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20[[quoteright:198:[[Webcomic/GunnerkriggCourt https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/picture168.png]]]]
21[-[[caption-width-right:198:"Will you give me [[EyeScream your eyes]]?"]]-]
22
23->''"Now you may think you see a grease-painted performer sitting before you, who would usually elicit an amused response from an audience, but trust me, '''you do not.''' I'm not here to make you happy. I'm not here to brighten your dismal day. And I am '''certainly''' not here to elicit an amused response. I am here to end your miserable '''fucking''' life."''
24-->-- '''Doom-Head''', ''Film/ThirtyOne''
25
26Clowns are ''supposed'' to be funny, whimsical and silly. They're supposed to make everyone laugh, especially children. This is the entire point of their existence. [[NonIronicClown A truly good clown]] is supposed to be a FriendToAllChildren. Sometimes they succeed. But for some people, clowns awaken [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coulrophobia some primal fear.]] There are children who won't go near a clown without shaking, freezing up or even screaming.
27
28Their face is... [[UncannyValley fake, corpse-like]], most often the makeup they use [[UncannyValleyMakeup does NOT help]], the emotions aren't real, the smile is just painted on. The outfit and big shoes are downright grotesque. There's something seriously wrong with a clown to some people, and this resonates deep within the part of us that still believes that there is a [[ThingsThatGoBumpInTheNight monster in the closet]], that will get out if you don't keep the door closed.
29
30Cue the CreepyCircusMusic...
31
32It's startlingly uncommon to find clown characters who are genuinely ''good''. More commonly, writers tap into the fear: the Monster Clown is a classic villain. Expect the Monster Clown to parody humor, with classic jokes becoming deadly; acid in the plastic flowers pinned to their lapels and joy buzzers with fatal amounts of voltage, among other things. If they work in a circus, it'll be a CircusOfFear. Likewise, also expect them to crack [[BlackComedy dark jokes]] while killing them and laughing maniacally. Sometimes, a Monster Clown just ''looks'' like a clown, and doesn't do what clowns normally do, like tell jokes or work in a circus or go to kids' parties. If there is a clown in a work that just looks like one, it's almost guaranteed that it is a Monster Clown. Because, you know, you just don't go about dressing like a clown without doing anything clowny.
33
34Sooner or later, our heroes will have to put these clowns to the sword. And sometimes [[InvincibleBoogeymen not even that stops them]]. Also take note that many of these clowns may or may not be [[AxCrazy completely insane]] and also commit their horrific crimes [[LaughingMad laughing crazily and frequently]], and often [[CreepyHighPitchedVoice with a very high-pitched voice]] while acting [[PsychopathicManchild in a very similar manner to an overgrown child]].
35
36Sympathetic clowns are generally a little more muted in appearance and behavior, whether or not this is faithful to the job (in which case, see SadClown). Generally, audiences are more receptive to clowns who act more like ordinary people, and have less extravagant makeup. Surly clowns who tiredly work with ungrateful children are more common, probably because they speak to the average overworked audience; they may be an example of HatesTheJobLovesTheLimelight.
37
38EnemyMime is a sub-trope of Monster Clown. A villainous clown that is PlayedForLaughs instead of fear is a VillainousHarlequin. The DepravedKidsShowHost and CreepyMascotSuit seems to be related. May be combined with ScaryJackInTheBox, CreepyDoll, PerversePuppet, or EvilPuppeteer. Clowns' ghastly white makeup puts them into WhiteMaskOfDoom territory. The Monster Clown is often AffablyEvil or (far more likely) FauxAffablyEvil. The Monster Clown is often seen with a BalloonOfDoom. Compare RepulsiveRingmaster. For examples based on the Joker from ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'', see PracticallyJoker.
39
40The opposite of this trope is the (perhaps sadly) rarely seen any more NonIronicClown. Of course, someone who's AfraidOfClowns wouldn't care either way; they're just creeped out by them no matter what.
41
42Despite the page name, Jesters can also apply to this trope as well, as Monster Jesters are also fairly common in media and often maintain similar traits that Monster Clowns posses, albeit sometimes combined with VillainousHarlequin at the same time.
43----
44!!Example subpages:
45
46[[index]]
47* MonsterClown/AnimeAndManga
48* [[MonsterClown/LiveActionFilms Films — Live-Action]]
49* MonsterClown/{{Literature}}
50* MonsterClown/LiveActionTV
51* MonsterClown/TabletopGames
52* MonsterClown/VideoGames
53* MonsterClown/WesternAnimation
54[[/index]]
55
56!!Other examples:
57[[foldercontrol]]
58
59[[folder:Advertising]]
60* In an E -Trade commercial with a talking baby, the baby says he rented a clown named Bobo, who we see standing in the background making balloon animals, before getting a scared look on his face and saying "And I really underestimated the creepiness." Subverted in that the clown doesn't actually do anything creepy other than just be there. Which may or may not be enough to be freaky for a clown.
61* The [[http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xc35pi_kgb-commercial-clowns_fun KGB commercial]] with two moms looking for clowns for their kids' birthday parties. The one using KGB finds Benny the clown, [[NonIronicClown a professional clown who cheerfully and successfully entertains the children]]. The second finds Biffo, a fat, hostile clown who scares all the children into running away and then randomly destroys the drink table.
62* A Little Caesar's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7xG_BNKLvU ad]] has two girls wandering in the woods. One of them mentions rumors that a deranged clown haunts the forest. As it turns out, they're right, but thankfully he has a liking for cheap pizza.
63* So you're watching a UsefulNotes/McDonalds ad in Japan and... [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGSiktBeMWA OH MY GOD RONALD MCDONALD IS STALKING YOU!!!]][[note]]Okay, it wasn't a ''real'' ad, but dayum.[[/note]]
64* A Motel 6 commercial features a guy not being able to sleep because of all the disturbing clown paraphernalia decorating the guest room he's staying in.
