Characters / Pipo De Clown

Pipo de Clown

Played by: Cor Witschge (1958–1968), Cees van Oyen (1971), Cor Witschge (1974–1980), Joep Dorren (1990), Raymond Kurvers (2009), Mitch Blaauw (2017)

A jolly, lovable clown married to Mamaloe, best friends with Klukkluk, and the father of Petra. He entertains for a living.

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^{Portrayed by Cor Witschge}

^{Portrayed by Cees van Oyen
Portrayed by Cor Witschge, 1974- 1980
Portrayed by Mitch Blaauw}

• Adaptational Hairstyle Change:
  • In Cees van Oyen's portrayal, he has brush-like unkempt hair.
  • In the 1974 edition, his hair has been slicked back into a mustache-like manner.
• All-Loving Hero: Pipo loves his job because it makes people happy, and loves everything in the world to the point he goes out of his way to greet them.
  Pipo: "Dag vogels, dag bloemen, dag kinderen!" ^Translation Hello birds, hello flowers, hello children!
• Bumbling Dad: He's quite the idiot, hence Mamaloe being the main caretaker for Petra.
• Character Catchphrase:
  • "Hup, Nononono, vooruit met de voetjes!" ^Translation "Go, Nononono, with your feet!"
  • "Hou's even vast, Mammaloe" ^Translation "Hold on, Mamaloe."
  • "Sapperdeflap!"
• Friend to All Children: Children come to the circus just to see Pipo, and he holds a special place in his heart for them. Not to mention, he has a daughter, who he dotes and cares for.
• Friend to All Living Things: His friends include a donkey and a parrot, and he treats them no different from his human friends.
• Gentle Giant: He's very tall, and nurturing to all the small children and animals he meets.
• Good Is Dumb: He's the most pure-hearted of the cast, an All-Loving Hero
• Non-Ironic Clown: He is a clown because he loves it, and is Famed In-Story for being a great entertainer.
• Series Mascot: In-Universe, he's this to Dikke's circus, to the point his absence means the circus will bleed a lot of money.
• Signature Headgear: His derby hat, though this was absent in the 1974 version.
• Wacky Parent, Serious Child: He's a clown for a living and lives with his donkey and parrot, while also solving the problems of the various people he meets, while Petra has her mother's intelligence and Straight Man tendencies.

Mamaloe

Played by: Christel Adelaar (1958–1965), Marijke Bakker (1966–1968), Janine van Wely (1971), Marijke Bakker (1974–1980), Liset Vrugteveen (2017)

The wife of Pipo, a beautiful woman who sets him straight when he needs it. For the record, her name is pronounced "Mamaloo".

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^{Portrayed by Christel Adelaar
Portrayed by Maijke Bakker
Portrayed by Janine van Wely
Portrayed by Liset Vrugteveen}

• Adaptational Hairstyle Change: Her hair is puffier, a bit longer and Funny Afro-ish in the 2017 version.
• Antics-Enabling Wife: She's more than happy to let Pipo clown around, in part because she finds it endearing.
• Beautiful Singing Voice: In the musical, she has a lovely singing voice until it is cruelly taken away; thus Pipo must set out to retrieve it.
• Beauty Equals Goodness: She's very pretty and helps guide Pipo and Klukkluk, as well as being the main caretaker for Petra.
• Boyish Short Hair: All of her incarnations have above-the-shoulders ruffled blonde hair.
• Damsel in Distress: Of sorts in the 2017 musical. Her voice is taken away, and Pipo and Klukkluk must journey to find it.
• Doting Parent: She tucks Petra to bed every night, reads her stories and is more present than her husband, Pipo.
• Dumb Blonde: Inverted. She's a blonde, and the smartest of the cast. It is the red-headed Pipo and the dark-haired Klukkluk who leave a lot to be desired in terms of intelligence.
• The Fashionista: In the 1950s series, she was always wearing the prettiest, flowiest gowns with lots of ruffles, and heels.
• Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: She's blonde and the chain that keeps Pipo, Klukkluk and Petra together, loves them despite their idiocy, and an all-knowing Team Mom.
• Happily Married: She loves Pipo and he loves her back.
• Inconsistent Spelling: Is it Mamaloe or Mammaloe?
• Meaningful Name: She is indeed Petra's mama.
• Nice Girl: She's kind to all people, not just her family.
• Perpetual Smiler: She always has an all-knowing smile on her face, likely because she's surrounded by eccentric idiots.
• Phrase Catcher: To Pipo's "Hou's even vast, Mammaloe!". This is often said before she sets her mind to something.
• Pink Is Feminine: In the 2017 series, she wears a pink blouse and a blue shirt.
• Princess Classic: The 2017 version rings like this - she has a Beautiful Singing Voice, is as pretty as she is kind, and beloved by everyone around her, even the animals.
• Simple, yet Opulent: Her 2017 counterpart wears a pink gown that makes her look very pretty.
• Straight Man: To Pipo and Klukkluk's wacky hijinks and moments of idiocy.
• Team Mom: While she actually is Petra's parent, she's also the beacon of hope and reason amongst the main crew, even if she's willing to let the occasional antic slide here and there.
• Token Girl: She's the only main female character who's appeared in most adaptations of the show, whereas other series tend to cut out Petra and Auntie Anoushka.
• Ugly Guy, Hot Wife: Pipo isn't ugly, but he is a goofy looking clown. However, his wife is always played by a pretty blonde.
• Women Are Wiser: Though Pipo and Klukkluk set a low standard, Mamaloe is this. She's the only one in the crew who isn't a complete idiot (like those two), or consumed with greed (like Dikke).

