Krusty the Clown may have chucked his last chuckle and played his last Itchy and Scratchy because, if the rumours are right, he isThe Simpsons’ character that the producers are thinking of killing off. But Herschel Shmoikel Pinchas Yerucham Krustofski is so much more than just a clown. Here are 10 best bits of Krusty the Clown just in case we really are never going to see that grumpy painted smile again.

Krusty the Clown
Krusty the Clown might be in the firing line in The Simpsons'  writers' room

One - Lisa’s First Word
Krusty the Clown likes money and will broadcast and endorse anything to earn a pretty penny.
Krusty: Aaaaaagh! I almost swallowed some of the juice! - while filming a KrustyBurger commercial.

Two - Kamp Krusty
Kamp Krusty turned every Springfield kids’ dream into a nightmare of unfit cabins, dangerous lakes and Krusty Brand gruel. Bart leads a revolt and eventually Krusty turns up and apologises.
Bart: Krusty! This camp was a nightmare! They fed us gruel, they forced us to make wallets for export and one of the campers was eaten by a bear!
Krusty: Oh my God!
Bart: Well, actually, the bear just ate his hat.
Krusty: Was it a nice hat?
Bart: Oh yeah.
Krusty: Oh my God!

Three - Like Father Like Clown
Never a comedy to shy away from the difficult issues, viewers were given access to Krusty’s life before the fame clowning around brought when Lisa and Bart reunited Krusty with his estranged father, Rabbi Hyman Krustofski.
Krusty: My father was a rabbi. His father was a rabbi. His father’s fath... well you get the idea.

Krusty the Clown meeting his fatherKrusty, here reunited with his father, is more than just a Clown character

Four - The Last Temptation of Krust
Krusty is persuaded to go to a comedy festival only to find out his brand of comedy isn’t funny anymore. In despair he retires. At his retirement press conference his tirade about modern comedy is met with hysterics from the audience and suddenly he finds he’s got a new genre.
Krusty: Comedy isn’t funny anymore! You’ve got some big chinned slob reading typos from the Palookaville Post! Well, here’s a headline for ya. Nobody cares!

Five - Brick Like Me
In a world where Springfield and the all its inhabitants are made of Lego, Krusty makes a very good point.
Krusty: I’m a clown. I can’t afford to look ridiculous.

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Next page: more of Krusty's finest moments