Edmond Ansley
St. Louis Post Dispatch, Thursday, September 28, 1972

Buster Brown Shoe Midget Dies at 84

HUGO, Okla., Sept. 28 (AP)-- Edmond Ansley, a midget who traveled the country for 27 years promoting Buster Brown children's shoes, died Tuesday night in a Gainesville, Tex., hospital, apparently of a heart attack. He was 84 years old.

The 4 foot 2 inch Mr. Ansley was hired by the Brown Shoe Co. of St. Louis when he was 22 to promote its line of children's shoes. He had lived in Hugo since his retirement in 1937.

As Buster Brown, Mr. Ansley appeared in a blond wig, red suit and hat, blue tie, knickers and white shirt with what became known as a Buster Brown collar, which he said would "Choke you to death." A series of five Boston terriers named Tige appeared with him.

"Tige and I worked practically every county seat in the nation and a lot of towns that weren't county seats," Mr. Ansley recalled in an interview two years ago.

Mr. Ansley, rediscovered in Hugo a few years ago, had since made limited appearances for Brown Shoe Co.

transcribed by Ron Henson