Colorado Celebrity was the Longest-Running Children’s TV Host

When one thinks of famous clowns, familiar names like Bozo, Ronald McDonald, and even Krusty come to mind. However, for those who grew up in Colorado between the late 1950s and the late 1990s, Blinky was the favorite clown to watch on TV.

Who Was Colorado's Blinky the Clown?

Blinky the Clown was portrayed by Russell Scott, a man originally from Oklahoma who grew up loving the circus and adopted his now-famous clown persona following a stint in the United States Military.

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Originally calling himself Sears-O the Clown, Scott began his career as a clown in Colorado Springs where he was approached by local TV station KKTV about having his own show. Scott accepted and following a name change to Blinky, the beloved Blinky's Fun Club first aired on the network in 1958.

Roughly eight years after debuting on KKTV, Blinky's Fun Club moved to Denver's KWGN where it remained until 1998.

The Legacy of Colorado's Blinky the Clown

Blinky's Fun Club was on the Colorado airwaves for 41 years and over 10,000 episodes, making its star the longest-running clown on television as well as the longest-running children's television host in United States history, and the second-longest on the planet.

Upon retiring from television in 1998, Scott opened and operated a store in Denver called Blinky's Antiques and Collectibles for 22 years up until 2008 and passed away at an assisted living home in Morrison, Colorado in 2012 at the age of 91.

Countless Coloradans have fond memories of the legendary Blinky the Clown, portrayed by Russell Scott for numerous generations and effectively earning a spot as one of the state's most famous entertainers of all time.