Bismarck Cubs vs Jamestown Red Sox Bismarck Air Show Broadside (1935)

This poster was used to advertise a game between the Ethiopian Clowns and the Littleton Collegians for a game played at Remich Park in 1942. The Clowns billed themselves as the “World Colored Champions.” The Ethiopian Clowns played a barnstorming schedule during their 1942 season. 



The Clowns started in 1937 when Syd Pollock (owner) took the Miami Giants, changed their names and created a barnstorming schedule that would take them all over the United States. The goal of the Clowns was to incorporate a high caliber baseball team with a comedy routine that heightened their entertainment value to the fans. They were dubbed as the “Harlem Globetrotters” of baseball. The Clowns were managed by former Negro League player McKinley “Bunny” Downs during these early years (1942-1955). 

McKinley "Bunny" Downs

The team would join the Negro American League as the Cincinnati-Indianapolis Clowns in 1944. The Clowns were the longest running black baseball organization. Over the career of the Clowns they played at the following levels:



                                 Independent – Barnstorming Schedule     1937-1943   

                                 Negro American League                        1944-1955

                                 Independent – Barnstorming Schedule     1956-1988