Bring in the Clowns

[HauntedGabe]

Coming to the Circus. Giggle Gang, roll in the clowns.\

I'm kinda surprised, I thought when Circus was announced it was made pretty darn clear there was not going to be clowns. Me, I find clowns kinda creepity. My kids when young were freaked out by clowns. Thinking I need a bit of time to wrap my brain around Disney World introducing clowns into their repertoire. Just doesn't seem very Disney-ish.

Here is Disney's announcement:

Get Ready for Laughter and Lunacy with the Storybook Circus Giggle Gang in New Fantasyland at Magic Kingdom Park « Disney Parks Blog

[Mo Noyz]

Clowns in a circus?!

What an outrage!

[supernova]

That's what I was thinking too, Scott. Not sure when Disney made it overly clear that a circus should not have clowns. And I don't know how clowns aren't Disney-ish. They were a pretty big part of the Dumbo movie, and this area was inspired by Dumbo, after all.

[Mo Noyz]

I admit clowns kinda freaked me out when I was a kid as well, but I'm not seeing a problem with this as it fits the theming.

[HauntedGabe]

Clowns in a circus?!

What an outrage!

Saw that comment coming.

Maybe a tribute for the most famous clown in our countries history, the infamous John Wayne Gacy who was Pogo the clown.

Actually if Disney is following the Dumbo Circus theme, clowns in Dumbo were drunks, so the clowns can just take their break at BoG for a tipple while accompanied by the black crows.

Walt had issues with the Union during the making of Dumbo and a strike. Walt, in the making of Dumbo instructed that the workers be depicted as "Clowns" going to go to the boss for a raise. Walt expressed his feelings about labor through the animation of Clowns in Dumbo. When this theme went into Dumbo and the strike ended the comradery of the Dumbo team ended. Bringing the unplanned Clowns now into Storybook is actually a retro tribute to Walt's disdain of Clowns and labor. I guess it is a kinda a cool history of Walt as an employer, inserting clowns into Storybook, a good, real backstory.

Wonder what is next, dragging over the new baby elephant from AK because what is a circus without real animals?


No clowns.

[supernova]

They're not going to put every single character in there. Clowns aren't individual characters. I don't see mention of the WDW railroad, either. And yet...

[HauntedGabe]

They're not going to put every single character in there. Clowns aren't individual characters. I don't see mention of the WDW railroad, either. And yet...

Exactly, kinda cute they put the clowns in Storybook given Walt's history with the Clowns in the Dumbo film.
I'm loving the innuendo.

I'm not getting the comment about the WDW Railroad, you don't like it in Storybook or have I missed your point, the sign is about the stars of Storybook not the buildings?

[Mo Noyz]

Who said anything about the clowns being stars?

I honestly think you're reading way too much into this.

[HauntedGabe]

Storybooks Circus sign certainly didn't.

There isn't too much to read into. Clowns are generic.

[Mo Noyz]

Then you're not making much sense. You post a picture of the sign and comment that there are no clowns on it. As though it proves some kind of point. Then you say that the sign is about the stars of Storybook Circus.

Huh?

The clowns aren't the stars, hence they a not on the sign.

What does that mean? Aside from nothing?

[HauntedGabe]

Then you're not making much sense.

That kind of crabby mood again huh? 2 digs in short order, impresive

sive!

You post a picture of the sign and comment that there are no clowns on it. As though it proves some kind of point.

That Clowns were not part of the original plan.

Then you say that the sign is about the stars of Storybook Circus.

Look at the picture, the sign actually says that.

Huh?

The clowns aren't the stars, hence they a not on the sign.

What does that mean? Aside from nothing?

Oooh more wit. Joy. Joy.

[supernova]

Scott's point is valid, no matter how he presents it. It's a jump to take as fact that Disney never intended to have generic clowns walking around in Storybook Circus simply because they don't appear on a sign. Every park has some sort of streetmosphere characters that Disney employs. The citizens of Main Street don't appear on any signs or park maps. Doesn't mean they weren't part of the original plan, which depending on when they were first introduced in Disneyland, they might have been on the east coast. Devine (or whatever that silly broad's name is) is a staple now at AK, and she doesn't appear on any signs to my knowledge or as part of any original concept art. And people are fascinated with her for some reason. To me, she's a waste of payroll. She comes in, doesn't say a word all day, and her whole job is to blend in with the background until it's time to clock out and go home. I have coworkers like that, too. Only they don't last very long.

Overall, if Disney put up EVERY single element they ever intended to put into a signs or concept art these things would turn out to be billboards. It would also lock them into their original vision, which wouldn't be good, either. Those characters who do the skits at DHS (the worst of the streetmosphere people, in my opinion) were never on signs, and I'm sure they were always on the back burner to be introduced.

[Mo Noyz]

I just love how the person here who spends the majority of her time pointing out every last little flaw she can unearth dismisses someone as crabby when thy point out a flaw in her logic.

[supernova]

No original mention of the Jammitors or the Dapper Dans. But I don't feel Disney deceived me by promising no barbershop quartet.

[HauntedGabe]

Actually it was said multiple times that the land would be a clown-less area. I know Lou even discussed the no clowns on one of his News Casts and was happy it was clown-less because he didn't like clowns. It was back in March sometime.

But hey, different strokes, obviously we have some clown lovers among us. I'm not one of them.