The History Of The Stave Clown

Our beloved and iconic Stave clown has been puzzling people all over the globe for 50 years! So, how did he come to be? Who thought to make the “mascot” of our small company a clown figure? And why?

One of Stave’s co-founders, Dave Tibbetts, was behind the magic and the mayhem. And even though he was part of the Stave team for only a few short years – they were important ones! His creativity and imagination live on today in every puzzle we craft! “I probably sketched it, then cut it out to see what the shape looked like,” recalled Dave. “I think I mastered it on my first attempt!” The question “Why a clown?” often comes up at puzzle events, during customer calls, and Stave shop tours. “We were selling games, having fun” Dave reminisces.

The clown is a playful representation of the Stave spirit. Unlike any other company logo, the Stave clown isn’t just a symbol - it’s integrated into everything about Stave. It’s in every puzzle we craft, on the top of every blue box, every wooden box, and even our puzzle boards and tables. It’s a fun and recognizable figure.

The clown has evolved over the years, taking on different looks and styles. The original design featured floppy shoes, a floppy hat, a baggy costume, and it even mimicked the signature two thumbs-up gesture of a man we all know and love, our Chief Tormentor, Steve Richardson. Several years later it was transformed into a more modern figure with subtle changes like three fingers instead of raised thumbs, a more symmetrical body, a wilder hairdo, shorter and slightly wider shoes, and a flatter, more horizontal stretch of the arcing, pompom-tipped hat.

Occasionally, our fun and mischievous logo has been featured with a champagne glass with bubbles, he’s popped out of the edge of magazine ads, been adorned with artistic facial features and masks, and even been paired with a message announcing, “sometimes I just don’t fit in”.

The Stave clown is well-loved and recognized by puzzlers everywhere. Longtime Stave customers John and Karen D. owned a van they adorned with a wordless bumper sticker. Pulling up to a stoplight one day, John noticed a woman in the passenger seat of the adjacent car frantically waving her hands to get his attention. “You’ve got a clown on the back of your car,” she hollered. “You do Stave Puzzles.” Other Stavers have been spotted in vacation photos or walking down the street while our beloved clown proudly adorns their cap or
t-shirt. It’s heartwarming to know that in homes all over the country, the Stave clown is like one of the family.

Written by Jennifer

Jennifer runs the company with Paula and is proud to keep Steve's legacy of puzzle torment alive. Jennifer has been with Stave since 1987, making her Stave's most seasoned crafter! She told Steve many, many years ago that she didn't want his job, but today she is rocking it! Jennifer is a tried-and-true puzzlenut. Jennifer enjoys crosswords, sudoku, and word puzzles in addition to the Stave puzzles she has crafted for her family. She also enjoys a good mystery book like Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series. Have you read them? Jennifer also loves a good concert; she hopes to see Gladys Knight, Smokey Robinson, Adele, and Bruno Mars someday!