When Did Clowns Become Evil? The Strange History of the Scary Clown

A clown beneath a flickering streetlight at midnight. The same clown at a 2 p.m. birthday party. Same outfit, same balloon, and a very different chance you're about to call the police. So when did clowns become scary? It wasn't one terrible circus or one horror movie. For centuries, clowns and fools were funny, disruptive, sad and sometimes dangerous in stories. This animated history covers court jesters, the chou of Chinese opera, commedia dell'arte, Joseph Grimaldi's famous face, Poe's "Hop-Frog," the opera Pagliacci, the friendly TV clowns of the 20th century, the 1978 case that changed the conversation, the horror icons of the 1980s, what psychologists found in 2023, and the 2016 clown sightings. 👍 If you enjoy strange history, like and subscribe so the next one finds you. Preferably before the clown does. CHAPTERS 0:00 A clown under a streetlight 0:36 When did clowns become evil? 1:11 Before the red nose: jesters, fools and the chou 2:13 Commedia dell'arte and the rule-breaking clown 3:08 Joseph Grimaldi and the clown's face 4:29 The other side of Grimaldi's story 5:34 The dark turn: Poe's "Hop-Frog" (1849) 6:24 Pagliacci (1892) 7:10 The trailer that history ruined 7:26 The friendly clown: circuses, TV and Weary Willie 8:23 The backlash against the happy clown 9:21 A real case: 1978 10:54 The 1980s: Poltergeist, It and more 13:12 Why the painted face works: the psychology 14:20 The 2023 clown-fear study 15:32 2016: the clown sightings 16:48 The verdict 18:46 Keep walking