Krusty the Clown – The Simpsons
The Simpson’s episode I chose to watch was Krusty Gets Busted. Krusty the clown is a
tragic children’s show character and celebrity. He appears a sad and depressed man when
the makeup is off. Krusty is loved by the kids but the sad man behind the mask is an
unknown. I believe Krusty is a sad soul who is forced to hide behind the clown outfit due
to his own lack of self esteem and does not want to exist outside of his clown facade.
I chose to evaluate Krusty’s sitcom personality based on the humanistic existential
approach which was developed in the 1950’s and 1960’s. According to our book, the
humanistic existential approach believes that humans make healthy choices to create their
personalities. This approach has a general positive and optimistic view of human nature
and that humans are responsible for their own life and finding meaning in life and death.
The humanistic existential approach focuses on how humans can optimize their personality
only after physiological and safety needs are met. It also talks about how environments can
effect human’s ability to fulfill their needs and progress.
I believe Krusty is lacking love and acceptance in his own personal life. I believe Krusty
tries to find meaning in life by having children declare their affinity and acceptance of him.
He opens every episode of his show by talking to the children in the audience as follows:
Krusty, “Hey kids, Who do you love? Kids, “Krusty!”
Krusty, “How much do you love me? Kids, “With all our hearts!”
