Boswell Wilkie Circus Bimbo the Birthday Porcelain Clown Made Mrt 1983 in Taiwan No 349 of 500

A FAMOUS BOSWELL WILKIE CIRCUS BIRTHDAY PORCELAIN CLOWN NAMED BIMBO. MADE IN TAIWAN IN MRT 1983. LIMITED PRODUCTION NO 349 OF 500.
 
Created by skilled artists, this vintage doll is meticulously handcrafted using the finest materials. The head and limbs are made of porcelain with the body stuffed with fabric of some kind, The clothes are made of durable cloth down to leather shoes with laces.
 
VINTAGE FROM THE 1980S AND MADE IN TAIWAN. IN VERY GOOD CONDITION.
 
NOTE I HAVE 5 LOTS WITH SIMILAR PORCELAIN CLOWNS FROM THE 1980S ON AUCTION THIS WEEK. 

These are Limited series IMAGE Porcelain dolls - these were dolls made in the eighties in the image of real famous comics/clowns - hand made according to traditional slip casting methods.
 
In March 2017 it was announced in Bulawayo Zimbabwe the death of Bimbo a famous Boswells Circus clown whose real name was Thomas Dralan.
 
SIZE 37CM HIGH 14CM WIDE 10CM DEEP
 
CONDITION: SMALL SCRAPES TO BE FELT TO TWO FINGERS. IN GOOD CONDITION.
 
BOSWELL WILKIE CIRCUS (1954-2001):
In 1954 one W H Wilkie (born 1907) landed on the shores of Durban, complete with his circus from New Brighton, England. W H Wilkies Great Continental Circus took South Africa by storm, featuring top class international artists.
The start was a two pole canvas tent, and the now famous red and yellow trucks could be seen trekking all over the country, not an easy journey, what with the primitive dirt roads. But W H Wilkie had to share the excitement of the circus with all, and so it was a journey well worth it.
In 1972, W H Wilkie bought the shares in Boswell Circus and the Boswell Wilkie's Great Combined Circus was formed. Due to the size of the circus now, rail travel became the means of transport for the artistes and animals.
1981 saw the start of a new circus under the wing of W H Wilkie, Robero's, named after his son Robert, who took over the reigns. This was the team that traveled by road, and due to the improvement in the roads, the two circuses amalgamated in 1982 and rail travel was a thing of the past.
In 1991 Boswell Wilkie Circus brought the highly acclaimed Moscow Circus from Russia to South Africa. The circus consisted of 72 artists and staff, 9 horses, 12 bears, 24 dogs and 70 tons of circus paraphernalia. The cost to fly out the entire circus cost an astounding R7 million.
When in 1994, the no animal Chinese Circus joined the circus, the public stayed away due to the demand for animals in the circus.
Mr. W H Wilkie passed away at the great age of 91 in 1998, and South Africa lost a truly amazing man. Robert, who had been in full control of the circus since the age of 21, in 1983, had a major decision to make regarding the viability of the circus, due to the fact that people were now spending their money on the lotto, gambling etc, and sadly the circus was no longer a part of the family tradition.
So, in 2001, the Boswell Wilkie Circus performed the last show in their neighboring hometown, Alberton, to a tent full of circus fans.
 
CLOWNS:
Clowns date to at least the 2500s B.C.E., when clowns entertained the pharaohs of Egypt. Later employed by royal courts to make kings, queens, and their entourages laugh they were later known as court jesters. 
The clown as it would become known in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries was invented principally by English entertainer Joseph Grimaldi in the early nineteenth century. Grimaldi, a popular theatrical performer on the stages of London, wore white face paint with red patches on his cheeks and dressed in garish, colorful costumes. His performances usually involved energetic physical comedy that involved him jumping through the air, standing on his head, and fighting himself with his own hands. Grimaldi also mocked the figures and fashions of contemporary London while singing vulgar songs.
The early twentieth century saw clowning disappear from the theater in favor of the newly popular circus. Clowns fit perfectly into these three-ringed, tent-covered entertainment shows. Circuses and clowns soon arrived in many countries, where the shows traveled to new locations by train. This is how the hobo clowns were invented. These clowns dressed in rags and painted their faces in sad expressions. Hobo clowns were popular entertainers in most countries around the world in the mid-twentieth century. In the twenty-first century, clowns remained mostly as performers in parades, and parties. 
 
PLEASE ALSO SEE MY OTHER ITEMS LISTED. I HAVE SOME INTERESTING ITEMS ON AUCTION THIS WEEK. THE URL UNDERNEATH AND PASTE INTO GOOGLE AND IT WILL TAKE YOU DIRECTLY TO ALL MY LISTINGS THIS WEEK. NOTE ALL MY AUCTIONS END AT 22H30 SO IT IS ADVISABLE TO PUT IN AN AUTOMATIC BID (HIGHEST PRICE YOU ARE WILLING TO PAY) EARLY.
https://www.bidorbuy.co.za/seller/3685641/ErnRex1545