Beloved showman Ivar Haglund (1905-1985) established Seattle's first aquarium at Pier 54 and started a fish-and-chips stand in 1938 that grew into a restaurant empire. In 1946 Ivar opened the renowned "Acres of Clams" restaurant, one of 31 fish bars still operating in the region.

Haglund first conceived of the Dancing Clams, shown here surprising a visitor at the Pike Place Market, as characters for comic strips he drew in the 1950s. Adopted as the company's "clamscots" in 1985, they made many appearances throughout the Northwest to promote the seafood chain.

Caption information source: https://www.ivars.com/our-story/item/480-ivar-s-dancing-clams-adventures-through-the-years
Caption information also derived from captions written by Post-Intelligencer staff and attached to the back of the photo.