Patof is a character in the highly successful Canadian children's television series Patofville. He was portrayed by actor-comedian Jacques Desrosiers.
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Patof | |
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Le cirque du Capitaine Patofville Patof raconte Patof voyage character | |
![]() Patof, the King of Clowns | |
First appearance | January 1972 |
Portrayed by | Jacques Desrosiers |
Alias | Gregor Patof |
Gender | Male |
Occupation | Clown |
Nationality | Russian |
In January 1972, the clown Patof made his appearance in the series Le Cirque du Capitaine on the French-language Quebec television station CFTM-TV Channel 10. He hosted three different series: Patofville, Patof raconte, and Patof voyage.[1]
Patof told jokes and stories characterized by puns and often ended his numbers by exclaiming "On m'applaudit!!!" (applaud me!!!)[citation needed]
He had a successful recording career during the 1970s. Songs like "Patof Blou" (1972), "Patof le roi des clowns" (1972), "Patofville" (1973), "L'éléphant Tic-Tac" (1973), "La plus belle poupée du monde" (1973), "Bienvenue dans ma bottine" (1974), "Gros minou" (1975), and "Bonjour Patof" (1975) are among his greatest hits.[citation needed]
Patof participated in the Shriner Circus in 1973 and 1974, at the Montreal Forum.[citation needed]
He recorded an English single called "The King of Clowns".[1]
Some of Patof's adventures were released as recordings and comic strips, including Patof en Russie, Patof chez les esquimaux, Patof chez les coupeurs de têtes, Patof dans la baleine, Patof chez les petits hommes verts, Patof chez les cowboys, Patof raconte, Patof découvre un ovni, Patof en Chine, and Patof chez les dinosaures.[citation needed]
The character's full name is Gregor Patof. According to his background story, he was born in Bobruisk, Belarus. Patof's father was a clown, and he and his wife both worked for a circus in Moscow. Patof lost his father at the age of six, and his mother died a few years later, reportedly from laughter after seeing a bearded woman.[2]
As an orphan, Patof went to work at a circus. Everything in his environment reminded him of his parents, however, so he decided to leave. Not wishing to drastically alter his climate, he moved to Montreal in Canada, a city as cold as Moscow.[2]
He was lucky to meet "Capitaine Bonhomme" who, always ready to help, found him clowning work on television. Patof rapidly became popular with children. Making numerous personal, unpaid appearances at hospitals and orphanages, he won many hearts.[3]
Besides being a clown, Patof is also the mayor of Patofville, a fancy city filled with surprises for young and old alike, where he lives with his friends Boulik, Polpon, and Itof.
Gregor Patof is a Russian clown and the central character of Patofville, of which he is also the mayor. He appears for the first time in the television series Le cirque du capitaine. His costume consists of red pants and a tweed fitted coat with collar and matched cuffs. He wears enormous red shoes named "tatanes". In Patofville, he lives in a big yellow bootee. He is also the director of the Patof Circus.
Mister Polpon is the police and fire brigade chief of Patofville. The best friend and confidant of Patof, he lives in a huge teapot, which doubles as a prison.
General Itof is a Russian spy whose mission is to return Patof to Moscow. Inventor, imitator, and practical joker, he is also a master in the art of disguise. He wears a Cossack's traditional costume as well as a surprising moustache, which transforms according to its own wishes. In Patofville, he lives in a huge pumpkin.
Boulik (full name: Boulik Scavanovitch) is Patof's faithful dog. Stemming from the famous Toutousavanski race, he can speak and goes crazy when he sees a cat.
