“HEY, KIDS!„
— Binky's catchphrase
Binky the Clown is a television personality, noted for his extremely loud, ear-piercing, frequently held out greetings, most notably, "HEY, KIDS!". He was first mentioned on March 13, 1985 in the comic strips. He mainly makes cameo appearances in the strip on occasion. In Garfield's Halloween Adventure, the character made his first appearance and was given a voice. Binky's first comic appearances were on September 15, 1986 (shown in an ad) and September 17, 1986 (in person). At the time he was the strict head clown at a circus.
In Garfield and Friends, Binky became more of a regular, and would modify his greeting to suit who it was he was greeting, such as, "HEY, CAT!" He also had his own segment on the show called Screaming With Binky, in which he showed up in the midst of a certain activity that required accurate precision and/or complete quiet and screeched his trademark greeting, ruining said activity.
His first Garfield and Friends appearance was in "Peace and Quiet". His last appearance in the series was in "The Feline Philosopher". He has not appeared in the any of the current films or The Garfield Show. In the episode "Blasteroid", Garfield mentioned that it is in his contract that Binky will make no appearances on The Garfield Show.
Binky has made no physical appearance in the comic strip since September 1986, although he has been depicted as a restaurant mascot in more recent comics.
Physical appearance[]
Binky appears in a green polka-dot costume, with pink dots and a high collar, which is supplemented by a green and blue cone hat, and a blue tutu. He wears white makeup on his face, messy red hair and a big red nose. He has big cartoonish eyes with yellow sclera and black pupils.
Appearances[]
TV specials[]
- Garfield's Halloween Adventure
- A Garfield Christmas (mentioned)
Garfield and Friends[]
Season 1[]
Season 2[]
- "Rip Van Kitty"
- "Binky Gets Cancelled!"
- "The Lasagna Zone"
- "Cactus Jake Rides Again"
- "Binky Goes Bad!"
- "The Bear Facts"
- "T.V. of Tomorrow"
- "Cock-a-Doodle Dandy" (cameo)
- "Video Airlines"
Season 3[]
- "Binky Gets Cancelled Again!"
- "Orson's Diner" (voice, image)
- "Flat Tired" (cameo)
- "Mystery Guest" (mentioned)
- "Rodent Rampage" (cameo)
- "Mistakes Will Happen" (cameo)
Season 4[]
- "Remote Possibilities" (cameo)
- "Speed Trap" (pictured)
- "Guaranteed Trouble" (cameo)
- "The Multiple Choice Cartoon" (cameo)
Season 5[]
- "The Garfield Opera" (cameo)
- "Ghost of a Chance"
- "Roy Gets Sacked" (cameo)
Season 6[]
- "Next Door Nuisance" (cameo)
- "The Floyd Story" (picture cameo)
- "Stairway to Stardom" (picture cameo)
Season 7[]
- "Daydream Doctor" (cameo)
- "The Feline Philosopher"
The Garfield Show[]
Season 2[]
- "Blasteroid" (mentioned)
Season 3[]
- "Cupid Cat" (mentioned)
Video games[]
Movies[]
- The Garfield Movie (cameo)
Trivia[]
- He appears to be a parody of Bozo the Clown.
- In the comics, Binky is a mascot for a fast food chain called "Binky Burger".
- Jon's favorite mug is a Binky the Clown Mug, which often contains chocolate milk.
- In A Garfield Christmas, Dad reads a storybook called Binky, the Clown that Saved Christmas to Jon and Doc Boy.
- Jim Davis has stated Binky was one of the most successful characters on Garfield and Friends, bringing in more popularity than any other minor character. Despite that, Binky has rarely been seen or acknowledged since then. Two instances have been in The Garfield Show:
- In "Blasteroid", Garfield states that his contract prevents Binky from appearing in the series. This was also mentioned on the website for the show.
- In "Cupid Cat", Garfield says "Hey, does anyone remember Binky? Thought not", referring to how much time had passed since the end of Garfield and Friends.
- In a 1994 comic, Garfield found a book by Binky called "The Art of Sophisticated Humor". After opening it, a pie attached within the book flew out and into Garfield's face.
- Binky may have a mother who was depicted in "Binky Goes Bad!" although it was more likely a policeman disguised as his mother, given the events of the episode.
- In spite of Garfield's dislike for Binky, he likes him more compared to the Buddy Bears who replaced his show at one point and was willing to assist him in get his show back.
- He once mugged Uncle Roy and stole his hubcaps; he ended up in prison as a result.
- Aside from occasional references and cameo appearances, Binky stopped appearing in the series after season three. After a long absence, he returned in "The Feline Philosopher", an episode from the last season, stating that "they let me back on the show". Despite this, the episode was the last one where he appeared.
- He has an accountant brother named Mel.
- He has been featured in both Scary Scavenger Hunt games. A large doll of him appears in the attic in the first game, while two bobblehead statues with the image of his head are near the end of the second game.
- Aside from occasional references, cameo appearances, and "The Feline Philosopher", Binky stopped appearing in Garfield and Friends because the producers "got tired of him".[1]
- Although he does not physically appear in The Garfield Movie, a Binky toy and a cereal box with him on it are shown in the movie.