65* Krinkles the Clown, of Post's Sugar Rice Krinkles. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDWXGcsMTHw Good Lord, where to begin?]] For one, the technology for filming and broadcasting in color was well established by then, but they made the decision to not just shoot everything in black and white, but paint up the set--including Krinkles himself--in black and white. And, to put it in perspective, this ad campaign was chosen after discarding the prior [[http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/60/55/49/605549eb917b2b20821ed1613c0ef590.jpg Asian stereotypes they were using.]]
66* Taco Bell's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDIDG6UXdvk "Routine Republic"]] commercial has clowns as Gestapo officers.
67* The US Postal Service used this in an [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKGKB5bc9DU ad:]] "Because we have to get [[CreepyDoll that]] out of this house." "Come on it's not that ba-[[OffscreenTeleportation eeeaaah!]] Oh, yeah, that has to go."
68* And then, there's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsvAj6qfmFQ this Wal-Mart advertisement.]] Those with coulrophobia, do not watch. (Though it's [[AgonyOfTheFeet not entirely the poor bastard's fault]].)
69* These [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e75z3cBM-PU kung fu clowns]] from an ad for Bell South phonebooks veer into ComedicSociopathy levels, though most of these are PlayedForLaughs.
70[[/folder]]
71
72[[folder:Asian Animation]]
73* ''Animation/FlowerAngel'': In Season 5 episode 24, Xiaoai and Eric end up in a [[LevelAte candy world]] with a clown who lets them explore it and ride the carnival rides that are also there. The clown tricks them into thinking he's friendly, but lets Eric fall asleep from exhaustion before using the opportunity to forcibly control Xiaoai like a string puppet.
74* ''Animation/HappyHeroes'': Season 7 episode 13 features a clown villain whose name is, in fact, Monster Clown (or Clown Monster[[note]]both English names are official translations; "Monster Clown" is used by Miao Mi for its official English description of the episode while "Clown Monster" is used in the actual episode itself for their English dub[[/note]]). In the episode, Big M. releases him from a high-security prison for especially dangerously criminals to have him help in a evil plan of his, only to be TakenForGranite by the clown along with many others - Clown Monster's special power is to absorb energy from people's laughing and using it to turn the laughing person or people into stone.
75[[/folder]]
76
77[[folder:Comic Books]]
78* [[http://i43.tinypic.com/6yl8io.jpg Sneero]], the villain clown in ''Comicbook/AchilleTalon''.
79* ''ComicBook/{{Annihilators}}'': The plot of the backup story is kicked off when a gun-toting wooden clown attacks Rocket Raccoon at his workplace. Later, a whole hit squad of similar clowns comes after him on Planet X.
80* While the weird-but-superheroic Jack-In-The-Box from ''Comicbook/AstroCity'' is a NonIronicClown, Jack's two BadFuture KnightTemplar descendants '''definitely''' fit this trope.
81* The Joker from ''ComicBook/{{Batman}}''. '''The''' TropeCodifier. His shtick frequently involves jacket flowers that spray acid, hand buzzers that electrocute people, wind-up teeth that actually bite people, and a "Joker toxin" that kills people while leaving them with a GlasgowGrin. He serves as a major contrast with Batman himself, a brooding, stoic DarkIsNotEvil hero. The Joker, incidentally, was originally based on Conrad Veidt's role in ''Literature/TheManWhoLaughs''. While the titular clown of this picture [[FaceOfAThug wasn't evil]], he certainly was [[http://binkythedoormat.files.wordpress.com/2006/11/themanwholaughs.png unbelievably disturbing-looking]].
82** Creator/TimBurton's ''Film/BatmanReturns'' gives the Penguin a bunch of clowns as henchmen, despite the fact that clowns are more the territory of the Joker. According to the production notes, Burton's vision of the Penguin was inspired by ''Film/TheCabinetOfDrCaligari'', so a CircusOfFear is a necessity. And in the briefly-mentioned backstory, the Penguin in that version also was a sideshow freak in his childhood, implying that's where his gang comes from.
83** ''ComicBook/DeathOfTheFamily'': The Joker once again acts as this trope. But he seems to be emphasizing the "Monster" part of the trope this time around. Although he denies it, saying he's not really a clown; despite his appearance and gag-themed weapons, he's not able to make someone laugh without his signature chemicals.
84** ''ComicBook/BatmanEndgame'' looks to be taking the Joker's [[{{Flanderization}} escalating bloodlust]] and [[JokerImmunity refusal to die]] to their logical conclusion by depicting the Joker as an AmbiguouslyHuman scourge who has seemingly been menacing Gotham since it was founded. On top of that, the backup stories for the arc contribute several more options to the Joker's MultipleChoicePast. It's telling that the most "normal" of them is that the Joker has a HealingFactor.
85** Even the Creeper has shown dislike of clowns.
86* ComicBook/{{Blade}} once fought ''vampire'' clowns. Really.
87* ''ComicBook/{{Burlap}}'' has Chuckles, a member of a four-person SerialKiller gang who dresses himself in clown make-up.
88* An issue of the revamped ''Magazine/CreepyMagazine'' features a murderous clown who kills "demons" wherever he sees them. He sees them everywhere.
89* Eric Draven, the protagonist of ''ComicBook/TheCrow'', is one of the few non-villainous examples of the Monster Clown, given that he wears facial makeup directly based on an old [[SadClown Pierrot]] mask of his, but is a tragic undead VillainKiller who goes after the criminals that murdered him and his [[TheLostLenore Lost Lenore]].
90* ComicBook/{{Deadpool}} [[WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes sees all clowns]] as Monster Clowns. He's never actually encountered a real Monster Clown in the comics, but his solo mission in ''VideoGame/MarvelUltimateAlliance'' has him fighting an army of clowns in a circus.
91* Frenchy from the National Lampoon's ''[[http://ohdannyboy.blogspot.com/2007/10/looking-back-with-alan-kupperberg-evil.html Evil Clown Comics]]'' feature which ran intermittently in the magazine in the late 80's and early 90's. He was the brainchild of Nick Bakay and Alan Kupperberg, and was not only bitter and diabolical but had... ahem, a way with the ladies as well. Sometimes he was too much even for the proudly non-PC Lampoon, which refused to publish one panel of a particular story.
