Our local newspaper is holding an outdoor Halloween decoration contest. I had a photo ready to post on their Facebook page even though my dead guys and pumpkins weren’t displayed that early in October. In a month’s time in Colorado, decorations could blow to Kansas. I figured the dramatic lighting would make up for some of the missing details. I had the photo teed up and ready to upload when I hesitated. They required an address. It would post on their page so others could vote. Did I really want my house advertised this year? I would be opening up my door to a lot of strangers. Have you heard about evil clowns?
I always think of Judy Collins’ rendition of Send in the Clowns. She asked for them. But don’t send clowns to my house, please.
Clowns have never scared me, but I’ve never liked them either. Ridiculous in their little funny cars chasing each other and honking horns – as if they needed any more attention – they circuitously made their way down the street in parades. I remember cringing. Even as a kid I knew they were grown men. I wondered why they chose to dress up and wear face paint. Too gaudy and with predictably silly behavior, I would yawn and look forward to the next group to march down the street.
Is it the garish face paint, the oversized and bright-colored costume, their humongous feet, or the crazed hair? Maybe our wee brains went into sensory overload as children. Maybe I could see the smile painted on some, which didn’t match up with their glum expression underneath or vice versa when a frown decorated their face. I just know that they creeped me out.
According to Wikipedia, the clown’s exaggerated appearance is for viewing from a distance. That explains some of the revulsion, but not all of it. Remember when circus clowns would fight each other and kick with oversized shoes? Sometimes one of them would squirt water from a flower into another’s eye. I never liked that either. Maybe I’m a sensitive soul.
I remember a new kid in my class who bragged about being a guest on The Bozo the Clown Show. Bozo asked him his name and the new kid supposedly said, “Cram it, clown.” The rumor spread like a grassfire. I stayed away from that kid. It seemed pretty aggressive for a third-grader. Now some of the clowns have become the aggressors.
When Stephen King’s book IT came out in 1986, I was super stoked. After the first few chapters, I set it down. I couldn’t sleep with those frightening images in my head. A maniacal clown, so evil and nasty, who stalks and kills little children? Ughh. After that, clowns really repelled me.
For one of my daughter’s birthdays, I made the mistake of hiring a clown. I thought it was just me who wasn’t enthralled. In the video, one of the little girls cried while the rest of the kids squirmed and fidgeted. “That was a bust,” Danny said after watching it recently. We shared a giggle. I guess, I wasn’t alone.
I love dressing up and have a room full of costumes bought at garage sales along with my own castoffs from trends that never set. I’ve also made some for my kids. But I don’t own one clown costume. The thought of being a clown for Halloween never crossed my mind.
Although the clown originated from the “rustic fool” in ancient Greek and Roman Theater, it’s the modern circus clown developed in the 19th century that captures our nightmarish imagination. We can thank the traveling circus for each and every one of them.
With news of the worldwide clown attack epidemic, I wondered how much of IT had to do with the evil clown persona. So did Stephen King.
Local law enforcement agencies in more than twenty states are prohibiting clown costumes this year. Some clowns, like the one we hired for Courtney’s birthday, may be out of a job, at least until this quiets down.
All I know is on All Hallow’s Eve, Danny will be up at 0’dark thirty and will be yawning when the last of the trick-or-treaters ring our bell. I usually keep the lights on for high school kids and answer the door for the last of them, alone. Our neighborhood has aged out and the amount of kids who call is waaaay down. But I’m relieved I didn’t enter the contest. I won’t run out of candy at 7:00 nor will people come from miles around to see my house and ring my bell. Most of all, I won’t be a beacon for some crazy clown who comes to call on Halloween night.
But there’s no guarantee.
IT may find our house anyway…
You may have missed this ironic photo essay about the Halloween Circus we found. It was a super cool and entertaining party. Don’t worry. Not one clown attended.
What would you do if a clown knocked on your front door Halloween night?
If you enjoyed this, click for more Wild Adventures!
I’d pretend I wasn’t home. 😟
I’ve never liked clowns either. There’s nothing funny about them, only creepy. Very creepy.
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Right? I understand the entertaining value of a clown in a circus or parade, but up close they make me uncomfortable.
It’s one thing to be in a contest where people drive by and another when I’m opening up my door all night! It has put another layer of creepy on Halloween.
Thanks Miriam!
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True. They have their place, for sure, just not at my place!
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It came out when i was like 4 years old which is definitely why my entire generation is not a fan. I thought it was just the usa but last weekend we saw one in the park and my friend was like ew I hate them. ..in disabuse hahaha
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Wow! That’s an enormous effect for one author. A few years later, the movie came out. IT was creepy even with John Boy Walton as the main character.
I can’t believe clowns are out and about with all the laws popping up. That’s what scares me. Teenaged boys aren’t the most logical thinkers. I hope their impulsivity doesn’t cause trouble on Halloween night!
