Pinto Colvig: The Oregon Voice Behind Goofy and Bozo the Clown
Vance Colvig, known as Pinto Colvig, was born on September 11, 1892, in Jacksonville, Oregon. He was the voice behind Disney's Goofy and Bozo the Clown. A talented impersonator, he started his career at the young age of 12 during the Lewis & Clark Centennial Expo. After relocating to Medford, he performed with traveling circuses and entered Oregon Agricultural College in 1912. By 1916, he was in San Francisco, juggling various jobs while touring with vaudeville acts. Colvig asserted that he created the first colored animated cartoon in 1919. He later joined Disney, voicing characters like Goofy, Grumpy, Sleepy, and a Munchkin. In 1946, he recorded 'Bozo at the Circus,' which led to his television portrayal of Bozo. In 2021, David Arquette acquired the rights to Bozo.
Key facts
- Pinto Colvig was born Vance Colvig on September 11, 1892, in Jacksonville, Oregon.
- He created the original voice of Goofy for Disney and voiced Bozo the Clown.
- In 1905, at age 12, he worked as a clown at the Lewis & Clark Centennial Expo in Portland.
- He enrolled as a special student at Oregon Agricultural College (now Oregon State University) in 1912.
- He claimed to have made the first colored animated cartoon in 1919, 'Pinto's Prizma Comedy Revue,' now lost.
- In 1946, Capitol Records contracted him to record 'Bozo at the Circus,' which became a bestseller.
- Capitol Records sold licensing rights to Bozo in the 1950s, leading to local TV versions worldwide.
- David Arquette purchased the rights to Bozo the Clown in 2021.
Entities
Artists
- Pinto Colvig
- Vance Colvig
- Vance Colvig Jr.
- Walt Disney
- Walter Livingston
- David Arquette
Institutions
- Disney Studios
- Warner Bros.
- Capitol Records
- Southern Oregon Historical Society
- Oregon Agricultural College
- Oregon State University
- Oregon State University Libraries Special Collections and Archives Research Center
- KTTV
- WGN-TV
- Oregon Encyclopedia
- Encyclopedia Britannica
Locations
- Oregon
- United States
- Jacksonville
- Portland
- Medford
- San Francisco
- Kansas
- Hollywood
- Los Angeles
- Chicago