92* Subverted by a short-lived superhero called ''ComicBook/Funnyman1948'' whose schtick was... you guessed it...
93* The Clown Cenobite (a.k.a. "Winky Dink") from the ''Franchise/{{Hellraiser}}'' comic story "Dead Things Rot".
94* ''ComicBook/LadyDeath'': Pagan is a demon dressed like a court jester and is one of Lucifer's servants. He is known to have a rather twisted sense of humor.
95* Eliot Franklin, from the Franchise/MarvelUniverse, worked as a clown and wore his clown costume to commit crimes. He eventually became a professional hitman.
96* The Painted Doll, a mass-murdering Joker-{{Expy}} supervillain from ''ComicBook/{{Promethea}}''. It's eventually revealed that his JokerImmunity is because he's actually a succession of identical robots created by an evil engineering genius, with a new one being activated automatically whenever the previous one is damaged beyond repair.
97* In ''ComicBook/PunchlineAndTheVaudeVillains'', the titular Punchline is an enormous ex-boxer who dresses like a particularly thuggish clown. There's also Uzi Clown, who is more or less ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin - a clown who's usually packing.
98* R. Crumb wrote a comic showing the marvels of the City of the Future. He depicted a squad of clowns who went around inflicting chaos to keep people on their toes - and they regulated population growth, finding people aged 65 and throwing cyanide pies in their faces. What a way to go!
99* In ''ComicBook/RobynHood: I Love NY'' #4, Robyn fights a gang of monster clowns who are abducting children.
100* ''ComicBook/SecretSix'': DC also has the Ragdoll dynasty. The father was a [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] villain with contortionist abilities, who would eventually become a Mansonesque cult leader and eventually regained his youth via a DealWithTheDevil. The son lacked his father's natural flexibility, so he remedied it with a series of operations that's left him severely deformed, but with greater flexibility than even his father. And don't ask about the sister.
101* In ''ComicBook/{{Sink}}'', a blue van filled with psychotic clowns drives around at night. Those unfortunate enough to be caught by them are mutilated, driven insane and turned into clowns as well.
102* Violator from ''Comicbook/{{Spawn}}''. At first, he's just a FatBastard DepravedDwarf clown who delights in murder and mayhem. Then it turns out that the grotesque human is just a skin-suit over a LeanAndMean demon from hell.
103* Clown, who was featured in ''Super Mystery Comics'' and ''Four Favorites'', was so evil he worked for UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler.
104* Whiteface from ''ComicBook/SupremePower: Nighthawk'' is an absolutely psychopathic serial-poisoner with a body count in the thousands who dresses up as a clown.
105* Protoclown from ''ComicBook/TheTick''. And then the subversion: Protoclown was genetically engineered to be the perfect NonIronicClown, and deep down he's not such a bad guy. He just ''really hates being laughed at''.
106* The Comedian from ''Comicbook/{{Watchmen}}'' arguably qualifies. In his original costume as one of the Minutemen anyway. When he gets his second costume and becomes one of the Crimebusters, not so much.
107** Like the Joker's Glasgow smile in ''Film/TheDarkKnight'', the scar the Comedian gets in Vietnam is eerily reminiscent of a clown's painted smile.
108[[/folder]]
109
110[[folder:Comic Strips]]
111* ''ComicStrip/TheFarSide'':
112** One cartoon features [[AttackOfThe50FootWhatever a giant clown]] marching through a city; a squad of soldiers are behind a building ready to ambush him with a rocket launcher [[PieInTheFace armed with a giant pie.]]
113** Another cartoon features a group of angry clowns arguing with each other at a negotiation table; the caption reads, "At the strategic pie limitation talks".
114** Implied with another strip that shows a clown being escorted to the electric chair.
115* ''ComicStrip/{{If}}'': In it the then UK prime Minister Theresa May is portrayed as, in Steve Bells own words, an "evil,scary clown".
116[[/folder]]
117
118[[folder:Fan Works]]
119* ''Fanfic/CalvinAndHobbesTheSeries'': A fake one of these pops out of a door as an InUniverse JumpScare. Later, a [[spoiler:living]] mannequin clown with a SlasherSmile appears.
120* ''Fanfic/{{Cinderjuice}}'': [[WesternAnimation/{{Beetlejuice}} Scuzzo the Clown]] assists the primary villains in the first installment of the ''Contractually Obligated Chaos'' series.
121* ''Fanfic/EquestriaDivided'': The [[CircusOfFear Cult of Laughter]] is an entire army of these run by a MonsterFromBeyondTheVeil Pinkie Pie.
122* ''Fanfic/FlashbackMHA'': In a conversation with Midnight, All Might notes that the most infamous American supervillain to this day was a clown-themed villain called "Mister Smiles", who was so terrifying that even now, [[EvenEvilHasStandards American supervillains hate to be compared to clowns]]. All Might openly describes him as ''worse'' than his own ArchEnemy, All For One, and summarizes him as a supervillain whose starting point was looking at [[Characters/BatmanTheJoker the Joker]] and going "hold my beer".
123* ''Fanfic/AGameOfCatAndCat'': One of the monster souls that Soma has is Killer Clown.
124* ''Fanfic/IceAndFire'': Kallen's Zero mask, unlike the one Lelouch wears in canon, makes her look like this. More specifically, it's an ornate clown mask that's happy on one side and sad on the other. Subverted in that, despite being ruthless at times, she's not actually evil.
125* ''Fanfic/LincolnsMemories'': In "A Very Loud Halloween", Luan dresses as a psycho clown by taking her normal clown suit and putting fake blood on it.
126* ''Fanfic/TheNewAdventuresOfInvaderZim'':
127** In Season 2 Episode 5, Zim creates a Cyborg Death Clown and sends it after Dib and his friends as they investigate an allegedly haunted house.
128** In Season 2 Episode 8, [[OddFriendship Nyx and Gaz's]] road trip to Arcadikon is sidetracked by doing a favor for [[TheDon Grissom]] in the form of eliminating a rival gang for him. Said gang for some reason all dress up like clowns, apparently on the basis that clowns are disturbing.
