A few weeks ago, the subject of “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” was the murder of a clown. Not just a guy who was a clown, like “Steve, what a clown,” but a real clown, a guy in a clown suit with floppy shoes and neon coloured clothes and a painted face with a red rubber nose. The late clown’s name was Doodles.
As it turned out, the clown had been slain when a man returned home to find his wife diddling Doodles. Or doing Doodles, whatever. It seems the wife had a thing for clowns and had hired many to come over and give er the ol’ big tent, if you catch my drift.
As we watched Grissom and the team unravel the case, my wife opined that clowns are creepy. I agreed.
And then I started thinking; EVERYONE I know thinks clowns are creepy. Anyone around when the subject comes up comments that they think clowns are scary, horrifying things. Clowns are frequently portrayed in popular culture as frightening, twisted monsters. Every week on “America’s Funniest Videos” there’s a video of children being scared out of their wits by a clown.
So I’m wondering… why ARE there clowns, if everyone thinks they’re creepy? Does anyone actually like clowns? Any of you?
I grew up with J.P. Patches. I have never feared for clowns. My grand daughter Samantha is a different story. A few years ago she spent the better part of 2 hours hiding under her jacket at a circus. One young clown tried for over an hour to try to make her watch the show but she would have nothing to do with him. I seriously doubt I will ever get her to a circus again.
I’m sure you’re looking for Dopers who like clowns. Wellllll…Sorry. Here’s a thumbs-down quote. I’m totally creeped out by clowns, and so is my kid. She used to think evil clowns would come out of the sewer- this was probably prompted by her sneaking downstairs when she was four and the babysitter was watching “Stephen King’s IT” on TV. I can still make her jump sometimes when we’re walking past a sewer grate and I yell “EVIL CLOWNS!” (She’s almost 12 now.).
Stephen King’s “IT” and John Wayne Gacy haven’t done much to boost clowns’ reputations, IMHO.
I don’t really hate clowns but I don’t like them that much either. Most important I have not yet seen any even remotely funny clown. However they somehow managed to make me feel guilty about being totally untouched by the art (or whatever they call their business) of clowns. I sit there and feel like the villain of some children’s story because I am so cold-hearted and evil that I cannot enjoy the experience. That’s really annoying. Especially because I believe I should be able to rationalize that away, but it doesn’t work.
Most of 'em have creeped me out, even in childhood.
Possibly the only exception was Red Skelton, though I’m going on family reports for that one. He was such a gentle, funny person that (so family legend goes) I’d be coaxed out of cringes when he donned full clown face.
Most of my clownphobia morphed from a “kiddie” TV celebrity who frankly scared the infantile shit outta me. I got dragged onto his show as a treat and mainly remember throwing up all over his oversized shoes from pure fear. Great fun, huh?
They shoved a bunch of hyper, nervous kids into a strange room (primitive sound stage), then this cranky man in grotesque, exaggerated makeup picked a victim–me–to drink Bosco in front of all those blinding lights. Everything was too distorted, hot and scary, so I promptly ralphed the Bosco right back up.
Fun? IMO clowns are direct descendents of the aptly named Grimm brothers. Scare the little tykes witless with smiling, thinly veiled threat.
Sorry, you wont get a vote from me. I don’t like clowns at all, they range from lame to downright creepy and I felt this long before I ever heard of Pennywise.
Neither of my kids liked clowns or Santa Claus for that matter. At least it saved me from waiting in those long queues to sit on Santa’s knee at the mall.
Please don’t let a few bad clowns shade your view of their profession. We used to have a clown here that would go around and put money in peoples parking meters that were about to expire, thus saving them a ticket. The local police did not like this and he became quite a celebrity and hero. I think someone that wants to have sex with a costumed clown though is slightly weird. Haj is right …the best clowns are in Circ de Soleil.
My earliest memory of a clown was went I went to a circus at about age 5 or 6.
I thought they were stupid and couldn’t figure out why people were laughing.
A part of me wishes I could find them funny…a simpler way of looking at things.
I guess that makes me a born cynic.
What is really annoying is to always see clowns in films at kid’s parties where the kids are all excited and laughing and clapping…I happened to see that epidode of CSI and I thought it was appropriate that they mentioned only parents seem to think kids like them. Clueless parents.
J.P. Patches was not really a clown, though. He was a guy doing all kinds of crazy sh*t who just happened to be wearing a clown costume. What a totally whacked-out, goofy show that was! Quality entertainment for the Frosted Flakes hour.
I’ve been creeped out by clowns ever since I was a kid and I saw a clown get murdered in the beginning of Octopussy. I’m really glad I didn’t watch Stephen King’s It until I was in my late teens. That would have REALLY screwed me over for life. It still kinda creeps me out.
I agree that clowns range from lame to creepy, but I can’t say they actually scare me. I do strongly dislike them, however. Also watching Killer Clowns from Outer Space as a child probably didn’t help. My little brother is still totally freaked out by clowns to this day because of that movie. Oh, and the fact that I tortured him for months by humming the creepy instrumental theme music from the movie all the time just to scare him.
