Fear of clowns

[ditchdj]

My four-year-old is absolutely terrified of them. When we go to a parade and she sees one of them walking, no matter how far away, she gets hysterical and starts screaming and crying running to me or my wife. I just showed her a picture of a clown on the computer screen and she right away held up her arms to her face and ran out of the room.

We started figuring this out when she was two and we dressed her up as a clown for Halloween. When she saw herself in the mirror she got upset and started crying.

Anyone else have this kind of problem??? They dont bother me at all. :confused:

[Lace Neil Singer]

Clowns are evil. Haven't you seen IT?

I don't have a fear of clowns, per se, but I've seen IT and also a certain episode of Supernatural, so I fully agree with your daughter's attitude.

[Broomjockey]

I was scared of clowns as a child. Until I hit about 7 or 8. Which was fun, as my mom had no fewer than 80 clown faces scattered around the house in various forms, ranging from statues to paintings to dolls, etc. I don't remember why, but I know I hated and feared those stupid things for years.

[Jester]

I know a lot of people who are scared of clowns. RW, for one. But then, she is scared of fish, too. Go figger.

Myself, they don't bother me at all. That being said, I can kinda see why some people are scared of them. And lord knows that John Wayne Gacy didn't exactly help people get over their fear of clowns. Pogo was one scary mofo! (Any clown that has killed 33 people? Scary.)

[BlaqueKatt]

clown phobia (http://www.phobias-help.com/clown_phobia.html)
Coulrophobia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fear_of_clowns)-wiki article

and yes I'm terrified of clowns only in person though-on tv or internet, I'm uneasy but I won't run screaming like I do in real life. And I'm 31, and I know why, I just avoid them

fun site-ihateclowns.com (http://www.ihateclowns.com/)

[Mr. Rager!]

I am not a fan of clowns. I would not say I'm really afraid of them, but I do not like them.

I think me not liking them has to do with the fact that their emotions are painted on, it's creepy. So while I don't go into hysterics around them, I'm not exactly fond of them.

[blas]

I absolutely despise clowns and am petrified of them. I cannot go to circuses or anywhere clowns may be because I will run away screaming like a scared little girl. Hell, I may even deck a clown that gets too close.

My great aunt, who is a big nasty bull bitch drill sergeant looking "woman", who has always hated me, knows I hate clowns and for one of my younger birthdays, bought me a string puppet CLOWN.

I made my parents hide it and never tell me where it was. I cried when I opened the damn box and saw the ugly thing.

Right now I'm watching a show on G4 and some clown accidently set him/herself on fire at a birthday party. I laughed so hard, I know it's wrong, but seeing any clown in pain makes it all better.

[justZu]

I think fear or dislike of clowns is a pretty common thing. I am not afraid of them, but I really don't like them at all. They just are creepy.
My daughter and one of my nephews were very scared of clowns when growing up. My nephew is over it, but my daughter, at 16, still has a bit of fear when she sees one.

[myswtghst]

I generally dislike clowns--I read IT over and over and over again when I was young, and they kind of give me the heebie jeebies. I can handle them in the circus, but out of normal clown context, they give me the wiggins.

I had a friend in college, tough guy, former football player, who was absolutely petrified of clowns. He would leave the house if we watched Killer Klowns From Outer Space. We didn't realize just how bad it was though, until we, in good fun, bought him a creepy bobblehead clown for his birthday one year. He got the packaging open just enough to see the picture, took the whole shebang into the backyard, doused it in lighter fluid, and watched it burn. We kept the remains on the mantle forever, as a joking reminder. :o

I guess the fact that he once (at about age 14) punched out a shriner dressed like a clown should have tipped us off. ;)

[Killer Bees]

Maury did a show on phobias a few years back. Clowns was one of them. The poor guy was screaming running away back stage and the clown was chasing after him. Way to be sensitive Maury! You just know that guy isn't going to get better any time soon.

One woman was deathly afraid of cats. Another girl was terrified of buttons! And one lady had a fear of chalk! When she was little, her now deceased grandfather told her chalk sticks were made from dead people's ground up bones and she'd been scared of them ever since.

[NightWolf]

Not really afraid of clowns. I remember when I was a kid walking through a grocery store with my mom and the store had some promo where 3 clowns came out and hit each other in the face with pies and then sprayed themselves with the water bottle. The clowns didn't really terrify me, it was more the fact of them hitting me with a pie/water that terrified me. Every time we went into that store, I'd hang around up front by the door.......just in case. :p


And for Blas, what did you think of the episode of Seinfeld where George and Kramer try to scalp tickets and crazy Joe Devola dresses up as a sad clown. Kramer admits that as a child he was scared of clowns. Joe asks if he is still scared of clowns and Kramer sheepishly responds....."Yeeeaaaah" :lol:

[RecoveringKinkoid]

It's a pretty common fear. They never bothered me, but my sister's always been afraid of them.