129* "[[https://youtu.be/685GRuABESw NiGHTS into Dreams in a Nutshell]]", a parody video of ''VideoGame/NightsIntoDreams'' by Platform/{{YouTube}}r [=McSchmoodle=], plays this for laughs. In the game, [=NiGHTS=] is a beautiful and benevolent jester/acrobat-like creature. In this video, [=NiGHTS=] is depicted as a raving, feral lunatic in a cage. A Nightopian tries to convince Elliot to touch [=NiGHTS=] (because that's how the player gains control of [=NiGHTS=] in the game), and Elliot is too scared of [=NiGHTS=] to do it. The Nightopian forces him to mesh with [=NiGHTS=]. At the end, [[spoiler:both Elliot and Claris have become giggling, grinning lunatics locked in a padded room. One of the guards watching over them mentions that they keep saying the same sentence: "I am the jester]]."
130-->'''[=NiGHTS=]''': (inhuman growling and breathing sounds)\
131'''Nightopian''': See the jester? You're gonna touch it!\
132'''[=NiGHTS=]''': (demonic voice) TOUCH.\
133'''Nightopian''': And it will absorb you into its body!\
134'''Elliot''': Uhh, I don't- I don't think I wanna do th- (The Nightopian grabs Elliot's hand and makes him fuse with [=NiGHTS=]) Wha- NO!
135* ''Fanfic/NotTheIntendedUseZantetsukenReverse'': One of the monster souls that Soma has is Killer Clown.
136* ''Fanfic/{{Pagliacci}}'' features [[Characters/FriendshipIsMagicPinkiePie Pinkie Pie]] as a Jokeresque character. You'll never look at that little pink pony the same way again.
137* ''Fanfic/PonyPOVSeries'': An AlternateUniverse glimpsed in [[GateOfTruth the Truth]] [[spoiler: (as well as in [[BadFuture Dark World]])]] gives us Nightmare Granfalloon, Pinkie Pie's potential SuperPoweredEvilSide.
138* ''Art/RealisticPokemon'': A tongue-in-cheek invocation -- Mime Jr. is depicted as a tadpole that makes itself look "as grotesque as possible" to scare off predators. Its evolution, Mr. Mime, is depicted as a pretty normal looking (if pretty huge) frog.
139* ''Fanfic/RottingCamellias'' has four of them, portrayed by Teto, Tei, Ruko, and Ritsu.
140* ''Fanfic/SognicMalltiverseOfMadness'': Deconstructed in episode 3. During Airo's nightmare, he is suddenly faced with a huge, hulking, scary clown. Roter.exe claims that since clowns are scary, he should automatically "win" at scaring Airo just by summoning a clown. However, Airo points out that he has no reason to be afraid of clowns because he has already beaten up so many enemy clowns in [[VideoGame/AeroTheAcroBat his home game]]. He then [[OneHitKill knocks out the clown in one hit]].
141* ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12326375/1/ Stand Dust]]'' (A ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'' X ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'' Crossover) : Freak is a clown sent by The Door to kill Team RWBY and Josuke Higashikata. Their Stand is even named after the Music/InsaneClownPosse. Unlike most examples of this trope, [[TragicVillain Freak are utterly sympathetic]] : Freak were originally three siblings who merged in body, mind, and soul at their birth, with the brother merging with the sister first then the subsequent fusion merging with the younger twin. Abandoned at birth, Freak were subsequently forcibly recruited by a circus, and were paraded in front of the crowd, who either mocked their physical appearance or took pity on them. They were also physically and psychologically abused, leading to them snapping, killing their bodyguard and escaping the circus. They were subsequently recruited by the Door. Despite the Door warning them of the possibility of dying if they were pierced by the Stand Arrow, Freak were so grateful to the Door for helping them out and giving them a greater purpose that they stabbed themselves with it, subsequently gaining their Stand Insane Clown Posse. Even after she fatally wounded them, [[SympathyForTheDevil Ruby feels nothing but sympathy for them]] as they die.
142* ''Fanfic/StarWarsGalacticFolkloreAndMythology'': The ancient Gungans worshiped a mad laughing god called Har Har, whose priests also served as court jesters and performed sacrifices "as hilarious as they were brutal".
143[[/folder]]
144
145[[folder:Folklore]]
146* Urban legend: A teenage girl is babysitting, and the parents call home to check in. "Everything's fine," she says, "oh, but I covered up that clown statue in the back hall with my jacket, it was creeping me out." "Clown statue? [[OhCrap We don't own a clown statue]]..."
147* The tale of the clown in the coconut tree from Myth/BrazilianFolklore: Once upon a time, there was a clown named Coco (meaning 'coconut' in Portuguese). In the circus, he was unable to make anyone smile, so he went crazy and ran away. During days of waning moon, he climbs a coconut tree to see the moon "smiling" for him. But when the moon is covered by clouds, the clown gets down to the ground to see other smiles: those of people. So when he meets a person he will try to make them laugh, and, should the person not give him at least a smile, he will punish them, sometimes with death. And he continues doing so until the moon is no longer hidden.
148* [[https://web.archive.org/web/20100616040003/http://citynoise.org/upload/32898.jpg Abandoned clown train remembers you!]]
149* A new Urban Legend going around is that of an extremely sinister/dangerous Monster Clown in Bradford, which has been rumored to be doing everything from peering in windows to robbing people to stabbing them. The police department consider it a hoax, and a news story about it can be seen [[http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/10825343.Oh__what_a_circus___the_Bradford_Clown_keeps_all_eyes_on_the_city/ here]]
150[[/folder]]
151
152[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
153* ''WesternAnimation/TheBraveLittleToaster'' had a nightmare about a fireman-clown trying to chase her into a filled bathtub. His only line was "Run!". [[NightmareFuel/TheBraveLittleToaster Sound advice!]] Considering it was a toaster's nightmare, and the clown was armed with a ''fire hose'' and a ''fork''... Heck, the way his hair is shaped, he looks like the Devil!
