Are You Scared of Clowns?

A.:

Not so much scared of them - they just kind give me the creeps....

I won't run screaming when I see one...but I just don't like them.

Not really scared but I cannot fathom why people are attracted to them, why they find them funny or entertaining.

like your first 2 responses, not 'scared' so much as creeped out. Scary movies certainly don't help their cause but they just seem creepy to me. I think of child molesters when I see them, no idea why. My daughter is afraid of them and I have never said a word or even been around a clown for her to pick up on any reaction.

I am not a circus fan myself but that is simply because I think the way the animals are treated is inhumane and I can't really support that....but that is a whole different topic!

Ewwww. Not exactly scared, but I've never liked them. And add mimes to that creepfest --I can't stand them!

Scared? Nah.
I find them annoying and creepy (Pennywise) though.
Perhaps even creepier? People that collect clowns, clown stuff, clown art.
That's right up there with velvet paintings and poker-playing dogs!

Depends on the clown.
Most clowns are great!
We go to the circus every year.

Killer Klowns from Outer Space?
(Now THERE'S a cult classic B horror movie! It's so bad that it's good!)
Those ARE some pretty creepy clowns!

Funny story about that!
A few years ago i was at a parade with my son. Some clowns were coming down the street and as they passed us a lady near us commented, "Man, if those were REAL clowns, I'd be outta here!" WHAT?!?!?! Do you mean clowns that are born to clown parents as opposed to fake clowns that have to put their makeup on everyday? To this day I am not sure what she meant, but it makes me chuckle!

Hate them!
They are creepy, and I believe my dislike for clowns started after watching poltergeist. That clown terrified me!!!

I don't like them at all. Nor mimes. Nor do I like people dressed up in full plush costume (Easter Bunny, Barney, etc). Nor human-like puppets. Nor ventriloquists.
I think it's the weird, distorted, human-like aspects of these types of characters that give me the creeps.

They're not my thing at all, clowns. I find them annoying usually but my son has a serious fear of them...he doesn't even want to watch one on tv. There's a Mister Rogers Goes to the Circus dvd we have -- he refuses to watch that episode.

My guess is that the scary movies predate on the fears we already have and not that we are afraid because of the movies... many children find clowns scary. On Wikipedia: "In the Space To Care study aimed at improving hospital design for children, researchers from the University of Sheffield polled 250 children regarding their opinions on clowns; all 250 children in the study, whose ages ranged between four and sixteen, reported that they found clowns frightening and disliked clowns as part of hospital decor."

I wouldn't say I'm scared of them, but I do find them very bizarre. I completely understand a child being afraid of them, though I never was, but I do not get an adult being afraid. To me, it's a completely irrational fear - being afraid of a person because their make-up and clothing choice is odd - so I just don't get it.

I am not scared of them but I don't like them. I guess they just don't offer my kind of humor.

No, but then I'm not scared of much of anything.

Clowns can't be trusted. They're not nice. They're rude and deceitful. They're like people, yet they're not.

That's just how my children feel about clowns. I've always been uneasy around clowns, but my children managed to put into words very well why I always felt uneasy because they feel the same way. It has nothing to do with scary movies because I felt this way before I ever saw a single scary clown movie (Stephen's King's book "It" was fabulous).

So yes, I always have felt uneasy and uncomfortable around clowns. Nearly every child I've ever known has had a fear of them. They're scary and ugly and creepy. I've never understood why people hire them for childrens' parties.

My husband doesn't really care except for the "a pedophile could be lurking under all of that make up" thing.

I find them creepy. I've heard of way too many clowns that ended up being molesters or deviants. I know, my issue, but seriously it's happened a lot.

I just don't know why people find them fun. I'm just creeped ut by adults who like to conceal their identities and wear costumes to "entertain" children.

Not at all. But I do have a co-worker who is extremely afraid of clowns. And my three year old is afraid of them as well.

I married one. No. Really. My husband was a professional clown.

Actually, now that I think of it, I'm kind of surrounded by them. My college roommate ended up going to clown college, too.

They're both lawyers now...

I'm not scared of clowns, but I used to work with a lot of entertainers and had many clients who were clowns. In the past few years there has been a huge decline in clown-work because modern kids do not have a frame of reference for them.

Clowns became hugely popular in the US with the advent of shows like Howdy Doody, featuring Clarabell the Clown, and Bozo. But now, the only 'clown' most kids might know is Ronald McDonald. A study was done at a British children's hospital that found that kids and young adults today cannot 'relate' to clowns- most had never been to a circus.

As a result, a lot of my former clown clients were doing more magician and general 'entertainer' work and less dressed as clowns. It made a lot of them sad. Just thought you might find this interesting!

No, not afraid of them but do not like them or mimes.

Not sure why though.

Some of the responses have cracked me up. I am a clown. Ditzy the Clown and do charity events for the Shrine Hospital and Daughter of the Nile. You would be surprised at how many adults are more afraid of clowns than kiddos. I am a "white face" clown and a girl so the kiddos will come up to me quicker than to a happy hobo or a guy clown. At the hospitals they might take a little bit to warm up to me but I don't push it on them either. It is an absolute blast to make the kiddos smile. And the adults too when they stop crying. heehee We normally find that kiddos around the age of 2 don't want to have anything to do with us but they usually don't want Santa or the Easter Bunny either. My son absolutely loves the clowns we hang around but he also gets to watch us put on the makeup and now that he is 10, he clowns around sometimes. Don't be afraid of us, we are more worried about you stepping on our shoes or pulling our nose. Happy Tuesday!

I've only ever seen rodeo clowns and I love them :) They always make me laugh

Not scared, but I do find them creepy. I mean, WHO wants to grow up to be a clown? I've never known one personally so I can't say.

OnePerfectOne - your answer cracks me up. Reminds me of when I was a kid and my mom insisted each of us kids 'collect' something. She was something of a hoarder so us not wanting to collect stuff wouldn't be heard of. My sister refused. So my mom started collecting clowns for her. Clown knick knacks, clown salt & pepper shakers, clown dolls, etc. She kept adding more and more clowns to her room, to the point my sister's friends wouldn't come over anymore because it was so creepy. Then one day they all disappeared. I never did know what happened to all the stuff, but my mom never bought another clown again.

I never liked dolls or clowns and not because of some movie. They just freaked me out with those big eyes staring at you =)