Chuckles the Clown (found premium rate telephone service ad; mid-late 1980s)

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This article has been tagged as Needing work due to its lack of content and organization.



1-900-NUMBER.jpg

Still from a typical 1-900 number commercial.

Status: Lost

In the mid-to-late 1980s, when 1-900/976 numbers were at their peak, a commercial aired for a service where children could become rock stars and sing via the telephone with a fictional clown called Chuckles the Clown.

The commercial began with a claymation clown (the titular Chuckles of the service) singing and then cut to a boy jumping on his bed in his bedroom while his mom vacuums the room. A few seconds later, the boy turns into a rock star and Chuckles tells the viewers about the hotline. This ad has been remembered by many children who grew up in the 80s but has never been found on the internet.

However, in 2009, an ad for an Easter Bunny hotline with similar animation showed up on YouTube but has since been taken down. All that remains are the lyrics to the ad, which were posted on an 80s pop culture newsgroup.

The lyrics (as posted on said newsgroup)

Time to rock and roll with Chuckles The Clown

We are waiting for the sound of your tone

You can be in the Chuckles Band

Just sing into the telephone!

You can be in the Chuckles Band

Just sing into the telephone!

Leads

Some commented as having the ad recorded on VHS, but their claims have yet to be proven true.

It is difficult to search for the ad, because the name "Chuckles the Clown" is shared by other, more famous characters from Toy Story 3 and The Mary Tyler Moore Show.