154* ''WesternAnimation/{{Dumbo}}'' is an early, downplayed example -- the clowns genuinely like making their audience laugh, but they're a bunch of {{Jerkass}}es behind the scenes, humiliating Dumbo (and having a clown play his mother is pretty cruel, considering what happened to her) and not worrying about hurting him, or worse. One of the clowns does get a PetTheDog moment, but that's about it. (When he insists "You'll hurt the little guy", the other clowns just laugh him off and say that elephants can't get hurt because "they're made of rubber.")
155* ''WesternAnimation/Fantasia2000'' has the Jack-In-The-Box from the ''Piano Concerto No. 2 in F Major '' segment. He's a ScaryJackInTheBox with the outfit of a jester, and he develops a VillainousCrush on the Ballerina. He's quite frightening and cruel in his attempts to kill the Tin Soldier.
156* One of Riley's deep, subconscious fears in ''WesternAnimation/InsideOut'' is the [[AttackOfThe50FootWhatever enormous]] and [[SlasherSmile horrifyingly manic]] Jangles the Clown. "'''''Whooo's the birthday girl?!'''''" In the CreativeClosingCredits, he's revealed to be a NonIronicClown who is not pleased with his job.
157* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Minions}}'', one of the supervillains who chases Kevin across the city is a bomb-juggling, LaughingMad, unicycle-riding clown.
158* The Clown With The Tearaway Face from ''WesternAnimation/TheNightmareBeforeChristmas''. Subverted in that [[DarkIsNotEvil he isn't that scary]] once you get to know him, just like the other denizens of Halloween Town.
159[[/folder]]
160
161[[folder:Jokes]]
162* There's a joke that's gone around about a boy and a clown walking through the woods at night. The boy says to the clown, "Man, this forest sure is scary..." to which the clown replies, "You're telling me. I have to go back through it by myself."
163[[/folder]]
164
165[[folder:Music]]
166* While the clowns in the video for the Arctic Monkeys' "Fluorescent Adolescent" aren't demonic monsters, given that the video is centered around a fight between two gangs of those wacky circus comedians, they're not exactly nice, either.
167* Music/BlindGuardian's music video for "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDFmNgmaEe0 Mr. Sandman]]" includes ''four'' monster clowns.'' Seriously, don't go to sleep after watching that.
168* The cover and promotional campaign for Music/DavidBowie's album ''Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)'', and the video for its lead-off single "Ashes to Ashes", featured Bowie as a mysterious [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierrot Pierrot]]. Look at the Live Action [=TV=] page for what ''Series/AshesToAshes2008'' did with ''this'' one...
169* The label of some of Capitol and Wonderland Records' children's albums had two very odd looking jester heads blowing horns on top.
170* Music/AliceCooper's ''Can't Sleep, the Clowns Will Eat Me''.
171* The music video to "Salvation" by Music/TheCranberries features a creepy clown with a face full of needles and a glove with a syringe on each finger - since the song has a pretty blatant DrugsAreBad message, he's apparently meant to be the AnthropomorphicPersonification of addiction.
172* [[VisualKei Dadaroma]]'s song "リズリーサーカス" which translates to ''Risley Circus'' features the singer dressed as Pierrot, a sinister clown reminiscent of ComicBook/TheJoker. Dressed in a nice suit with clown make-up, he plays around with a prop knife while enticing a young girl to enter his den of freaks.
173* Deadbolt have several songs that feature not only Patches, the murderous clown, but also a clown mafia and Mike Dugan, the SociopathicHero who [[HeWhoFightsMonsters dresses as a clown to battle them.]]
174* Music/DogFashionDisco has a song called "Pogo the Clown", which is about John Wayne Gacy.
175* German PowerMetal band Music/{{Edguy}}'s album ''Mandrake'' has a monster clown with a SlasherSmile on the cover. Some of the lyrics in the album also mention them.
176* Ogden Edsl's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTJGkwMf08k Kinko the Clown]] is equal parts novelty song and Nightmare Fuel.
177-->''[[PaedoHunt But that was in Indianapolis]], and thanks to the liberal reciprocity laws, Kinko can be with you [[DepravedBisexual boys and girls]] today or anytime.''
178* From "Mr. E's Beautiful Blues" by the Music/{{Eels}}: ''"The clown with the frown driving down to the sidewalk fair / Finger on the trigger and I tell you it's quite a scare"''
179* Music/{{Esham}}, as "Homey The Clown" on ''Homey Don't Play'' and ''I Ain't Cha Homey''.
180* Music/InsaneClownPosse obviously takes their image from this and have built a mythology around themselves called "The Dark Carnival." In the band's mythology, they're actually {{AntiHero}}es or {{Sociopathic Hero}}es hunting their various villainous enemies. The afterlife story features an evil clown, Jack Jeckel and his good twin Jake Jeckel. Jack throws slippery, blood-soaked balls at Jake, each representing a sin. If Jake fails to juggle the balls and drops one, you're condemned to "Hell's Pit." Other Creator/PsychopathicRecords artists that are examples of this trope include Music/AnybodyKilla, Music/BlazeYaDeadHomie, Music/{{Boondox}}, and Music/{{Twiztid}}. They started this persona on 1992's ''Music/CarnivalOfCarnage''.
181** Boondox' status as this is questionable. From his songs (and upbringing) it's pretty evident that he's supposed to be a scarecrow.
182* The lenticular cover for the Music/{{KISS}} album ''Music/PsychoCircus'' features the face of one.
183* The appropriately titled song "Clown" by the band Music/{{Korn}}. The lyrics aren't literally about a clown, they just compare the subject of the song to one... but there's some deliberate monster clown imagery in there, and the verse riff sounds like CreepyCircusMusic.
184* "The Abortion Song" by ''Music/KuntAndTheGang'' is about a man trying to find ways to make his girlfriend miscarry. The video shows the man to be Ronald [=McDonald=] and shows him enacting most of the things in the song including pushing his girlfriend down the stairs, microwaving the baby and finally cooking it in his fastfood restaurant.
185* Music/{{Lordi}} on their album [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scare_Force_One 'Scare Force One']] have a song dedicated to this trope appropriately called 'Hell Sent In The Clowns', accompanied by CreepyCircusMusic throughout the song.
