How WGN-TV's Bozo the Clown Came to Be

From its humble beginnings as a record company character, to its heights as a cultural icon for generations of Chicagoans, Larry Potash has the backstory on the character of one Bozo T. Clown. Backstory airs Saturday nights at 6:30 on WGN. Catch up on previous seasons of Backstory with the podcast at WGNtv.com/Backstory via Stitcher, iTunes, Google Play, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[@WadeLife]

Bozo was a huge part of my early childhood such an iconic show and character....

[@hampie57]

I used to watch Bozo at lunch break from school, little did I know I would be working the show years later. Awesome.

[@mainecrab]

Me too watched it every morning before school.

[@kandydewey1286]

I watched this every morning with my Grandma before school! Wanted to share this with my Daddy but he's gone now too so it's makes this a bittersweet memory. I love it though thank you

[@English_person]

nostalgia. this comment will be years old in a few years

[@milesandcoffee]

What a blast from the past. I grew up in Chicago and WGN had great children's programs back then. I watched Bozo every day.

[@TurboGC8]

Born in '84, grew up watching Bozo in SWFlorida every day

[@nathancoleman7235]

I myself(in Chicago of course)grew up on the Bozo tv show in the '70's and early '80's.

[@garryjohnson9918]

Yup! I remember watching The Bozo Show on WGN-TV the first 12 years of my life. Even after I moved from Chicago, I still watched it. I was shocked a sad when it ended in 2001.

[@shawnyoung8752]

​@@TurboGC8cause of WGN

[@jodybirnberg9130]

I had my 5 seconds of fame playing Bozo's Buckets. Loved the Show

[@Mark.G475]

What year? I was on it around 1971 or so, I didn't get picked for the game. I grew up in Lagrange and Hinsdale

[@shawnyoung8752]

That beats me. THE GRAND PRIZE GAME!!!. I WAS lucky to be on Ray Raynor in 1979. Chicago area teams that won state championship were always invited. I never knew it was the same place. Ray was also a army Air Core flyer that spent 2? Years in a POW camp.

[@billyganes6780]

Thank you for all the great memories, Bozo!

[@thesledgehammerblog]

Even though I lived nowhere near Chicago we had WGN on cable at the time, and I spent much of my childhood watching Bozo and Cubs games there.

[@adyn1826]

My mom watched Bozo the clown when she was little. She loved watching this show, that she always wanted to be in it for the bucket game.

[@jackbagley640]

Thank you for a wonderful trip down memory lane! My class went to Bozo at WGN in 1968, and even though almost 54 years have passed since then, I still vividly recall meeting Cookie ... Oliver O. Oliver ... and Bozo. They all took time to say hello to me as we were leaving the studio, and a picture of me meeting Ray Rayner's Oliver was used in a book titled, "What Goes On At A TV Station." Bozo was always a hero to me ... and I wish the show was still on the air, so I could show my grandchildren what it was like.

[@Mark.G475]

I went in 1971, do remember the Bozo button they gave you? I grew up in Lagrange and Hinsdale in the 1970s.

[@ColonelJack1]

@@Mark.G475 I remember it well! Wish I still had it.

[@Mark.G475]

@@ColonelJack1 I'm 57 and my mom still has mine in a draw some where at her house.

[@joelrainey1979]

It's on reruns on KZbin

[@kelseyhansel]

Super cool! Glad I came across this! That show was apart of my childhood!

[@charris1200]

wow! such a great doc. Bozo is some of my earliest memories

[@charris1200]

my grandma (rest in peace) used to set up pots and pans for me to play the "grand prize game". I'm glad others had the same :D

[@ogami1972]

I was way down in Portland, Tx, but from 83-85, Bozo was my cereal buddy. The Grand Prize game was always the hilight, wishing I was that lucky kid, knowing I could hit all 6 pails with ease, lol. Add in GI Joe and Transformers, and everyday started on a high note. Thank goodness for WGN and cable TV, and especially Bozo and Cookie!

