Emmett Kelly, Jr.: Travels Through American History With the World's Most Famous Hobo Clown

Emmett Kelly, Jr. is part of our American culture. He will always be remembered as the most popular clown ever and as the hobo who glorified a romantic period in American history. Originally, "Hoe Boys" were itinerant farm workers who traveled from farm to farm by riding the rails in search of work. Eventually, slang reduced the name to "hobos" as thousands of men continued on the road long after farm work diminished. As a clown, Emmett Kelly, Jr. continued the role of Wearie Willie, the endlessly inept hobo character developed by his father, Emmett Kelly, Sr. Willie represented the harsh days of the Depression, with his sad face and a big red nose swollen from hard luck and booze. "Willie's a guy who's lost his last friend but he, himself, always has one ray of hope left", explains Emmett Jr. Emmett uniquely expresses our greatest wishes and dreams - the dream of hope, the dream of love, the dream of laughter, the dream of kindness. Although he has continued the Wearie Willie personage, Junior added a new twist by merchandising products, which has propelled Emmett Kelly, Jr. to be one the big success stories in the collectible market.