Replacement
sidekick to
Krusty the Klown on TV's
The Simpsons. After
Sideshow Bob was arrested and sent to prison, Melvin van Horn took over as the tall-haired straight-man to
Krusty's hijinks. He wears a
bone in his hair not as a fashion statement, but because he once tried to dig some
gum that was stuck in his hair with a
bone. Mel is quite
educated and
erudite (just like his
predecessor) and is
lactose intolerant.
In the past he's been forced to conduct the Monkeytown Philharmonic and work his way through the slobsticle course on the Krusty the Klown Show, each leading to horrible injuries. Despite his working relationship with Krusty, the two have never spoken to each other outside of work.
When Mr. Burns was shot in the 1990s it was Mel who deduced that Waylon Smithers could not have been the shooter. Around this time he was involved with a woman named Barbara, although what became of this relationship after this is not known.
Sideshow Mel continues his work alongside Krusty the Klown every afternoon at 4pm.