Watching Ko-Ko's Big Sale made me realize clowns were always weird

If you have six minutes to spare and a strange fascination with how people entertained themselves before the internet, then Ko-Ko's Big Sale is definitely worth a look. People who love animation history or just like seeing a guy interact with a tiny ink-clown will have a blast. If you hate silent movies or anything that looks like it was filmed through a dirty window, you should probably skip it.

I watched this on a Tuesday morning while drinking coffee, and it’s just so bizarre to see how fluid the movement is. Max Fleischer had this way of making Ko-Ko feel like he was actually standing on that desk. It’s called rotoscoping, but honestly, it just looks like magic when you see the clown's feet hit the real-life paper. 🤡

The whole plot is basically Ko-Ko and his dog Fitz trying to be salesmen. They have this little cart and they’re trying to hock 'Health Restorer' or something like that. It’s funny because even in the 1920s, people were already tired of door-to-door salesmen. Some things really never change, I guess.

Fitz the dog is my favorite part of these old cartoons. He doesn't really look like a dog; he looks more like a sentient potato with ears. The way he moves is so bouncy, almost like he’s made of rubber bands. There’s a moment where he reacts to something and his whole face just distorts in a way that feels very modern, almost like a meme.

The interaction between the real world and the cartoon world is what makes these shorts special. You see Max’s hand come into the frame to draw things, and the clown just accepts it. It’s meta before 'meta' was even a word people used to sound smart. It reminds me a bit of the energy in Buster's Orphan Party, though that one is a bit more chaotic in its own way.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Ko-Ko's Big Sale (1929) through its definitive frames.

There is this one bit where Ko-Ko is trying to demonstrate the product and it all goes wrong. The timing is almost perfect, though the silence of the film makes the gags feel a little lonelier than they probably did in a theater with a piano playing. You can almost hear where the laughs were supposed to go. It’s not quite as dramatic as something like The Raven, but for a gag reel, it works.

I noticed that the background of the 'real' world is always so cluttered. There’s ink bottles and pens everywhere. It feels like a real workspace, not a sterile movie set. It makes the whole thing feel more personal, like we're just peeking into Max’s office while he’s messing around. It’s a lot more charming than the stuffy vibes in Don't Flirt.

The ending is kind of abrupt, which I’ve noticed is a theme with these Fleischer shorts. They don't really 'end' so much as they just stop when the ink runs out. Ko-Ko just goes back into the hole in the paper. It's a little sad, if you think about it—this little guy only exists when someone is drawing him. 🐶

Anyway, it’s a good little slice of history. It isn't going to change your life, but it’s better than scrolling through TikTok for the same amount of time. Plus, you get to see a dog turn into a puddle, which is always a win in my book.

Random stuff I noticed:

• The way the ink splatters when Ko-Ko first appears is actually really satisfying to watch.
• Max Fleischer has very steady hands; I would have spilled that ink everywhere in two seconds.
• The 'sale' signs are hand-written and look like they were done in a hurry.
• Fitz the dog does a little double-take that is genuinely funnier than most modern sitcoms.
• The film quality is scratchy, but it adds to the vibes, honestly.
• Ko-Ko's hat seems to have a life of its own sometimes.

I think I like these older, shorter pieces because they don't try to be anything they aren't. They’re just bits of imagination caught on film. It’s simple, it’s a bit messy, and it’s got a clown. What more do you want for a mid-day break?