Interesting.. I dunno if it is: Win, Fail or just WTF?

I think it's a real fear for some people.


My theory is it stems from Childhood and a family trip to the circus.


The clown is the only person who will happily invade your personal space as a child.

I can imagine that's pretty scary for a kid when some manic-depressive adult jumps in your face with alcohol on their breath - only to squirt you with water from their fake flower.
- yep, funny stuff

For all the Coulrophobics out there no doubt

....... I initially thought that was a fear of Courdrouy pants

This doll from "Poltergeist" still scares the scheiße out of me.

I think there is a generation that is still scared of this guy:

This!

Actually also has more to do with watching the movie AND reading the book relatively close together. It was only too easy to imagine the clown in the book after seeing it in the movie and in the book, the clown got up to a lot nastier stuff than is shown in the movie.

My mother, being the rascal she can be, hung one of my brothers' toy clowns by the string of the light in my sister's walk-in closet. My poor sis ran screaming. I think she's more afraid of clown dolls than actual clowns though and for me, it is also a general doll thing rather than (live) clown thing too.

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The Joys of Opticianry

That would be an entirely different, and totally justified, phobia altogther.

except they gotta pay......

The part where you run away... screaming like a little girl...

For a start you can watch this movie:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095444/