Are you still in South America?
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Yes and the clowns here are just as creepy hahaha
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Whoa! Amazing the creepy factor knows no boundaries. Ha!
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I guess not. No one likes them. I don’t even know why they exist!
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Circuses. Ha!
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Spanish. Not disabuse. Darn phone!
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Clowns aren’t funny, just creepy.
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They are! I’m waiting to see Modern Family tonight. I expect Cam to be all dressed up with nowhere to go. Ha!
Are they out and about in Vegas?
Thanks John!
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I, too, wonder if the coulrophobia uptick in the last thirty years had had to do with that very book! People have argued with me, saying that phobia exist before the book, but that’s not what I’m asking–I’m wondering about the prevalence *before* the book release, as opposed to *after*.
I’ve met some clowns who were nice both in and out of makeup, but then there was my seventh grade math/science teacher who I hated with a passion. (I’m pretty sure she brought in a picture one day so we could see what she looked like in costume.) So it’s a tossup.
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I think IT made an impact. I had seen some evil clowns in circuses who picked on others as part of a show, so it’s not much of a stretch. But attacking the innocent is super strange. I think of Batman and all those creepy characters. Many were dressed like clowns, so maybe they contributed to this weird phenomenon.
The clown who came to my daughter’s party was super sweet. Up close, clowns are too out of the ordinary and weird-looking for kids and adults!
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I started watching “Love Never Dies” (the [quiet] ALW sequel to Phantom) and thought of you when I saw the turn-of-the-century clowns!
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Ha! A great association to be sure… 🤡
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While I’ve never been a fan of clowns, I’m with Stephen: the hysteria’s gone too far. I feel badly for the kind folks out there, who just enjoy getting laughs. It’s crazy making. Nice post, Susie.
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Thanks, Dawn!
There have been so many who have scared people. It’s crazy. Some areas and schools have gotten threats too. I hope it’s a non-issue on Halloween and we can go back to normal. Since I get so many who drive to my house, I was fearful of becoming a target. I’ve learned to trust my gut.
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If the clown knocked on my door on Halloween, I would be very surprised, but would tell him that my mind is already made up and I’m voting for Hillary Clinton.
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Hahahahahaha! That is such a good one, X! If I could tweet your comment, I would.
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I do imagine clowns have gone down in popularity with time. For one, people are more entertained by media now, and so a clown or magician is less special, when someone can go watch tv whenever and be entertained.
Clowns are creepy in a very interesting way cause we don’t know what they are really feeling under the paint.. are they really happy or? It’s the uncertainty.
It is unfortunate what is happening for clowns, or entertainers, with this attacks thing going on. Its been years since I saw a clown perform.But I personally like the sense of uncertainty I feel from clowns, and they can be funny as well, also they present i think, a sort of complete innocence where there is no other motivation but to make some kids laugh, which is nice I think. But the fear part as mentioned above, is akin to riding a scary ride, which is for some and not for others. But not everyone needs to ride a ride for it still to be a fine thing.
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That is such a point! Clowns are unpredictable and can be very entertaining. I remember them at the rodeo too. It’s too bad a few are giving all of them a bad name. There are some who depend on being a clown for their livelihood.
Maybe the whole crazy cast of characters from Batman contributed. They look like a blend of both.
I was about the last to know about the clowns. I asked my friend’s son last week. A child was cut and there have been threats made on schools. I hope it goes away as strangely as it came, like streaking. Ha! At least streaking didn’t hurt anyone.
Thanks for stopping by!
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Can’t wait until some kook uses Santa Claus as a method to disrupt society.
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Oh, that would be terrible. It seems anything can happen these days. I hope no one breaks in by coming down my chimney!
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They would have to be pretty thin to get down mine. 😀
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Ha! Attacking Santas could be thwarted with the flip of a switch at mine! 🤡
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Ours requires the kindling and such. 😀
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We live on a hill so it would have to be a very athletic clown!
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Ha! I’m sure you’ll be safe…
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I’ve never been afraid of clowns, so I don’t get this new craze to dress up as a clown and do weird stuff. I truly don’t get it. Do people feel empowered because they’re in disguise? If that’s the case, why a freaking clown? What about a clown is empowering? Heck, I’d dress up as the Hulk.
Anyway, clowns don’t freak me out or scare me at all. In fact, one year in high school a friend and I dressed up as clowns and did a pantomime routine. She was the fat clown (her sister sewed a hula hoop inside a giant pantsuit) and I was the skinny clown (being naturally scrawny as a kid I just wore a pair of my dad’s pants and rolled up the hems and cinched up the waist). Anyway, we won second place. So, not all clowns are bad.
But, yeah, if a clown shows up at my house on Halloween, I’m likely to send it away with some buckshot in it’s britches. That stuff’s not funny.
