Thursday
Nov132008
Survey: do you think clowns are SCARY?
Thursday, November 13, 2008 at 9:45AM 
So remember I said that I was going to be a Goldfish in the Santa Claus Parade? Well, yesterday the Santa Claus Parade people called yesterday and said that I've been reassigned to be a "Greeter Clown."
I'm assuming this ISN'T one of the upside-down clowns, but one of the clowns who walk along the side of the road and say hello to the people along the sidelines. In either case, I'm pretty pleased.
Say, this probably means I get CLOWN MAKEUP put on me! And maybe CLOWN HAIR!Which got me thinking about clowns. I've always found clowns to be sort of creepy, even before Stephen King's IT. What about the rest of you?
Hopefully I won't make any kids scream this Sunday.
Thanks so much for your comments on my Goodstuff post. I'll do a follow-up soon.
Reader Comments (11)
Regular clowns are both creepy and scary. The Clowns who work in the theraputic clown program at Sick Kids hospital are cool.
Depends on the style of clown, and your attitude. Do you get to choose your own makeup, and maybe get away with something a little more elvish or faunlike than the typical scary clown, or will they insist on spackling your entire face with white greasepaint and an enormous painted mouth?
Santa has elves, right? Tell them the greeters should be ELVES!
Clowning in makeup? Cool! My late uncle used to clown with his chapter of the Lions Club (a US social & charitable group). They'd visit schools & nursing homes, & even marched in the Philadelphia Mummers Parade (http://mummers.com/release.asp) one New Year's day.
Clowns never scared me as a kid, but they never particularly interested me either. I always considered them filler until it was time for the flying trapeze & the tightrope walkers.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coulrophobia" rel="nofollow">Coulrophobia is quite common apparently. Clowns don't bother me but I also don't find them funny.
A recent http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Day_of_the_Clown" rel="nofollow">episode of The Sarah Jane Adventures (a Doctor Who spinoff) was all about a scary clown who turned out to be an alien.
Not scary but generally very annoying.
Clowns in general are okay, but the thought of you dressed up as a clown will haunt my nightmares for years to come.
I fear it's inevitable that you'll scare one or two paradegoers, sorry to say. It's just the nature of the clown racket. However, I do highly recommend you don't do any Tim Curry style snarling and say things like, "want a balloon? they floooooat and soon, you'll flooooooat toooooo!"
I've always loved clowns. I got the DVD of "Killer Klowns From Outer Space" and laughed all the way through it.
Have fun at the parade!
Strangely enough, I was never afraid of clowns as a kid but only realized how creepy they are as I grew older. But yes, I think they are scary.
YES!! OH MY GOD YES!! IM TERRIFIED I HAVENT SAW 'IT' YET BUT IM
SSSSOOOO SSSSSSSSOOOO SCARED RIGHT NOW I THINK 1 WILL KILL ME RIGHT NOW!!!!!! AAAAHHHHH!!!!! I AM SO SCARED THEY ARE SSSOOOO HORRID!!
so the last post i made i was freaked out! you could probly tell. :( your nuts if you couldnt tell! i wanted to say im sorry but i have a REALLY bad case clown phobia...........Im really really sorry but i cant help it! :(