[@Nethanel773]

Memories... thanks for putting this up.

[@magzgutierrez3884]

The fact that his own son is proud of him… the fact that he brought joy to all the kids.

[@lanettadavis9910]

I will never lose my favorite childhood memories of the show and practicing the bucket game.

[@barbarawalker3346]

Oh my,this brings back so many wonderful child hood memories, and.thank you for this, and for turning back the clock,even if just for this moment ⏲️

[@jessicacarey3151]

I loved watching Bozo in the mornings as a child in the 80’s.

[@Mac-eq5zm]

Such a cool story!!! Thks for sharing…used to love to watch the bozo show!!!

[@controlfreak1963]

I watched it all the way through grade school.

[@davidbridgeman5828]

I'm 68 years old and grew up watching Bozos Big Top in Detroit. Great memories!

[@KentKaliber]

The Bozo show was a Chicago TREASURE in the 80's AND a nationwide sensation! I grew up in Louisville, KY but watched WGN via cable TV!

[@shawnyoung8752]

Not cable. 50 000 kw. Only the rockies blocked it.

[@shawnyoung8752]

Wgn was the first to create children's programming. Look up WGN 100rd years of broadcasting

[@KentKaliber]

@@shawnyoung8752 YES it was on Cable, WGN was a "Superstation" in the 1980's was brodcast nationwide. I grew up in Louisville, KY and we watched the Bozo show every morning on WGN!

[@bradb.2728]

It's really a disservice to Bozo's history that this story did not at all mention actor Joey D'Auria who was the last era of Bozo on WGN and an entire generation plus grew up with. He was a fantastic performer in the Bozo Legacy, and the omission makes this story incomplete.

[@animalyze7120]

It's only a 15 minute clip and part of a longer story, this part focused mostly on Bell. Was cobbled together as it also makes it sound like Bozo was all but forgotten and never that memorable. I agree though a full proper history and more on Cookie who really made the gags hit home.

[@riversarcadereview385]

I was lucky enough to attend Bozo's Circus 4 times

[@chrisroach8385]

I’m 48 now .. I grew up watching the bozo show every day after school. Bring back the 80s again and watch this make a comeback.

[@ken_danerdiest1]

Very interesting piece of reporting, because I grew up watching the Bozo Show before school and while on vacation or even when I'm sick.

[@rebeccatietje8846]

I so love this show

[@Mark.G475]

Ray Rayner Bozo family classics dirty Dragon... My blue Schwinn Typhoon. I grew up in Lagrange and Hinsdale during the 1970s.

[@Skywatcher68]

Those are some great memories! I'm originally from down Kankakee way.

[@ytps]

can't believe it this is outstanding

[@destynova4512]

One of my first memories as a kid and I grew up in AZ in the 90s lol.

[@fernandocerino8545]

Beautiful times when boys and girls were boys and girls

[@shellyp9129]

R.i.p Bozo

[@melkorvast]

Can't believe there is no footage of the Smashing Pumpkins playing the final show.

[@tonyaranda1696]

Such happy memories from my childhood thank you bozo

[@mdelcquiles5591]

I loved Bozo. He was definitely a happy part of my life growing up.

[@josephgibney9779]

My childhood

[@SamtheBravesFan]

I may have been a Johnny-Come-Lately to Bozo, but i largely remember him from a collection of late 1980s shows one of my relatives had taped. I watched them over and over. The comedy skits were pretty good, I loved the Double Dare-ish stunts the teams of kids did and I especially loved the Grand Prize Game. It was so cool seeing all the kids win prizes even if most of them weren't too good (because they're kids). Still, it was a grand time and those shows are why Joey D'Auria is the Bozo I remember the most.

[@KennyRyman]

HTey need to Cut back on the news on the weekends and Bring These shows back....