Year | Album | Label | Qc Chart[4] | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1972 | Patof en Russie | Campus | N°5 | |
1972 | Patof chez les esquimaux | Campus | — | |
1972 | Patof chez les coupeurs de têtes | Campus | — | |
1972 | Patof dans la baleine | Campus | Top 50 | |
1972 | Patof chez les petits hommes verts | Campus | Top 50 | |
1972 | Patof chez les cowboys | Campus | Top 50 | |
1973 | Patof chante 10 chansons pour tous les enfants du monde | Campus | Top 50 | |
1973 | Patofville – Patof chante pour toi | Campus | Top 50 | |
1974 | Bienvenue dans ma bottine | Campus | Top 50 | |
1974 | Itof et la ville souterraine | Campus | — | Itof album |
1974 | Polpon – Opération bonbon | Campus | — | Polpon album |
1974 | Amikwan – Koi koi ayaho | Campus | Top 50 | Amikwan album |
1974 | L'histoire de Boulik | Campus | — | Boulik album |
1975 | Bricolons avec Madeleine | Campus | — | Madeleine album |
1975 | Patof Rock | Campus | — | |
1975 | Itof – Dans ma citrouille | Campus | — | Itof album |
1975 | Gilbert Chénier – Polpon | Campus | — | Polpon album |
1975 | Noël Noël Noël avec Patof | Campus | — | |
1976 | Gare... à Patof | Campus | — | |
1976 | Tut-Tut / Fafouin | Campus | — | Tut-Tut & Fafouin album |
1976 | Super Patof | Campus | — | |
1980 | Nestor et Patof – Pour tous | Girafe | Top 50 | with Nestor |
Year | Single | Label | Qc Chart[4] | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1972 | Patof Blou (childdren's version) – Patof Blou (political version) |
Campus | N°1 — |
|
1972 | Patof le roi des clowns – Ballade pour un clown (Dis Patof?) |
Campus | N°2 — |
|
1973 | The King of Clowns – Dear Patof |
Polydor | — — |
|
1973 | Oh! Les enfants – On m'applaudit |
Campus | N°14 — |
|
1973 | Patofville – L'éléphant Tic-Tac |
Campus | N°15 — |
|
1973 | L'éléphant Tic-Tac (mono version) – L'éléphant Tic-Tac (mono version) |
Campus | — — |
"D.J. Special" version |
1973 | Bonjour les enfants – La plus belle poupée du monde |
Campus | N°15 — |
|
1974 | Bienvenue dans ma bottine – Goodbye, au revoir, dasvidanie! |
Campus | N°31 — |
|
1974 | Le roi des espions – Je suis bon malgré tout |
Campus | — — |
Itof single |
1974 | Policier bonbon – Prudence |
Campus | — — |
Polpon single |
1974 | Une vie de chien – Je n'aime pas les chats |
Campus | — — |
Boulik single |
1975 | Gros minou – Bonjour Patof |
Campus | — — |
|
1976 | Patof Blou – Patofville – Bonjour Patof – Gros minou |
Campus | — — — — |
Previously released material, promo |
1976 | Faut pas me chercher (Patof & Monsieur Tranquille) – Mon ami Pierrot |
Jades | — — |
|
1980 | T'es pas sérieux – On fait le tour de la terre |
Girafe | — — |
with Nestor |
Year | Album | Label | Qc Chart[4] | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1974 | Patof le roi des clowns | Pantin | Top 50 | |
1975 | 22 grands succès de Patof | Trans-World | — | |
1976 | Patofville – Patof et ses amis | TeeVee | — | |
1977 | 20 grands succès de Patof, Fafouin, Itof | Télé-Métropole Inc. | — |
Year | Album | Collaborator | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2006 | Nestor – Les grands succès | Claude Blanchard | Featuring the B-side of the album Nestor et Patof – Pour tous (Disques Mérite, compilation) |
On the Meritas chart, which was the most reliable chart list in Quebec at the beginning of the 1970s, Patof Blou reached #1 during two weeks on September 16, 1972[5][6] and Patof le roi des clowns reached #7 on December 30, 1972. Jacques Desrosiers received two golden records[7] for the two singles.
Title / Date / Best rank / Weeks on chart
Title / Date / Best rank / Weeks on Top 30
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