[FuzzyKitten99]

I don't like them either. I think because I like to rely on a person's facial expressions to gauge their moods or whatever, and the paint makes it way too hard to read. Plus there is something about overly-exaggerated painted-on faces that make a clown look psychotic, no matter what the face is. I think that is why many kids are afraid of them.

Plus I am a very reserved person and anyone that comes up to me all 'looney-bin-level-happy' and tries to engage me, I tell them to back off. I think most clowns are a bit obnoxious.

[blas]

NightWolf, I refuse to watch that episode of Seinfeld ever again.

I shit you not, I never go in and eat at McDonalds. I refuse to look at Ronald McDonald.

Someone at work told me that a few of the matinence men are carnies/clowns during the summer at the Northern Wi Sate Fair. No way am I going now! And yet, in some odd way, I could totally foresee that being true. Go figure.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

My sister used to be absolutely terrified of clowns. One time we were driving someplace and there happened to be a person dressed as a clown driving the car next to us. I said "Hey look, there's a clown in the car next to us."

My sister screamed "SHUT UP!", buried her face in her hands and started screaming and sobbing. She still doesn't like clowns.

And I almost was one....

[Jester]

I never go in and eat at McDonalds..

Generally a good decision, regardless of what you think about clowns....

[Dreamstalker]

The twit is terrified of clowns. At age 22. I have no idea why this is as she would always dodge the question.

The one year the two of us went down to ABQ, there was a clown convention in town. That was interesting :devil:

[Caveat Emptor]

I have never liked clowns. Never been afraid of them, though, but I did always find them obnoxious.


Ok, here goes, (someone has to do it!) :D

can't sleep...clown'll eat me...can't sleep...clown'll eat me...

[Aldous]

Not afraid, I just don't trust them. John Wayne Gacy, remember him? Yeah, do not trust clowns after reading his biography. The damn book was called Killer Clown. So, I stay on the top of my guard when there are clowns about. *shifty eyes*

[Bella_Vixen]

can't sleep...clown'll eat me...can't sleep...clown'll eat me...

You beat me to it. :Þ

:wave:

[April]

Clowns have never bothered me.

To the OP, have you asked her WHY she is scared of them?

[Chained to the counter]

My father gave my 4 year old daughter a marrionette and for a while she liked it and it was hung in her room, she has now asked me to get rid of it because she thinks she saw the eyes move around which is impossible because the eyes are painted on.

I've but the clown up in the closet, i can't stand looking at the thing either, definatley not a big fan.

[Tanasi]

While she says she isn't my wife if very uneasy around clowns to which I take great delite in scaring her with them. I know it's juvinile but it keeps her on her toes.
My youngest is scared to death of stilts, I don't know why she's not afraid of heights just stilts. My grandmother who she was named for was also afraid of stilts, maybe it comes with the name?

[Gawdzillers]

Clwns are part of the troika that is everything creepy about comedy:
Clowns, ventriloquist dummies, and Carrot Top.

[Lace Neil Singer]

I hate clowns. A dead clown is the only good clown. *shifty eyes*

Go look here for 10 good reasons to hate clowns: http://www.customerssuck.com/board/showthread.php?t=11554

And yeah, John Wayne Gacy was a freak. That is why the weirdo arsehole customer I had at the pizza place was nicknamed "Gacy" along with "The Fat Man." Dunno if he was a clown tho, cuz I never saw him.

[Jester]

John Wayne Gacy, remember him? Yeah, do not trust clowns after reading his biography. The damn book was called Killer Clown.

Yep. Have that book. Very fascinating. If you don't fear clowns, you might after reading it. I don't, but I don't fear anything, other than bees...and my girlfriend's wrath. :D

[Jpurple]

According to my daughter, English-speaking clowns are not scary, provided they talk in a normal voice. For some reason though, Thai-speaking clowns bother her quite a lot. How she worked this out is beyond me, as she's never yet seen an English-speaking clown except when watching The Simpsons. :confused:

[Bella_Vixen]

http://www.redmeat.com/redmeat/1998-03-23/index.html

http://www.redmeat.com/redmeat/1999-06-28/index.html

[Demonoid Phenomenon]

I've never understood the fear of clowns.
I actually kinda like them in kitschy situations.

But spiders?
You better stand back if there's any spiders creepin' about.
I'll go THROUGH you if I gotta.

[Knightmare]

Boo.
This Rock 'n' Roll clown is out to getcha!