[@boneyard009]

I really hope he brings this back to life. 2023 now and heard nothing yet but damn. Would love it if kids had a chance to go visit wgn station and win prizes, while making people laugh and smile. Please bring it back. We want this.

[@areze666]

i think the itll likely be a horror movie sinve david arquette bought the rights to the character in 2021

[@boneyard009]

@@areze666 man, we don't need another horror movie. Bring back what was fun and funny with clowns. The horror side of it is stupid, needs to go away, and screw that non sense.

[@blackhawks81H]

​@@boneyard009I agree. Personally I don't find clowns scary to begin with.. But even though some people do... It's been overdone to hell and back.. Pennywise from IT was the horror clown, leave it at that. The fact that stupid Gacy was a clown, embedded that into the culture, and it's more annoying than anything. If a serial killer once worked at McDonald's does that make all McDonald's employees scary? Lol. I'm with you 100 percent. Bozo was an amazing part of childhood, and the kids today are all so cynical and shit since they have access to the internet from birth. They're overexposed to everything and therefore grow up too damn fast. Who wants that? Who wants the problems and worries that come with adulthood at an earlier and earlier age? Bring back Bozo! Bring back the innocence of childhood! Let kids be kids.

[@GamerDave1974]

If The Bozo Show had a convention today...Imagine the adult fan base that would show up.

[@kodiekulp]

This was wonderful to discover. One of the channels that I watch mentioned in their new videos that he attended the show when he was a child and then I was God I used to watch Bozo when I was a kid

[@MrEddiejet1385]

I loved the BOZO show from NY

[@Madamemedusa1986]

Love This ❤

[@DMBall]

"B-O-Z-O?" I can't hear that name now without thinking of the "Seinfeld" episode.

[@ronaldhenson3379]

Bozo the clown circus will always be my favorite childhood tv show bozo the clown will always be my favorite

[@animalyze7120]

Not sure what they were talking about but Bozo will always be a part of my youth, it just was and in many ways still is. You ask anyone who grew up in the 70/80's in the Midwest "Do you know who Bozo is?" and they will tell you YES! Bozo was a friend on those sick days home from school (Reruns), Bozo was the free time of the day where being a kid was just being a kid. Bozo was the laughter when it was hard to laugh some days, Bozo for a few minutes of the day took you on a trip of hijinx and laughter at the completely slapstick out of the box gags. Bozo was a childhood staple long after the real world took over. We never really thanked Bozo, Cookie and the Gang and I can only hope they knew how much they helped and brought Joy to people of all ages.

[@ddivincenzo1194]

WCVB Bozo (Boston) was Frank Avruch. He was our local celebrity.

[@streetsoftheu.s.]

I used to love Bozo the clown.

[@cla1814]

Where Krusty the clown came from.

[@ilikedabeans9971]

I wish someone could record and share the Thanksgiving special with us. It's the only valuable thing on wgn.

[@jenneacubero1036]

I wanted to see it but I had work sadly. Why hasn't it been recorded anyway? It's been airing annually for years.

[@forgettablelisa]

"You're hung up on some clown from the sixties, man!"

[@jeopardy60611]

I was on Bozo back in 1976. My cousin worked for Tru-Link Fence, who advertised on WGN, so we had a connection to get on without waiting. I wanted to play the Grand Prize Game, but the Magic Arrows didn't fall my way. My mother and I did get to lead the "Grand March" that gets everyone to leave the studio at the end of the show.

[@hampie57]

Bea, that's me. LOL. His son looks just like him!

[@zeusathena26]

I always saw this clown before school when i was 6 through oh 12 on WGN, I LOVED that show. ---Zeus

[@dawnreneegmail]

I was @ Bozo's circus as a 12 year old due to 7 year wait. Great memories, very exciting event for a kid of any age.