186* Music/MrBungle's self-titled album has a monster clown on the cover. And "Carousel", a song comparing life to a CircusOfFear, contains a few references to a monster clown ("You know there's something lurking underneath the shape, with a mask over it's head and makeup on his face").
187** There's also some really creepy clowns in the video for ''Travolta''; pretty par for the course considering the rest of the clip's visuals.
188* The video for ''Storytime'' by Nightwish has a group of these harassing a small boy.
189* Music/OingoBoingo recorded a song called "Clowns of Death" and performed under that name on a few occasions. Auxiliary band members would sometimes dress in clown costumes, billed as the Sad Klown Orkestra.
190* In the video for Music/{{Pink}}'s song ''Please Don't Leave Me'', the boyfriend tries to leave and the girl character goes Creator/StephenKing on him, starting with ''Misery'' and ending with an AxCrazy bit from ''The Shining''. The more psycho the girl goes, the more her make-up goes Monster Clown, until she looks horribly like Pennywise from ''It''. [[NightmareFuel/MusicVideos * brrr*]]
191** There's also a quick shot of one at :04.
192** More Pink: from the same album, the song ''Funhouse'':
193-->This used to be a funhouse\
194But now it's full of evil clowns\
195It's time to start the countdown\
196We're gonna burn it down, down, we're gonna burn it down.
197** And seriously, what more can you do with evil clowns, except KillItWithFire? The video's pretty freaky too.
198* Music/PoetsOfTheFall revisits the imagery over several albums.
199** {{Downplayed|Trope}} in "[[https://youtu.be/MKk1u5RMTn4?list=PLjACqN5i5sDWIIpg-5EB4WcitMMqnXhFP Carnival of Rust]]," as the singer Zoltar, an automaton performer in a CircusOfFear carnival, serves as an unusually eerie and foreboding [[CommediaDellArte Pierrot-figure]]. Though a SadClown, his obvious decrepitude and increasing desperation make the air of menace that much thicker.
200** The [[http://poetsofthefall.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/PotF_-_Twilight_Theater-550x550.jpg album art]] for ''Twilight Theater'' introduces [[TragicMistake Hamartia]], the SlasherSmile-sporting jester with a HappyHarlequinHat that terminates not in jingle bells, but a coiled serpent's head.
201** The video for ''Jealous Gods''' "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=di7NMssrqsE Daze]]" sees Hamartia reappear to sing it, this time as an even creepier Jester-''King,'' with bells hanging from his hair, presiding moodily over a decadent MasqueradeBall until an attendee elects to leave without his say-so. He responds by setting ''everything'' [[KillItWithFire on fire]].
202* Shawn "Clown" Crahan of Music/{{Slipknot}}. All of his masks are clown-themed and take the concept to unique and disturbing extremes, from a relatively simple but ugly clown to one with a pentagram carved into its face to a BDSM mask.
203* Somewhat inevitably crops up in Sufjan Stevens song "John Wayne Gacy Jr.", though not played entirely straight as it centers on the communities FridgeHorror over the ValuesDissonance in his two identities. Somehow made even creepier by making it sound kind of erotic though.
204--> "He dressed up like a clown for them, with his face paint white and red. And on his best behaviour in a dark room on the bed, he kissed them all"
205* The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLifSFBs_Lk music video]] for Sublime's "Wrong Way" depicts Annie's abusive father as a clown.
206* ''Music/EvilliousChronicles'' In "Five the Pierrot/Gobanme no Piero", Lemy/Remy Abelard is a very unique example of this. First, he's just an assassin who has the nickname "Pierrot" and wears a clown outfit. Second, he's not really a monster. He's just [[spoiler:been raised wrong by Santa/Julia Abelard, his adoptive mother and leader of the organization he belongs to, Pere Noel]].
207* Check out [[https://www.discogs.com/release/12187818-White-Courtesy-Telephone-Everything-Is-Fun Blotto the Clown]] from the cover of White Courtesy Telephone's (one and only) CD, "Everything is Fun".
208[[/folder]]
209
210[[folder:Pinball]]
211%%* These are one of the playfield monsters in ''VideoGame/CrueBall''.
212* ''Pinball/FunHouseRudysNightmare'': {{Implied|Trope}} with the clown that appears throughout the game, which is consistently treated as a threat. The beginning of "Don't You Want a Balloon?" positions it as [[BigBad Pennywise]] in a shot directly referencing ''Literature/{{It}}'', while another mode tasks the player melting it in acid. Both modes [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WY8BRf2Vm_w use]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeF-7SAuK-0 songs]] that repeatedly play {{Evil Laugh}}s.
213* While ''Pinball/{{Hurricane}}'' is filled with harmless [[NonIronicClown Non-Ironic Clowns]], the front of the cars of the "Hurricane" rollercoaster have a manically grinning Monster Clown face, complete with razor-sharp teeth.
214%%* Doink the Clown from ''Pinball/WWFRoyalRumble''
215[[/folder]]
216
217[[folder:Podcasts]]
218* Talked about in the ''Podcast/SickSadWorld'' episode "Origins Of Scary Things".
219** Jasmine developed a fear of clowns after a childhood incident where she saw an older child dressed as a scary clown.
220** The hosts mention the then-common clown pranksters, and say people who try jokes like that should be prepared for their victims to know self-defense moves.
221* ''Podcast/TheMagnusArchives'' gives us a number of servants of [[spoiler: The Stranger, the embodiment of the UncannyValley. As it represents the fears of things that look human but have something that makes them seem ''not'', of course it has clowns in its retinue. It's said that Joseph Grimaldi, the most famous clown in British history, was one of its servants, and its current avatar, Nikola Orsinov, is usually depicted in fright makeup and ringleader's garb]].
222* In the Seeso series of ''Podcast/MyBrotherMyBrotherAndMe'', Griffin tries to get some local teens to give up their phones by giving them to the Clown Box: a chained-up box with a picture of a clown on it in the middle of the woods.Inside is apparently a clown, who gives gifts in exchange for phones.When it doesn't receive a phone, it becomes enraged, [[OffscreenTeleportation escapes]], and kills Griffin, his brothers, and the teens.
