The Steeplechase Face was the mascot of the historic Steeplechase Park, the first[1] of three amusement parks in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York.[2] It remains a nostalgic symbol of Coney Island and of amusement areas influenced by it.[3] It features a man with a wide, exaggerated smile which sometimes bears as many as 44 visible teeth. The image conveys simple fun,[4] but was also observed by cultural critics to have an undercurrent of Victorian-era repressed sexuality.[5]
It was also known as the Funny Face after the park's slogan "Steeplechase – Funny Place" or as Tillie, after the park's founder George C. Tilyou. It has also sometimes been named Steeplechase Jack. The mascot represented the area's wholesomeness and neoclassical architecture combined with its veneer of hidden sexuality.[3][6][5] Though the park was a "family-friendly" area, it was nearby the "freer sexual expression of the dance halls, beaches, and boardwalk."[7]
The "Funny Face" logo has become an iconic symbol of Coney Island.[3]