[@TimRobinson-kd3zn]

Nice to see how a piece of my childhood got started

[@juliagalvez5633]

I loved. Bozo

[@nielascension958]

Bozo was a straight bad ass 10:12

[@johnappleseed9290]

Now we got Art the clown and IT. That basically killed the clown industry 🤣

[@dameonshultz7450]

Any plans on releasing episodes of The Bozo Show to watch on DVD or streaming services like: Amazon, ROKU, Redbox, Pluto TV, IMDB TV?

[@ul7185]

Various Funny Cartoons from WGN-TV's Bozo Show

[@sharonparker9777]

Bozo the game looks fun to play and I played with my grandchildren❤

[@scottkane3776]

He was in a parade in our town and shook my friends hand and I missed shaking his hand At 9 that was a bummer 😊

[@rogergibbs2079]

Because I watched Bozo as a kid I became a Cubs fan! WGN channel channel 9. I live in KY

[@michaelpatrick7132]

Where’s Joey D’auria? The only Bozo I knew!

[@fjccommish]

The pretentious idiot who thought Bozo was serious theater.

[@allanegleston4931]

thanks .

[@shawnyoung8752]

WGN was available nationwide before cable.

[@marty639]

We spell everything the same. We use s in boso and say it as such. Bosso

[@Arborpress]

You’re livin in the paaast maaan!! You’re hung up on some clown from the 60’s MAN!!

[@nettiegurl]

All our friends at school didn't believe that we appeared on Bozo (Dick Richards) despite the many photos my mother took during the show. Including my youngest cousin winning a supersized Luke Skywalker doll during the Bucket Bonanza.

[@davidwayneprins]

I remember watching both the WGN version of Bozo during the week and the WZZM version on Saturdays. Not sure what the wait for tickets was on the Michigan version but you could also tell that version had a much smaller budget (of course now I realize it was due to being around #35 in Nielsen market verses #3 plus a national audience). Interesting, these two stations were the last to still be producing Bozo shows.

[@djdedeo0]

Part of my childood

[@joelrainey1979]

Man bozo was such a big part in my child hood ,I always wanted to go and be picked for the bucket game I just know I could win if I got picked

[@JamesRomero-ym4rp]

My fav as a kid, and cpt kangaroo.

[@ruprecht62]

Bob Bell was the best. All of my good clown memories are of Bob Bell, Ray Brown and Marshall Brodien cracking me up on WGN's Bozo Circus. That's it.

[@sarah87472]

I'm 53 I remember even when I was in high school I would not leave until I saw the grand prize game and used to make my friend so mad. Lol he actually just bought me a bozo vinyl album. Lol

[@redmanr5522]

why no full episodes of WGN Backstory? is it against copyright rules to show the full show all the way to the Nexstar Media Group logo at the end?

[@maureencora1]

Heaven is for Heroes, Semper-Fi, Sir.

[@michaela.mccracken4461]

I grew up with Bozo since the 1980s.

[@ricketzen5917]

Love this favorite clown 🎉

[@Icecodes]

I always saw the Bozo show as an extension to the Chicago Bulls.

[@MIKECNW]

I wonder how many made it to bucket number 6 through the years?

[@tres311]

Bozo was my favorite part of Saturday morning as a child. That John Wayne Gracie was a real asshole huh

[@withinmyself]

2023 now. This shit just doesn't fly

[@pamczech5984]

I remember the bozzo cartoons with Belinda and her making the batter better so it wasn't bitter and there wad a dog in some of the cartoons sniffer I think

[@user-mx7mc7dl7c]

Bozo for mayor of Chicago

[@jamesha175]

that other clown @2:18 must be Bozo's little brother Booboo

[@pamsimth8018]

Yes make a movie

[@stevenromero3290]

Bring Bozo back!!

[@ronaldhenson3379]

o g bozo the clown

[@MIKECNW]

But they really weren't watching him and there memories are fading. What makes you such an expert Larry and what do you mean by Bozo evolving? Bozo is from the past so let it be that way.