223* Podcast/RiffTrax:
224** Fear of clowns is a RunningGag for Rifftrax, right behind their fear of monkeys. Check out the riffed shorts "The Creeps Machine" and "Story-Telling: Can You Tell It In Order?" for some good examples. This is a natural continuation from a similar fear on [[Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000 MST3K]].
225** Invoked in the Rifftrax for ''Film/HarryPotterAndThePrisonerOfAzkaban'', when a student [[FaceYourFears casts a spell on a boggart to transform it from a giant snake into a giant, horrifying clown]].
226--->'''Mike Nelson:''' But she failed! She summoned something far scarier, from the depths of Hell itself!
227** On the Rifftrax for ''Film/TheDarkKnight'', after the Joker flips the semi over and starts making goofy noises with his lips, the riffers say this:
228--->'''Mike:''' WesternAnimation/DaffyDuck and John Wayne Gacy's bastard son.\
229'''Bill:''' I thought that was Creator/JimCarrey...
230* The appropriately-named Nightmares the Clown from the "Beyond Belief" segment of ''Podcast/ThrillingAdventureHour'', a parody of [[Literature/{{IT}} Pennywise]]. He's rather annoyed by the fact that Sadie [[NonIronicClown finds clowns hilarious]] and giggles constantly whenever she sees him. Frank Doyle has repeatedly battled Nightmares, first encountering him when he was a child and he and his friends investigated several dead and missing children.
231-->'''Peter:''' Looks like we solved the mystery at least.\
232'''Nightmares:''' That's right boys, you did it! You really did it! You solved the mystery and found ''me''! You young boys went and tracked down the fellow who's been murdering young boys all these years! Do you young boys have a sense of irony yet? Probably not, you're from Maine. But my, how'd you be laughing if you did!
233[[/folder]]
234
235[[folder:Professional Wrestling]]
236* Coco Blanco, a clown with a fanged mask who later became a part of Los Payasos IWRG with the similar Cocochips, Cocolores, Coco Rojo and Coco Verde. Verde, Blanco and Rojo later wrestled for Wrestling/{{AAA}}, Wrestling/{{CMLL}} and [[Wrestling/DragonGate Toryumon]] as Los Payasos Tricolor.
237* Wrestling/DoinkTheClown in the {{Wrestling/WW|E}}F, until his [[HeelFaceTurn face turn]]. Then it went downhill fast. Doink also gets point for [[AwesomeMusic/ProfessionalWrestling the coolest entrance theme ever]], which started with the first few bars of "Entrance of the Gladiators" (aka the StandardSnippet for clowns) before turning into a very bass-heavy, very ''evil'' piece dotted with {{Evil Laugh}}ter. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhRnWMBcNQQ Have a listen]].
238* Los Payasos Diabolicos, a {{legacy|character}} group that has spread the fear of clown throughout many Mexican feds.
239* The ax happy Music/InsaneClownPosse. And as of Wrestling/JuggaloChampionshipWrestling's founding, they now run their own promotion, which is humorous, but in a very ironic way. ([[SelfDeprecation They basically mock everything that is wrong with it on commentary]])
240* An episode of ''[[Wrestling/WWESmackdown SmackDown]]'' in April 2000 had the Mean Street Posse posing as a trio of circus clowns during a hardcore title match when they ambushed Crash Holly.
241* Dead Clown, Psycho Clown, Murder Clown and Monster Clown of Wrestling/{{AAA}} are {{most definitely not| a villain}} examples of this trope, {{not}}. Neither is [[MiniMook mini clown]]!
242* Cabal, one half of Gateway Championship Wrestling's [[LegacyCharacter version]] of Nightbreed and a member of the Diabolic Khaos stable, combined this trope with TheGiant. Think masked Wrestling/{{Kane}} as a clown.
243* Devil Pierrot #1 and Devil Pierrot #2 are a monster clown tag team of Wrestling/FightingOperaHUSTLE fame.
244* Subverted by Wrestling/{{Sting}} in [[Wrestling/ImpactWrestling TNA]] during his 2011 war against the Immortal faction. Slathering over his trademark black lipstick with a grotesquely smeared red GlasgowGrin, playing pranks, and [[TheHyena laughing and carrying on maniacally]], he ''seemed'' to be a Monster Clown but was actually more of a LovableRogue playing mind games with the villains.
245* A mass baby {{face}} example on the July 14, 2011 addition of TNA Impact when Wrestling/{{Fortune}} took up clown gear to take out Immortal for Sting.
246* Wrestling/BrayWyatt could be considered a Monster Clown of a sort. His clothing is much too colorful for such an angsty individual, he has a bone-chilling EvilLaugh, many of his speech patterns seem to have been inspired by Creator/HeathLedger's [[Film/TheDarkKnight Joker]], and he calls himself "the eater of worlds" - one of the titles Pennywise the Dancing Clown applies to himself in ''Literature/{{It}}''. Add a dash of Mister Rogers and you get his 2019 gimmick as the DepravedKidsShowHost of "Firefly Fun House", a run which ultimately culminated in [[spoiler: Bray becoming the Fiend, the monstrous, golden-eyed demon]].
247* In 2014, "The World Famous" Wrestling/{{Kana|koUrai}} started wearing clown makeup and became a "consultant" for joshi fed REINA. Soon enough, she used her new [[ScrewTheRulesIMakeThem authority]], and [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney money]], to give herself a title belt and form a [[PowerStable stable]] known as Piero-gun.
248* TNA's Menagerie stable was often flanked by two giant clown guards. The clown who actually wrestled, Crazzy Steve is ''not'' an example of this trope however. Well, not until he joined the stable Decay many years later.
249[[/folder]]
250
251[[folder:Theater]]
252* Essentially averted by Creator/CirqueDuSoleil in their specific clown acts. Traditional whitefaces and augustes are less intimidating than the popular conception, and some character-based clown acts largely eschew garish makeup and costuming. Indeed some clowns are downright ordinary-looking compared to the other characters. But there are villainous/mysterious characters who, intentionally or not, have appearances akin to this trope: Boum-Boum in ''Quidam'', Le Titan in ''Theatre/LaNouba'', etc. Closest to the trope is the bizarre emcee Fleur in ''Alegria'': According to the AllThereInTheManual material, he was the court jester to the now-gone ruler of the kingdom, and now he wants to be king.
