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Blinky The Clown Holds Retirement Auction

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Nov 23, 2008 7:33 pm US/Mountain

Blinky The Clown Holds Retirement Auction

Written by Andrea Lopez
Reporting
Andrea Lopez
DENVER (CBS4) ― A Colorado icon is retiring for the second time.

Many Coloradans grew up watching Blinky the Clown who had a television show for children for about 30 years. It went off the air in the late 90s. But Blinky, otherwise known as Russell Scott, also had a packed antique shop on South Broadway. But now that era has also come to an end.

Blinky packed up the shop and the items were auctioned off at Corbett's Auction House Sunday. Most of the items were antiques, but some were related to his show. For example, the old telephone that squirted water was one of the items up for auction. There were also Blinky the Clown signs. The largest one sold for $575.

Blinky was on hand at the auction house to watch his belongings get sold off, jokingly telling CBS4 that "he needed the money." But his family said that he doesn't have any regrets. It was getting harder and harder for him to get around due to his health, and he no longer has a driver's license because he gave it up.

"This signifies the end of an era," said son-in-law Steve Ballas. "Russell, Blinky, my father-in-law, has been in the public's eyes for so many years, when he was Blinky the Clown on TV and his antique store on Broadway. He sat out there for years waving at people. People would blow horns and come in to see him and say 'Hey, I recognize your voice.' This is the end of an era, Blinky is retiring for a second time at 87 years old."

Blinky also said he was ready to retire, again.

"You get tired after awhile," he said. "Thirty-some odd years and I enjoyed every minute of it. I still get people calling me from time to time at my home and asking me to sing Happy Birthday to their mothers. I will tell you this didn't make me a wealthy man, but I've got 1,000 friends. Money isn't everything, but having friends, that gives you a warm feeling."

Blinky will now be painting and autographing bird houses in his retirement years. You can buy them at Steve's Snappin' Dogs or the Breakfast Queen.

(© MMIX CBS Television Stations, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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