You’re just upset about that time White Fang bit Springsteen.
Clown makeup dates back from circus days, when the ring was sometimes quite a distance from the audience – think Barnum and Bailey and all those arena shows. To be seen at that distance clown makeup had to be really big, big enough to be out of proportion and creepy when seen up close.
TV clowns didn’t understand this so much, or at least Larry Harmon didn’t, anyway.
It’s still an issue today; I’ve known a few professional clowns and most of them are more restrained for the birthday party/hospital clown side of things. But go to any show and see “Clown Alley” and it’s all writ large on their faces.
Jenny
your humble TubaDiva
This is my favorite study on false memories. A surprisingly number of people were easily convinced that they met Bugs Bunny and such at Disneyland.
I’m sure that to this day many of them respond to points like Bugs is Warner Brothers, not Disney, with things like “How do you know? You weren’t there.” and such.
Robyn Asimov (Isaac’s daughter) was terrified of Bozo when Isaac got her into the studio audience (she liked Bozo when he was small, and black and white on the TV screen, but large-as-life, and orange was different) (cite: Asimov’s autobiography “In Joy Still Felt”)
But, but, Bugs was in Who Framed Roger Rabbit? with Mickey Mouse!
A more recent TV example is my solid memory that Mikey will eat anything. “Let’s give it to Mikey, he’ll eat anything.”
I am absolutely convinced that that was the line in the Life commercial from the 1970s.
…except the line really was “he hates everything” and there are plenty of videos on YouTube to back this up.
I’m wondering how they managed to change it in so many place, because I remember “he’ll eat anything” 
Yep, I remember that also.
However, Groucho did say
GM: Do you have a job?
Father of Triplets: Yes, i work for the power company
GM; My boy you dont work for the power company, you *are *the power company."