I remember Bozo´s Circus. I never got to be on the show though, but I did get a set of Bozo buckets for my birthday one year.
I think I owned a set of Bozo buckets too. Or I wanted it. Twas one of the most exciting moments of my childhood to be in that audience. Later in life, I went on a date with a WGN producer and he showed me where they had filmed. Thrills.
THANK YOU!!!!!!! I’m loving it! We will meet up soon!
Are you loving the rain? it’s been doing this for the past 10 or so days, ou seja, the entire time I’ve been in this wonderful country.
Anyway, Bozo is scary and weird.
Abraço,
Alex
The most pressing issue here: will new Bozo escape the Bozo curse that plagued his predecessors?
http://vejasp.abril.com.br/materia/palhaco-bozo
Be afraid new Bozo, be very afraid.
Oh my.