Krusty the Clown’s new gear has been changed ahead of its release, erasing recognisable parts of the character. The Simpsons is the longest-running scripted American show still on the air today, having premiered over 30 years ago. The series, which was developed by Matt Groening, introduced viewers to a slew of now-iconic characters, including Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie, as well as iconic Springfield residents like Ned Flanders, Moe Szyslak, and Krusty the Clown.
Krusty, who is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and is said to be based on the real-life clown “Rusty Nails,” originally appeared on The Simpsons in 1989 in a short named “The Krusty the Clown Show.” The character is known for his raspy voice, untidy look, cynicism, and habitual cigarette smoking. Krusty the Clown hosts Bart and Lisa’s favourite television show, The Krusty the Clown Show, and is a series regular on The Simpsons. Krusty the Clown, like many other characters from The Simpsons, has been made into products numerous times over the years, with a new release from toymaker Super7 planned later this year with a variety of character accessories.
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The Krusty Super7 figure (which is now available for pre-order) has just received a few changes, according to a new tweet from Preternia. Super7 appears to have deleted an alternate character head with a cigarette in Krusty’s mouth, as well as the character’s smoking jacket, as shown in a series of before and after photographs. The set will still feature two alternate hands, two alternate heads, sidekick Mr. Teeny, a box of Krusty O’s, a pie, a green beverage, and a microphone, despite those two changes. Take a look at the following tweet:
FYI: If you preordered Super7's Simpsons Ultimates Krusty the Clown there has been some changes, left is old right is new.
Cigarettes have been removed, smoking head has been replaced, looks like the robe is gone as well. pic.twitter.com/2AoYGyPZci
— Preternia (@preterniadotcom) May 10, 2022
It’s unknown why these features were removed from Super7’s Simpsons figurine set, and the company has yet to respond. It’s probable that the manufacturer decided to minimise any potential response to Krusty’s smoking habit because of the general effort in pop culture to erase or tone down images of smoking in movies and TV shows aimed at mass audiences. Similarly, since the cigarette has been removed, the character’s smoking jacket has been removed as well.
It’s unclear how fans will react to the new Simpsons goods, but given that Krusty the Clown’s signature attribute is smoking cigarettes, there’s a chance there could be some backlash. While long-time Simpsons fans may be disappointed by the absence of the cigarette-smoking alternative head and smoking jacket, the figure set still includes a number of accessories that loyal fans will associate with the character, including Krusty’s assistant, Mr. Teeny. Those wishing to pre-order The Simpsons figure should keep an eye out for any changes to the release date, which is presently planned for September to November of this year.