# I Don't Get It: Why Do Some People Get Freaked Out By Clowns? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 11, 2002, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-it-why-do-some-people-get-freaked-out-by-clowns/108473 "2002-05-11T11:18:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![LolaBaby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d2c977/32.png) [@LolaBaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LolaBaby)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2002, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-it-why-do-some-people-get-freaked-out-by-clowns/108473/1 "2002-05-11T11:18:19Z")
Well? šŸ˜• Arenā€™t they supposed to make kids happy and not run away screaming in terror? What is it about them? ---
**Author:** ![FisherQueen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/58f4c7/32.png) [@FisherQueen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FisherQueen)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2002, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-it-why-do-some-people-get-freaked-out-by-clowns/108473/2 "2002-05-11T11:58:43Z")
Clowns are scary because of their false faces. They paint on those huge red bloody smiles, those wide eyes, and then they just keep smiling evilly at you. Behind the bleeding grin, you can sometimes see the pain and shame in their eyes, looking bizarrely human in that mask of a face, but you know that if you kick them, or punch them, or shoot them, theyā€™ll just keep grinning at you. They desparately need to you find them funny, to laugh at their antics, even though thereā€™s nothing remotely funny about watching these monsters trip over their hideously deformed floppy feet. But they expect you to laugh- demand that you laugh- and looking into those terrible rictus grins, you are terrified, wondering what they will do to you if you donā€™t laugh. Judging from the red on their mouths, you wonā€™t be the first person theyā€™ve eaten. Clowns are horrible. They should only appear in horror movies, never in places where innocent children could be in danger from them. ---
**Author:** ![cagiva650](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cagiva650](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cagiva650)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2002, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-it-why-do-some-people-get-freaked-out-by-clowns/108473/3 "2002-05-11T12:45:55Z")
What a perfect costume for a child molester - mothers are pushing their kids to him saying donā€™t be afraid itā€™s only a funny clown! Remember John Wayne Gacy? OTH clowning is an art that lots of wonderful people practice and enjoy sharing with others. ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2002, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-it-why-do-some-people-get-freaked-out-by-clowns/108473/4 "2002-05-11T13:02:40Z")
My wife and I took our twin grand daughters (age 5) to a circus a few months ago. Samantha was absolutely terrified of the clowns. A young lady that worked for the circus asked if she could show Sammy what clowns are really made of. She had a small makeup kit and she put clown face on her. Of course Alicia had to get a clown face too. Sammy was brave for the rest of the show but I think she is still afraid of clowns. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e36b37/32.png) [@bibliophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophile)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2002, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-it-why-do-some-people-get-freaked-out-by-clowns/108473/5 "2002-05-11T13:41:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by FisherQueen \* > \*\*Clowns are scary because of their false faces. They paint on those huge red bloody smiles, those wide eyes, and then they just keep smiling evilly at you. Behind the bleeding grin, you can sometimes see the pain and shame in their eyes, looking bizarrely human in that mask of a face, but you know that if you kick them, or punch them, or shoot them, theyā€™ll just keep grinning at you. > > They desparately need to you find them funny, to laugh at their antics, even though thereā€™s nothing remotely funny about watching these monsters trip over their hideously deformed floppy feet. But they expect you to laugh- demand that you laugh- and looking into those terrible rictus grins, you are terrified, wondering what they will do to you if you donā€™t laugh. Judging from the red on their mouths, you wonā€™t be the first person theyā€™ve eaten. > > Clowns are horrible. They should only appear in horror movies, never in places where innocent children could be in danger from them. \*\* I couldnā€™t agree more. The whole prospect of a creature with a huge grin perpetually slapped on his face is unsettling. The idea that this ā€œpersonā€ could be that happy for the entire length of a circus or birthday party is as unnatural as the fire engine red lips they paint on their faces. Plus, who wants to be a clown anyway? I like kids, kids are great, but arenā€™t there other ways of interacting with children and making them ā€œhappyā€ without slapping three inches of makeup on your face and and dancing around like a fool? In addition to being scary, I think clowns also pass along a bad message to kids. Look guys, hereā€™s somebody who looks funny, walks funny, has funny clothes, keeps tripping over everything, and is obviously not the sharpest tool in the shed if heā€™s still falling for the squirting flower thing - laugh it up! And donā€™t even get me started on the noises balloons make while being twisted into animalsā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2002, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-it-why-do-some-people-get-freaked-out-by-clowns/108473/6 "2002-05-11T13:57:28Z")
Scary Clown of the Day from [ihateclowns.com](http://ihateclowns.com) [http://www.ihateclowns.com/](http://www.ihateclowns.com/) ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2002, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-it-why-do-some-people-get-freaked-out-by-clowns/108473/7 "2002-05-11T15:04:16Z")
Ok, I had to be said: Jack Handyā€™s ā€œDeep Thoughtā€: To me, clowns arenā€™t funny. In fact, theyā€™re kind of scary. Iā€™ve wondered where this started and I think it goes back to the time I went to the circus, and a clown killed my dad. ---
**Author:** ![Binarydrone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3da27b/32.png) [@Binarydrone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Binarydrone)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2002, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-it-why-do-some-people-get-freaked-out-by-clowns/108473/8 "2002-05-11T15:51:23Z")
The clown is the trickster. The one that is able to stand outside of the rules. The smile of a clown is more like a scream than a laugh. The clown is more about the cathartic release of laughter than the belly laugh. To me, the clown is the embodiment of a force of nature, and not a funny person. An avatar of Coyote of Loki and, as such, not to be trusted. ---
**Author:** ![Ruffian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/71e660/32.png) [@Ruffian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruffian)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2002, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-it-why-do-some-people-get-freaked-out-by-clowns/108473/9 "2002-05-11T17:04:35Z")
Huh. I still donā€™t get it. Clowns are no scarier than the people dressed up in Mickey Mouse costumes at Disneyland, by this argument, and while I do know quite a few small ones terrified of the Big Giant Rat, I know no adults with the phobia. Unlessā€¦any Doper out there care to admit a phobia of costumed characters? (Actually, some are ā€œfurriesā€ and find them all very sexually arousingā€¦explain _that_ one.) ---
**Author:** ![Arken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dfb087/32.png) [@Arken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arken)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2002, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-it-why-do-some-people-get-freaked-out-by-clowns/108473/10 "2002-05-11T17:36:46Z")
Canā€™t sleep, clowns will eat meā€¦ Canā€™t sleep, clowns will eat meā€¦ Canā€™t sleep, clowns will eat meā€¦ Canā€™t sleep, clowns will eat meā€¦ Canā€™t sleep, clowns will eat meā€¦ Canā€™t sleep, clowns will eat meā€¦ Canā€™t sleep, clowns will eat meā€¦ Canā€™t sleep, clowns will eat meā€¦ Canā€™t sleep, clowns will eat meā€¦ Canā€™t sleep, clowns will eat meā€¦ Canā€™t sleep, clowns will eat meā€¦ Canā€™t sleep, clowns will eat meā€¦ Canā€™t sleep, clowns will eat meā€¦ Canā€™t sleep, clowns will eat meā€¦ Canā€™t sleep, clowns will eat meā€¦ Canā€™t sleep, clowns will eat meā€¦ Canā€™t sleep, clowns will eat meā€¦ Canā€™t sleep, clowns will eat meā€¦ Canā€™t sleep, clowns will eat meā€¦ Canā€™t sleep, clowns will eat meā€¦ Canā€™t sleep, clowns will eat meā€¦ Canā€™t sleep, clowns will eat meā€¦ Canā€™t sleep, clowns will eat meā€¦ Canā€™t sleep, clowns will eat meā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2002, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-it-why-do-some-people-get-freaked-out-by-clowns/108473/11 "2002-05-11T18:31:51Z")
I have always thought that some people (like me, for example) are afraid of clowns for the same reason that some people are creeped out by dolls. Thereā€™s a theory that deals with surrealist art, that suggests that there is a basic human attraction to things that are _like_ humans, but not. This includes clowns, dolls, automatons, and puppets. At the same time, some people react with horror, because the non-human object conveys images of helplessness, voicelessness, and objectification. The blending of human and non-human-yet-human-like things can evoke very weird and uncomfortable emotions. To me, a clown is like a person dressed up as a doll, a person who is wearing the mask of an un-person. Someone who has deliberately rejected their human qualities to take up the characteristics of a puppet. Itā€™s the ultimate in uncanny. Argh! Freakshow! I know someone who is freaked out by those crash-test dummies, and I also think that is related to clown-fear. Iā€™m sure some people are Disney character phobic, but I would guess the source is different. Just like many people who are freaked out by dolls donā€™t mind teddy bears at all, a person in an animal suit is far enough outside the sort-of-human-but-not category. Yeah, I know clowning is an art and a talent and a skill, but all clowns should please remember that some people do not like them! ---
**Author:** ![NutWrench](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nutwrench/32/20193_2.png) [@NutWrench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NutWrench)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2002, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-it-why-do-some-people-get-freaked-out-by-clowns/108473/12 "2002-05-11T20:35:27Z")
[Some clowns are scarey!](http://www.ouchytheclown.com/) ---
**Author:** ![Pergau](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7c8e57/32.png) [@Pergau](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pergau)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2002, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-it-why-do-some-people-get-freaked-out-by-clowns/108473/13 "2002-05-11T21:37:20Z")
Take a look at some of the anti MacDonalds propaganda itā€™s full of ideas for scaring your kids away from the golden gates. All about making them scared of clowns. Me, Iā€™m scared of the hamburgler. ---
**Author:** ![BraheSilver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@BraheSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BraheSilver)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2002, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-it-why-do-some-people-get-freaked-out-by-clowns/108473/14 "2002-05-11T22:06:50Z")
I was scared of clowns because when my next door neighbor died when I was young, they buried her in full clown regalia. Of course, being young and curious, I wanted to actually _see a dead body_, so went to the viewing with my parentsā€¦ Whammo, clownophobia. I got over the actual fear, but now itā€™s a general distrust. Those clowns from _Dumbo_ especially. I hate them. ---
**Author:** ![partly\_warmer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bc8723/32.png) [@partly\_warmer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/partly_warmer)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2002, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-it-why-do-some-people-get-freaked-out-by-clowns/108473/15 "2002-05-11T22:43:48Z")
Clowns. Thumbs down, before I upchuck. I know many who like them. Iā€™m not trying to change their opinions, Iā€™m expressing a feeling. They remind me of American society during an age when painting fences white was evidence of culture. When the future was bounded by a flat horizon and next yearā€™s wheat crop. As far as appeal goes, any of the tribal decorations in South America, the South Pacific, or Africa have FAR more horse sense about whatā€™s attractive. Clowns are ugly, pathetic, inept, and sad. Lose them, forget them. ---
**Author:** ![Atreyu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@Atreyu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atreyu)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2002, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-it-why-do-some-people-get-freaked-out-by-clowns/108473/16 "2002-05-11T23:41:38Z")
Two reasons: 1. When I was a kid, my bedroom had a painting of a crying clown on the wall. At nighttime, I could have sworn that the clown in the painting _moved_. I kept taking the painting down and put on the floor facing the wall. My parents kept hanging it back up. They never could get a straight answer out of me why I did that. When I was ten, my family moved to Oregon, and I made damn sure that the painting was put up for sale at the garage sale prior to the move. 2. The movie **Poltergeist**. If youā€™ve seen it, then you know the scene that Iā€™m thinking of. I was about the exact same age as the boy in the movie when I first saw it. It remains to this day the _only_ scene in the movie that has ever bothered me. ---
**Author:** ![Tsubaki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@Tsubaki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tsubaki)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2002, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-it-why-do-some-people-get-freaked-out-by-clowns/108473/17 "2002-05-12T00:45:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Atreyu \* > \*\*2) The movie **Poltergeist**. If youā€™ve seen it, then you know the scene that Iā€™m thinking of. I was about the exact same age as the boy in the movie when I first saw it. It remains to this day the _only_ scene in the movie that has ever bothered me. \*\* You beat me to it! That is my only reason. ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2002, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-it-why-do-some-people-get-freaked-out-by-clowns/108473/18 "2002-05-12T01:55:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Atreyu \* > \*\*2) The movie **Poltergeist**. If youā€™ve seen it, then you know the scene that Iā€™m thinking of. I was about the exact same age as the boy in the movie when I first saw it. It remains to this day the _only_ scene in the movie that has ever bothered me. \*\* I was 17 or 18 when _Poltergeist_ came out, and I was totally freaked out by that scene. I canā€™t even think about it without getting chills. Iā€™ve never liked clowns, even as a child. Theyā€™ve just always scared me. I donā€™t find them amusing at all; theyā€™re SCARY. Iā€™m **not** clicking on the links some people have posted. Oh, and Arken? Shut up! Youā€™re scaring me! ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2002, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-it-why-do-some-people-get-freaked-out-by-clowns/108473/19 "2002-05-12T02:36:49Z")
The Wife and I met as clowns. We were both involved in a local alley, which provided a good opportunity for people with a volunteering urge who also wanted to be entertainers. Although clowing is the ass end of show business. We never did birthday parties or any other events for hire. We did participate in local parades (horrible children, whose parents encouraged them to hit the clowns up for candy [and if you hand them broccoli they will threaten you with violence] or squirt them with who knows what) and hospital visits. No physical contact unless the child initiates it. Always leave if the kid is uncomfortable. We got pretty good at it; The Wife took second place in Character Makeup at the national convention in um, '84 I think and I took a trophy for Tramp a year later. Neither of us have been in greasepaint for over a decade. But the girls have inherited one of the best dress-up boxes in town. And they know more magic tricks and stupid jokes than anyone else in their schools. I accept that some folks are uncomfortable with clowns. Having a cartoonish character walk into the room can be traumatic. And some (okay, most) of the clowns-for-hire suck. Rather a pointless post, all in allā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![heptapod](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@heptapod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/heptapod)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2002, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-it-why-do-some-people-get-freaked-out-by-clowns/108473/20 "2002-05-12T02:43:58Z")
Clowns arenā€™t funny. Even when I was in my single digits their shenanigans were patently unfunny. Theyā€™re trying to be funny, engaging in potentially hilarious acts but lacking the spirit which would give the act a sense of humor. Grinning skulls with bloodied lips and flamelike hair. At least mimes are just annoying and rare as henā€™s teeth. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-it-why-do-some-people-get-freaked-out-by-clowns/108473.md?page=2)