Petra

Played by: Petra Barnard (1958–1960), Marjolein Knap (1966–1968)

The precocious daughter of Pipo and Mamaloe.

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^{Portrayed by Petra Barnard
Portrayed by Marjoleine Knap}

• Adapted Out: Didn't appear in the 2017 series.
• The Cutie: She loves her papa and provides most of the series' heartwarming moments, with her idealistic demeanor and cheerfulness.
• Put on a Bus: When Pipo and Klukkluk set out to Berezonië at the request of Klukkluk's mother, Petra is left in the care of Auntie Anouska. She's fed up the entire time, because she'd rather be adventuring.
• Strong Family Resemblance: She's a blonde, just like her mother.

Klukklukk

Played by: Herbert Joeks (1958–1959, 1966–1968, 1971, 1974, 1976, 1980), Joris Gootjes (2017)

A Native American man who also used to work at the same circus as Pipo before also leaving due to Dikke Deur's mistreatment. He is best friends with Pipo, and they view each other like brothers. He is also good friends with Mamaloe and dotes on Petra as if she's his daughter.

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^{Portrayed by Herbert Joeks
Portrayed by Joris Gootjes}

• Adaptational Backstory Change: In the original series, he's from the Wild West, but in some of the later series, he's from Berezonië.
• Adaptational Dye-Job: His 2017 counterpart (played by Joris Gootjes) has ashen light brown hair instead of dark black.
• Adapted Out: Didn't appear in the 2003 movie, though he did appear in the 2017 series.
• Amusing Injuries: Any time he tries to shoot an arrow and it fails to reach it's target. Sometimes, he's on the receving end of it.
• Archery: His specialty (or at least, it's meant to be). He says "Floepens, mis!" every time he misses his target.
• Best Friend: Pipo and Klukklukk are best friends, having met at the circus and being inseparable ever since.
• Character Catchphrase:
  • "Oud Indiaans spreekwoord zegge altijd: ..." ^Translation "An old Native American saying is..."
  • "Boterham met pindakaas" ^Translation "Peanut butter sandwich!"
  • "Floepens, mis!"
  • "Ossie Possie"
• Cool Uncle: To Petra, who looks up to him for his "wisdom". Though Mamaloe is aware he's a dumbass and steps in when she needs to.
• Embarrassing Nickname: His archery abilities earn him the nickname "Klukkluk the mis-shooting Indian" from Pipo.
• Funny Foreigner: Klukkluk is from "the Wild West" and was raised amongst Native Americans, and his Culture Clash is often mentioned in the show.
• Improbable Weapon User: Klukkluk uses a bow and an arrow. Being the dumbass he is, you can probably guess how this turns out. A Running Gag is him trying to shoot Pipo as part of their circus act, and always failing.
• National Stereotypes: In the black and white series, he wore a feather on his head alongside braids. He also adheres to "Native American customs", like being deathly paranoid of everything.
• Phenotype Stereotype: He has dark hair and tanned skin, though Herbert Joeks was a white man in brownface for the role.
• Token Minority: Klukkluk is the only Native American amongst an European cast, and this is highlighted by his poor grasp of the Dutch language and Funny Foreigner antics.
• Trademark Favourite Food: Klukkluk loves peanut butter, to the point "PEANUT BUTTER SANDWICH!" is one of his catchphrases.
• Verbal Tic: "Dit is toch van de gekke!". Infamous enough to warrant an addition to the Dutch dictionary.

Dikke Deur

Played by: Lou Geels (1958–1959), Willy Ruys (1966–1968, 1975), Simon Zwiers (2017)

The director of the unnamed circus Pipo and Klukkluk worked at. An unlikable man, he cares only for money and food.

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^{Portrayed by Lou Geels
Portrayed by Willy Ruys}

• Alliterative Name: Dikke Deur.
• Bad Boss: Pipo left and decided to be a standalone act after facing frequent abuse from him.
• Character Catchphrase:
  • "Pipo, koeien!" ^Translation "Pipo, cows!"
  • "Oh, wat heb ik weer een pech..." ^Translation "Oh, what bad luck I have again..."
• A Dick in Name: His name is Dikke Deur, and he works Pipo like a mule while trying to withhold his pay.
• Fat Bastard: He's very fat (his favourite food is noted to be pie) and craves more wealth and power in spite of already being quite well-off himself.
• Greed: Dikke Deur's main motive. He wants to make wealth off Pipo without paying him, and also desires to be the ruler of Klukkluk's tribe so he can be showered in cakes and sweets all day.
• Jerkass: He drives Pipo and Klukkluk away with his greed and abuse, refuses to accept their resignation and harasses them to rejoin him.
• Punny Name: His name is a pun on "Director" (see Trivia for details).
• The Rival: To Klukkluk, as he actually tries to take his spot as the leader of the Native American tribe. This is even though Klukkluk is the son of their leader. For some reason, the Native Americans don't bat an eye at a stranger making such a demand, and actually consider him as a candidate alongside Klukkluk.