Patricia Rickrode
w/a Jansen Schmidt
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You crack me up, Patricia!
I love that you dressed up as a clown. I never associated evil with them, I just thought they looked weird close up. I agree about the choice of being a clown to terrorize people. Maybe the Joker costume was too specific. Those Batman characters are more than creepy!
Good luck on Halloween night!
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The Viking and I will do what we do every year – build a large fort out of quilts in the bedroom and crouch inside it with our tablets set to the lowest brightness setting. We aren’t home! We hate Hallowe’en! I had to endure the ritual when my kids were little. Later, I forced them to answer the door and hand out candy while gale force winds and snow blew through the house. I will have to endure it again for Grandchildren. But for now, we aren’t home!
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Ha! That’s one way to avoid the clowns this year. As you know, I’m the polar opposite! 🙂
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HA! What a trip! The clown thing never really bothered me as a kid, Ronald McDonald was the first clown I ever knew and he was in favor of Happy Meals and fries so I was all for it. But after Stephen King man! Things got a little creepy. Cujo freaked my freak too. It reminded me of Kramer and his fear of clowns. But this whole clown thing is pretty creepy. I hope no clowns come knocking on your door …but if they do I’m sure you and Danny will be ready for them 🙂 Have a Happy Halloween!
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If he’s not sleeping! Ha! Is it a big deal in California?
Kramer was way ahead of us! Even Ronald has been benched with this hysteria. It’s so weird. Why so many years after IT? And why not some kind of zombie? I’ll be out this weekend and will capture any clown sightings with my camera.
Happy Halloween to you!
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Never a clown fan, especially after reading IT. Then it all changed when my sister hired a clown for her son’s first birthday party. He waited at the bar before his debut. Have you ever seen a drunk clown try to make a ballon animal? All I can say is the kids had no clue and the parents were entertained.
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Oh, no! Hahaha! I’m sure they thought his slurred words were part of his act. Did he add a wobble to his routine too?
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I like clowns! I never understood how they got such a bad rap, but I think you may be on to something – I blame Stephen King.
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Hurting and scaring kids and adults isn’t great for their brand. I think it has a lot to do with that evil portrayal from the movie, IT. But all these years later? Why?
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I’ve had the pleasure of knowing two people whose hobby was being a clown. I mean, they were into it and considered it a gift that they could be a clown on the weekend. Both of these people were polite, but as weird as you’d expect. Still kind of shudder when I think of them.
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Ha! I love how you finish your comment… with the perfect twist. I can’t relate to clowns, but I guess if you were really into makeup and costumes, but didn’t want to go the theater route, it’s one way to get that fix. I’ve been thinking about it. The makeup is so exaggerated. It ignores their actual features and makes them strange-looking when you’re closeup.
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Clowns do creep a lot of people out don’t they. The clown scare attack thing is going on over here in the UK too, in fact I thought it was just over here till I read your post! People ask – are the real clowns, or people dressed up as clowns? Err…what’s the difference?
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Ha! Like clowns are real? Maybe they’re asking if they’re professional. I don’t think any professional clown would enjoy upsetting people. I wonder why the evil clown so long after King’s IT?
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I did a bit of a Google search after your question yesterday to see how/why the evil clown thing had started now, and to be honest it was a bit confusing, with a few different things being said by different people, but mainly saying that there’s a long history of scary clowns going way further back than IT. This particular phase seemed to possibly start from an incident that happened to a little boy in an apartment complex in South Carolina!
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His arm was cut by a clown. I saw the picture! It must be frightening for kids in particular. Thanks for looking into it! I’m sure there are some who are only pranking, but physically harming someone just for grins is sick. Maybe it will die down after Halloween.
Don’t forget to leave a link at the party today!
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I had the same reaction to King’s “It.” I couldn’t handle “IT.” I was in a group of women at a conference and we were asked to tell a little something about ourselves. One woman shared that she’d recently gone to clown school. I got the giggles, and completely embarrassed myself because it really did come across like I was laughing at her. It just struck me so funny. I’ve never been concerned about clowns one way or another, but if I had one stalking me as in this new “clown craze” I’m certain I’d be terrified! I feel sorry for all the benevolent clowns out there–presumably like the woman at my conference! I’m giggling again!
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That’s like laughing at a funeral! HA! I’ve been known to get the giggles at inappropriate times, so don’t feel bad. I thought it was pretty funny when I learned clown school was a real thing. 🙂
I hope you’re clown-free through Halloween, Debra. I’ll be out and about, avoiding them wherever I go!
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What would I do?
I’d turn into a huge, hairy spider and enjoy dinner.
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Ha! Are clowns tasty?
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Ha! Stay tuned for a post-Hallowe’en culinary review! >:-E
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Ha! I can’t wait…Muahahahahaha!
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