Plainview, Nebraska’s Klown Doll Museum is exactly what its name promises. Inside, nearly 8,000 clown dolls line shelves, fill display cases, and peer out from every corner. Some are cheerful and brightly painted, while others lean toward the eerie, with frozen expressions that seem to follow you as you move through the space.
The museum got its start early in the 1950s, when a group of locals started the traveling Plainview Klown Band as a way to increase tourism. Later, in the 1980s, a Chamber of Commerce secretary placed several clown dolls in the Chamber office. More and more clowns were donated by community members, and eventually, the collection grew large enough to require its own dedicated museum—set up in a former filling station and pizza parlor.
Each doll has its own distinct design, reflecting different eras, styles, and interpretations of clowns. In a town of only around 1,000 people, residents are proud to be outnumbered by these delightfully odd figures. The Plainview Klown Band still tours throughout the state, and the town’s Klown Days Festival is eagerly awaited each summer.
