The Evil Clown of Middletown is a large outdoor sign in
Middletown Township, New Jersey
Middletown Township is a township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the township had a total population of 67,106, making it the most-populous municipality in the county and the state's 16th ...
. Originally built by and for Food Circus
grocery store
A grocery store ( AE), grocery shop ( BE) or simply grocery is a store that primarily retails a general range of food products, which may be fresh or packaged. In everyday U.S. usage, however, "grocery store" is a synonym for supermarket, a ...
, which later became known as the regional supermarket
Foodtown
Foodtown was a New Zealand supermarket chain owned by Progressive Enterprises. As with Woolworths (New Zealand), Woolworths, the Foodtown brand was phased out in the late 2000s, with all stores rebranded as Countdown (supermarket), Countdown b ...
, it is now a roadside display and de facto advertising sign for a nearby Spirits Liquors. Much of the clown's notoriety stems from its sinister-looking face, which might be described as bearing a vaguely amused sideways scowl.
History
It was originally constructed in 1956 by
Joseph Azzolina
Joseph Azzolina (January 26, 1926 – April 15, 2010) was an American Republican Party politician who served in the New Jersey Legislature for a total of 24 years. 22 of these years he served in the New Jersey General Assembly while he served t ...
to advertise his Food Circus
grocery store
A grocery store ( AE), grocery shop ( BE) or simply grocery is a store that primarily retails a general range of food products, which may be fresh or packaged. In everyday U.S. usage, however, "grocery store" is a synonym for supermarket, a ...
(the predecessor to today’s Foodtown supermarket chain). In its early years it rotated continuously by electric motor, a then-common ad gimmick that went out of style (or economic practicality) by the mid-1970s or so. The clown has long since been fixed in place.
The clown is the work of Road Ad Sign Company painter Leslie Worth Thomas who also created the mural
Tillie, at the Palace Amusements building in
Asbury Park
Asbury Park () is a beachfront city located on the Jersey Shore in Monmouth County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the New York metropolitan area.
As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 15,188 .
One hand of the figure originally held a sort of
fool's scepter tipped with a pom-pom or ball; the rod at one point was painted out, with the "ball" now treated as a kind of badge or sign-within-a-sign.
The giant clown’s slyly sinister grin and blood-red tipped index finger have earned it the nickname the "Evil Clown of Middletown" in popular culture. The moniker was perhaps first coined by local author
Doug Kirby, of ''Roadside America'' fame, who grew up in the area and remembers marveling at the odd icon from an early age.
Uncertain future
In 1993, the township began exploring the idea of a major redevelopment in the area where the Clown stands. Dubbed "
Middletown Center," it would feature up to of retail space; of office space; 4500 parking spaces, 4 single family homes; 220 townhouses and apartments; and set aside space for a school to be leased to the Township. To date, the project has been delayed numerous times due to public outcry over increased traffic and the destruction of the only open space property in the township.
In 2015, the project again came up and has begun to show promise after a 2009 New Jersey Supreme Court declined to hear appeals by the Middletown Township government challenging the project. To date, several campaigns have sprung up in effort to save the roadside attraction from destruction.
Popular culture
The clown's first starring role was in the opening sequence of the Philip Botti 1996 movie ''Middletown''. The movie won the
New York Underground Film Festival The New York Underground Film Festival was an annual event that occurred each March at Anthology Film Archives in New York City from 1994 through 2008 founded by filmmakers Todd Phillips ('' Road Trip'', '' Old School'') and Andrew Gurland. After P ...
Choice award.
It has been featured in the local
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
magazine ''
Weird NJ
''Weird NJ'' (sometimes abbreviated ''WNJ'') is a semi-annual magazine that chronicles local legends, purported hauntings, ghost stories, folklore, unusual places or events, and other peculiarities in New Jersey. The magazine originated in 1989 as ...
'', as well as on ''
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jay Leno that first aired from May 25, 1992, to May 29, 2009. It resumed production on March 1, 2010 and ended on February 6, 2014.
The fourth incarnation of the ...
'' in a
Kevin Smith
Kevin Patrick Smith (born August 2, 1970) is an American filmmaker, actor, comedian, comic book writer, author, YouTuber, and podcaster. He came to prominence with the low-budget comedy buddy film ''Clerks'' (1994), which he wrote, directed, co ...
short.
There is a deleted scene in the 2000 film ''
Vulgar'' (produced by Kevin Smith), in which the main character is still traumatized after being raped and just stands next to the Clown of Middletown, depressed.
The Evil Clown also appears in the first few minutes of Smith's 2006 film ''
Clerks II
''Clerks II'' is a 2006 American comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith, the sequel to his 1994 film ''Clerks'', and his sixth feature film to be set in the View Askewniverse. The film stars Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Rosario Dawso ...
''. His 2022 film ''
Clerks III
''Clerks III'' is a 2022 American comedy-drama film written, produced, directed, and edited by Kevin Smith and stars Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Trevor Fehrman, Austin Zajur, Jason Mewes, Rosario Dawson, and Smith. It serves as a standalo ...
'' contains a scene where the main characters drive past the Evil Clown, and a later scene has
Jay
A jay is a member of a number of species of medium-sized, usually colorful and noisy, passerine birds in the Crow family (biology), family, Corvidae. The evolutionary relationships between the jays and the magpies are rather complex. For examp ...
wearing a sweatshirt with a picture of the Evil Clown printed on it.
References
See also
*{{Facebook, calicoevilclown, Save Calico, The "Evil Clown" of Middletown, NJ
Evil Clown of Middletown from Weird NJRoadside America
Individual signs in the United States
Middletown Township, New Jersey
Roadside attractions in New Jersey
Tourist attractions in New Jersey
Outdoor sculptures in New Jersey
Fictional clowns
Tourist attractions in Monmouth County, New Jersey
1956 establishments in New Jersey
Statues of fictional characters