Whatever Happened to Loonette From ‘The Big Comfy Couch’?
Whatever happened to Loonette from The Big Comfy Couch?
Prior to getting cast as the lead on The Big Comfy Couch in the early ‘90s, Canadian actress Alyson Court worked as a voice actor on several cartoon television series, including The Care Bears, Garbage Pail Kids and Beetlejuice, the latter for which she provided the voice of Lydia Deetz. Even during her time on The Big Comfy Couch, she lent her voice to the X-Men series, voicing Jubilee, as well as in the Resident Evil video game series, voicing Claire Redfield.
In 1992, Court made her debut as the original Loonette—a young friendly clown girl—on beloved preschool show The Big Comfy Couch, which aired in Canada before its U.S. syndication on PBS. The educational program, which taught kids various lessons and problem-solving skills, also featured memorable characters such as Loonette’s doll, Molly; Granny Garbanzo; Snicklefritz the cat; and delivery man Major Bedhead.
Aside from appearing on TV, Court also portrayed the character during North American live tours and in the 2003 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. She played the clown until Season 6 in 2003, after which she decided to leave the series and focus on raising her child, Blaede, who later adorably dressed up as Molly for Halloween. In 2006, the role was briefly taken over by Ramona Gilmour-Darling for The Big Comfy Couch's seventh and final season.
Since leaving the show, Court has continued her work as a voice actress, lending her voice to dozens of animated television series. She’s also appeared as a special guest at various fan conventions. According to her LinkedIn profile, Court has also become a voice director. She also recently teased a new project with Canadian musician Shawne Jackson.
In October 2016, after creepy clowns began showing up across the U.S., Court reprised her role as Loonette for a sketch on the comedic Canadian television show, This Hour Has 22 Minutes. She told viewers that people shouldn’t be afraid of clowns before declaring “everybody dies” while firing up a chainsaw.
In her downtime, the 47-year-old is a big Toronto Blue Jays fan seems to enjoy sports in general. She also loves Halloween, as evident by her Zombie Loonette costume.
In July 2019, she announced her marriage to comic book creator Z.M. Thomas.
While many of us will always remember her as the cute little clown from that widely-loved kid's show back in the '90s, here's what Alyson Court looks like today: