8 Creepy Pictures that Will Explain Why Kids Hate Clowns
It can be said that kids pretty much hate clowns.
A 2008 study shows that's it's a universal thing. Honestly, most of the adults I know aren't huge fans, either. So when Yahoo! Shine recently asked, "why do kids hate clowns?" all I could think was, "how is that even a question?" The real burning question here is, is there anyone who actually likes clowns? They're freaking hideous.
The only upside to my clown phobia (scientific name: coulrophobia) is that it's a nice bonding experience with my six-year-old son, who hates clowns as much as I do. His fear is made even more extreme by certain aspects of his autism, which make it difficult for him to understand that the clown is only a regular person in make-up. I try to explain it, and he just looks at me doubtfully, as if to say, "why would any regular person possibly want to look like this?"
But fear of clowns is certainly not an autism thing. Alex Anderson, a Fort Collins, Colo. counselor, told Yahoo! Shine that popular culture has a lot to do with instilling a fear of clowns. And that fear - from a movie, say, 30 years ago (Poltergeist, anyone?) - can be passed from parent to child. So if you're freaked out, your kid likely is, too. (See Strange Childhood Phobias: Is Your Child's Fear Normal? for more on childhood fears.) Anderson adds that the whole clown persona, from the makeup face to the outlandish costumes, can raise kids' defenses. "It's the unknown," he says. "They don't know who's behind the makeup, and kids are taught to be wary of strangers." Uh, not to mention the freakishly large feet. Those are not helping the situation. Let's start with these images: 10 excellent reasons everyone can hate clowns. Feel free to share your own personal reasons for hating clowns in the comments! And if you're that one person who actually likes them, please explain why. Do you have some kind of gene mutation that makes you fearless? I'm jealous.
Check out these 8 creepy images of why kids hate clowns:
Poltergeist" id="2372720" align="left" style="width:300px;" alt="The clown toy from Poltergeist" name="2372720">1. The clown toy from Poltergeist
Carol Ann's clown doll is pretty much the origin of my clown fear. I'm not saying I was the biggest fan of clowns before that, but after seeing Poltergeist, it was all over. Oddly enough, Poltergeist didn't make me afraid of TV
2. Stephen King's It
People that are too young to have seen Poltergeist in their formative years were instead traumatized by Pennywise the Clown in Stephen King's It.
Related: The 20 best classic movies you can watch with your kids
Scooby Doo" id="2372732" align="left" style="width:300px;" alt="The Clown Ghost from Scooby Doo" name="2372732">3. The Clown Ghost from Scooby Doo
Back in the olden days, we didn't have five hours of complicated homework in first grade. Instead, we rotted our brains with after-school television. Remember that? If you do, perhaps you'll recall the Clown Ghost from 1969's "Bedlam in the Big Top" episode.
Batman" id="2372736" align="left" name="2372736">4. The Joker
You can take your Jack Nicholson and Heath Ledger. My Joker will always be Cesar Romero. Kapow! Bam.
5. John Wayne Gacy
John Wayne Gacy was a serial killer whose alter ego was Pogo the Clown. He performed as part of the "Jolly Jokers Club" of his local Moose Club, appearing at parades, parties, and charitable events.
Saw" id="2372748" align="left" style="height:300px;" alt="Billy from 'Saw'" name="2372748">
6. Billy from Saw
To be honest, I've never seen any of the Saw movies. I took one look at this puppety clown guy and knew I couldn't handle it.
Related: The 15 creepiest, weirdest and strangest dolls ever
7. Unhappy meal
"I just wanted the toy!"
8.Antiquity stabbity clown dolls
Was there ever, in the whole history of time, an era in which this toy would have not scared the bejeezus out of children?
- By Joslyn Gray
Follow Joslyn on Babble
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