Monster Clown: Difference between revisions
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Clowns are ''supposed'' to be funny. They're supposed to make everyone laugh, especially children. This is the entire point of their existence. Sometimes they succeed. But for some people, clowns awaken [[wikipedia:Coulrophobia|some primal fear]]. There are children who won't go near a clown without screaming.
Their face is... [[Uncanny Valley|fake, corpse-like
It's somewhat uncommon to find clown characters who are genuinely ''good'' - sympathetic clowns are generally a little more muted, whether or not this is faithful to the job.
Monster Clowns are often [[Affably Evil]] or [[Faux Affably Evil]] - if they work in a circus, it'll be a [[Circus of Fear]]. Likewise, many of these clowns may or may not be [[Ax Crazy|completely insane]] and act [[Psychopathic Manchild|in a very similar manner to an overgrown child]]; they tend to commit their crimes while [[Laughing Mad|laughing crazily]] [[The Hyena|and frequently]], cracking fittingly dark jokes ([[Evil Has a Bad Sense of Humor|if you can ''call'' them that]]).
Note that there are specific kinds of clowns in the real world. People may fear the ''auguste'', the stereotypical clown who acts and dress the most wildly. ''Whiteface'' clowns are unsettling because they are unexpectedly intelligent, even scheming. ''Character clowns'' - like {{w|Emmett Kelly|"Weary Willie"}} - by contrast have very muted designs, and can be difficult to identify by the TV audience
The point is that real-world clowns ''clown'': while clowning is intended to be funny, it can be received as ritualised (self-)humiliation, and may make modern audiences quite sick to the stomach - now imagine what the Monster Clown's [[Nightmare Fuel|sick twists on their gags will do to 'em]]. Somtimes, a Monster Clown won't even do ''that'' much... they just ''look'' like a clown, without any of the jokes or working in a circus or going to kids' parties. On the flipside of it, [[wikipedia:John Wayne Gacy|John Wayne Gacy]], one of the most famous serial killers in the United States, worked part-time as a clown - the AP [[Critical Research Failure|once used a stock photo of Gacy for National Clown day]].
▲Note there are specific kinds of clowns in the real world. People may fear the ''auguste'', the stereotypical clown who acts and dress the most wildly. ''Whiteface'' clowns are unsettling because they are unexpectedly intelligent, even scheming. ''Character clowns'' - like {{w|Emmett Kelly|"Weary Willie"}} - by contrast have very muted designs, and can be difficult to identify by the TV audience. You rarely see them anymore.
A subtrope of this is [[Enemy Mime]],
A 2007 [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7189401.stm University of Sheffield study] found that both young and older children universally fear or dislike clown images. Now a lot of hospital wings for child patients will have to be repainted.▼
(Quote from the BBC article: Researcher Dr Penny Curtis said: "As adults we make assumptions about what works for children. We found that clowns are universally disliked by children. Some found them quite frightening and unknowable.")▼
▲[[Enemy Mime]] is a sub-trope of Monster Clown. A villainous clown that is [[Played for Laughs]] instead of fear is a [[Villainous Harlequin]]. The [[Depraved Kids' Show Host]] seems to be related. Clowns' ghastly white makeup puts them into [[White Mask of Doom]] territory. The Monster Clown is often [[Affably Evil]] or [[Faux Affably Evil]]. You can find them at the [[Circus of Fear]], although that isn't the only place you'll find them.
{{examples}}
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* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120512084943/http://citynoise.org/upload/32898.jpg Abandoned clown train remembers you!]
▲* A 2007 [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7189401.stm University of Sheffield study] found that both young and older children universally fear or dislike clown images. Now a lot of hospital wings for child patients will have to be repainted.
▲== [[Real Life]] ==
▲
* A charity in the Netherlands is the CliniClowns, people who dress up like clowns and visit children's hospitals in order to make them feel better. After doing this for years, psychological research shows that this backfires because too many children are ''afraid'' of clowns. Oops...
** A [http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSL1582409620080116?feedType=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews Reuters article] elaborates: "The study, reported in the Nursing Standard magazine, found ''all the 250 patients'' aged between four and 16 they quizzed disliked the use of clowns, with even the older ones finding them scary."
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