"The Plainview Klown Doll Museum is a charming, colorful little attraction in the equally charming town of Plainview. But this isn’t just any old Klown Doll Museum – this little building holds the world’s largest collection of clown dolls," the Only In Your State reports.

"he Plainview Klown Doll Museum sits in a modest one-level building, its cheery exterior colors giving just a little glimpse of the fun that awaits inside. The collection includes more than 2,000 clown dolls along with other bits of clown-related fun and history.

"Thinking of clowns as creepy or scary is pretty common, but this collection is honestly very impressive and well laid out. The museum is supported by the city and the chamber of commerce, and you can always count on the good folks of Plainview coming out to support the museum's fundraisers."

"The Klown Doll Museum in Plainview opened in 1987, according to Corrine Janovec, president of the Klown Doll Museum. Today it’s home to over 8,000 clown dolls. The museum’s name was inspired by the Plainview Klown Band, which formed in the early 1950s, and would travel from town to town. Band members thought a clown theme could bring tourism to the community, Janovec said," the Nebraska News Service reports.

"The museum, which is run by volunteers and a board, is funded by donations, especially by high school alumni, Janovec said. About 400 to 500 people visit the museum in a season, she said. Janovec said the museum all started with Plainview’s Chamber of Commerce secretary, Teresa Peterson. Someone gifted Peterson a clown, and she put it in the window of the office which led to another person giving her another clown, she said.

"Visitors can choose to listen to a recorded guided tour of the museum during their visit that points out different kinds of dolls, Janovec said. She said there is a showcase of dolls that was used by a nun who was a child psychologist and used the clown dolls to help communicate with kids. The dolls are incredibly diverse, she said, with one’s head actually being a bowling bowl to another doll being made out of onyx."

"Located in a former gas station and café, the northeast Nebraska museum has more than 7,000 clown dolls, paintings and figurines on display. It’s considered the world’s largest clown collection. Before the current museum, clown dolls were displayed at the Chamber of Commerce building. A secretary put some dolls on a window ledge. Soon, people started stopping by and donating dolls to her collection. That marked the start of the Klown Doll Museum," The Walking Tourists says.

"None of the 7,000 clown dolls are duplicates. Some are displayed on sides of mugs. Others are on hats. Some hang from the ceiling holding balloons.

"Several large collections have been donated to the museum. Mattie Vanderpool of Yankton, SD, donated the first collection. A professional clown, Vanderpool collected clown dolls over the years and ended up with 1,500 to donate to the museum. A room is dedicated to Vanderpool’s clowns. The Klown Doll Museum has received other large collections, including ones with 1,200 and 1,000 figures, respectively. All told, the museum has seven collections."

"The museum has been featured in a five-page story in the “Living Here” publication at Yankton, S.D., as well as in the “Doll Castle News” magazine, headquartered in New Jersey. It was also featured on Lance’s Journal on Television Stations 10/11 and in Nebraska daily and weekly newspapers,"the official website says.

"The museum was awarded marketing grants from the Nebraska Division of Tourism on two different years and has received additional marketing support from the Pierce County Visitors’ Bureau.

"The Plainview Klown Doll Museum is operated through a joint venture of the City of Plainview, the Chamber of Commerce, and numerous volunteers. The City owns the building and the dolls and the City, in turn, asks the Chamber of Commerce to operate the museum. That is done by a committee of two members from the Chamber and one member of the community at large. The Chamber contributes operating funds annually to the museum and community volunteers staff the museum."

"Everybody hates clowns. Well, that’s true except for the people who run the Klown Doll Museum in Plainview, Nebraska. I don’t know if spelling clown with a ‘k’ makes makes everything less scary, but I sincerely doubt it,"the This belongs In a Museum says.



"A local musical group from the 1950s called the Klown Doll Band is to blame for all this mess. Apparently they were so popular that this little town became “klown-obsessed” and decided to open a Klown Doll Museum. Clowns came pouring in from around the country; Mattie Vanderpool of South Dakota alone donated 1500 clowns.

"There are now over 7,000 clown dolls (apparently the world’s largest if you care about those things) and no two items are alike. About five years ago, the museum had to double its size because of the growing collection. There are ceramic clowns, stuffed clowns, music box clowns, coffee mug clowns, clown magnets and even a Christmas tree decorated with clown ornaments. Every year there is a Klown Festival Parade."

"Love em or hate um, clowns are captivating. Celebrate the iconic circus performer in the “Klown Kapital of Nebraska,” the Silly America says.

"Plainview’s Klown Doll Museum displays the largest collection of clowns in the world with over 7,000 clowns on view. It’s the stuff of a road tripper’s dreams…or nightmares."

"Appropriately in a town that calls itself the Klown Kapital of Nebraska. Over 7,000 clowns: the largest collection in the world.

"Well worth going out of your way. They don't seem to have regular hours and instead they have a sign posted on the door asking you to call someone to let you in. We didn't know this but got lucky when one of the key-keepers happened to drive by and asked if we wanted in. She couldn't have been sweeter or more friendly. This insane collection is almost too overwhelming and you can't possibly look at all 7,000+ Klowns," the Roadside America says.

"Plainview is the Klown Kapital (K spelling their's) of Nebraska, I dare to say of America and the world. They have a thorough if not creepy museum to prove it. It's a wacky town all around, complete with old an fashioned store that you can buy toys from the 50's from and a sweet bowling alley. Aside from that, they have a crazy fascination with some "Klown" band and honor it with a annual parade."

"Having places like this in small town America make travel great. How does this place exist? Someone in the town started it, nurtured it and now get volunteers to keep it going . We drive hours out of our way to visit and support places like this."

"If you like clowns you will love this place as it is filled with clowns of the past including some from Red Skelton for openers. The rooms are filled with clowns of all kinds and sizes! A must see in Plainview Nebraska!"

"was such an interesting little museum a must see. all things related to Clown, tucked away in a converted gas station in Plainview, NE. can spend hours just looking at all the neat items there."



"clowns clowns clowns everywhere from large to small to famous and not so famous---if you love clowns then this is the place to go!"

"The Guinness World Record for the largest collection of clown-related items is 4,348 and was achieved by F.M. Kahn (Germany) in Hoogvliet, Netherlands, on 11 April 2017," the Guinness World Records says.