[@ricketzen5917]

I play him have costume made

[@c.rutherford]

Bob Bell was the Bozo I remember as a kid, but the Chicago show was definitely a team act (with Cookie, and also Wizzo). I always thought geez it must hurt to talk like that all the time. I was too old for Joey J. D’Auria, though I could see the guy really put his heart into the job. Its too bad Stephen King ended all clowns by forever branding them creepy. Ronald McDonald, RIP also. Also I remember my grandfather used to always put the Bozo Show on in the 80s. Was he doing that for us, or was he watching it? I suspected lol.

[@DannyBoy111285]

Stephen King didn't end all clowns by any stretch of the imagination. I mean sure, coulrophobia (fear of clowns) has become a common thing in the last few decades with the usage of clowns in horror having become so regular an occurrence and changing (some) people's perception of clowns, but there's still circus clowns and party clowns out there performing for the entertainment of children & families. And while Pennywise the Dancing Clown is arguably the most well known & popular creepy/scary/evil/killer clown these days (I say arguably because the Batman villain The Joker fits in that category and is likely more well known than Pennywise), the whole creepy/scary/evil/killer clown archetype existed well before Stephen King's "It" was published in 1986. Now I don't doubt that "It" and thus Pennywise (probably the 1990 TV miniseries adaptation more so than the novel) played a big part in the rise of coulrophobia in recent decades, but I don't think all clowns in general are forever branded as creepy, but even if they were, Stephen King certainly didn't do it all by himself anymore than he created the creepy/scary/evil/killer clown archetype to begin with. Both Bozo & Ronald McDonald were still beloved & popular amongst many children (& families) for years after the likes of Pennywise came along and probably still would be if they were around regularly.

[@c.rutherford]

​@@DannyBoy111285 McDonalds did say they retired their clown after the year bloody fanged Bozos started turning up at Halloween. They gave up. Curiously the clown still does live on..... but in a much more subtle way. In many of today's Disney cartoons and animated kids shows (such as Dorah the Explorer), the characters frequently have giant colorful eyes. This is very much a clown effect as its been shown to keep especially small children engaged and interested Just as in the old days, clowns would draw huge circles around their eyes to make them look bigger and have colorful faces

[@thatsthewayitis1]

PLEASE dont bring bozo back. TODAY it would be a black man, so they could include a trans in it. Like the ringmaster, so you could see the trans without makeup. regarding scary clowns? if youre afraid? DONT SHOW UP! mcdonalds has removed ronald, after decades due to this bubble wrapped generation being a"afraid of clowns" so should we get rid of scooby because some are afraid of dogs?

[@I_WANT_MY_SLAW]

Sadly most of the Bozo episodes have been wiped. Lost to time.

[@vaper6262]

I hate clowns, but loved bozo😊

[@fuquilasoftware]

Really? I think brazilian bozo was unique

[@kenrutherford1109]

I always thought Bozo the Clown *was* a bozo 😄😄😄

[@BearMeat4Dinner]

Da chick I was dating from Kenilworth. Her pops fired Bozo. I miss Chicago !

[@tinachandler7046]

Could it be from a no stripper that was made my dad or perhaps had my old man now that was her bouncer at the strip club in Florida was u hidden in woods 🤡

[@benjaminsanchez6199]

He was thi best my favorites clown 😂 🥺he make me laugh & Miss him i crad ......crad crad💦😭😭😭😭😭we the show take it out of the aire & dead i more 😭💦😭💦😭💦😭😭😭😭😭😭😭CA some be the same as Bozo can be not the same but closer be other Same be Bozo reaper 🥺🥺thi Bozo the clown 💦I can remember i love him as my thrower my best comidiant of all clown 🤡 o wwgn in Chicago fore DirecTV from Chicago Illinois

[@blackeyedkids4105]

No not clowns

[@HonestGeorgeThePeoplesFriend]

Arquette’s Bozo is not great. Borders on creepy.

[@eking120]

USA frontera esta horizon pour Gazaettes