253* ''Theatre/{{Pagliacci}}'': An UnbuiltTrope. The opera involves Canio trying to play a NonIronicClown, when in fact he is a SadClown because his wife is cheating on him, but TheShowMustGoOn. Finally he snaps and stabs his wife and her lover to death on stage in front of a live audience. The whole point is that he's not a monster or a psychopath just because he's a clown; if anything, his clown role is meant for DramaticIrony. On the other hand, the evil hunchback clown Tonio plays the trope much straighter, being a ManipulativeBastard (and attempted rapist) who spitefully engineers the events that lead to the deaths at the end.
254* ''Theatre/{{Rigoletto}}'', kinda. Although he's portrayed in a sympathetic light at parts, he's still a crazy, bitter, grotesque jester [[spoiler:who indirectly kills his daughter and MoralityPet, Gilda.]]
255[[/folder]]
256
257[[folder:Theme Parks]]
258* [[Ride/UniversalStudios Universal's]] ''Theatre/HalloweenHorrorNights'' has had too many examples over the years to list them all. There are a few stand-outs however.
259** Jack C. Schmidt, a [[EvilRedhead red-headed, psychotic, and evil]] clown who gives us both the laughs and the fear.
260** There's also Chance, his harlequin girl sidekick.
261** The evil clowns from the ''Giggles & Gore Inc.'' haunted house. They kidnap people and take them to a factory where they torture and brainwash them into becoming evil clowns themselves. And then there's the Discarded, clowns considered too insane and too dangerous even to the evil clowns, so they are tossed into the basement and left to rot.
262** In Hollywood, there are clowns that were once the NonIronicClown trope.
263*** In 2014, there was the ice cream clown family Sweet Licks, Cutty and Bubba from the haunted house, ''Clowns 3D: Music by Music/{{Slash|Musician}}''. Once, they were ordinary clowns working at the Sweet Licks Frozen Clown Pops ice cream factory/roadside attraction, but the negative portrayal of clowns in the media and the USA's demand for treats low in fat and calories drove them out of business...and insane and desperate for money. So, the clowns came up with a wicked plan to save their business: trick people into coming into their ice cream factory with the promise of free ice cream for one day, kill them, turn their bodies into "healthy" ice cream and sell it to the public.
264*** Then there was Hollywood Harry aka Harold Kappowitz aka Koodles the Clown from the 2016 Terror Tram by Eli Roth. He was once a circus performer and children's variety show host before becoming the unofficial mascot for Universal Studios Hollywood when it first opened in 1964. But as time went on, people began to fear clowns thanks to their negative portrayal in movies and sensationalized news stories of clowns attacking people and kidnapping children. Kappowitz lost his job and was reduced to being an unpaid street performer outside the park gates. A few years later, he was banned from the property due to his increasingly erratic behavior. He fled into the Hollywood Hills and his character, Koodles, faded into obscurity. For decades, his presence in the backlot remained unnoticed even though the local wildlife surrounding the park and the occasional tour guide started vanishing. But these were brushed aside as the result of the park expanding and the transient nature of volunteer tour guides respectively. Then, in the fall of 2016, during the "Clown Craze", people started to notice him wandering around the backlot and began to take videos and photos of him whenever they got the chance and they called him Hollywood Harry, the phantom clown. Soon, "clown hunters" began to go searching for him, only to discover he was not alone. He had assembled an army of former circus performers and clowns to help him in his revenge against Universal Studios for firing him all those years ago.
265* Ride/BuschGardens' Theatre/HowlOScream had one simply named "Clown" as a member of "The 13", a sinister group of monsters that served as the "icons" of the event in 2013.
266* Walibi Holland's Halloween Fright Nights event uses an evil clown called "Eddie the Clown" as one of its main mascots.
267[[/folder]]
268
269[[folder:Toys]]
270* Played at in one of the ''Toys/MonsterHigh'' character diaries, where rushing through her makeup (which she can't see in the mirror) nearly leaves the vampire Draculaura "''looking like an undead clown... not that there's anything wrong with that.''" No clowns have appeared in the franchise yet, but they may be out there.
271[[/folder]]
272
273[[folder:Visual Novels]]
274* ''Franchise/AceAttorney'' has two:
275** [[spoiler:Simon Keyes]] from ''VisualNovel/GyakutenKenji2'', who reveals himself as [[spoiler:the true BigBad of the game, and easily manipulates multiple people similar to Matt Engarde]], though he only reveals himself as a clown when he's performing.
276** Geiru Toneido, although she's a balloon artist, not a clown, from ''[[VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneySpiritOfJustice Spirit of Justice]]''. She certainly seems this way having framed an innocent five-year-old, killed her master out of jealousy, and has a villainous clown look to her.
277* ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaV3KillingHarmony'': The D.I.C.E. organization consists of ten individuals masked as clowns going around causing mild pranks, vandalism, and petty theft ForTheLulz.
278* ''VisualNovel/{{Demonbane}}'': Tiberius wears a clown get-up, and is among the most monstrous characters (given that this game has ''Lovecraftian horrors'' in it, that is saying something).
279* In ''VisualNovel/MarcoAndTheGalaxyDragon'', two aliens disguised as clowns kidnap a young Marco and seemingly murder her mother during the prologue.
280* ''VisualNovel/TrappedWithJester'': Downplayed. Jester is a demon with a jester's appearance who isn't above murder, as he may tear apart the drivers of the carriage and invite the protagonist on a path of vengeance or to raze the world together. He's otherwise very amiable (although he may take you as a pet with or without your consent), which [[BlueAndOrangeMorality leaves his morality up in the air]].
281[[/folder]]
282
283[[folder:Web Animation]]
284* ''WebAnimation/{{Bugbo}}'': ZigZaggingTrope. The Hollow Clown in ''Under the Oak'' has a disturbing, masklike face that lives up to his name. He also has a creepy voice and mannerisms. However, he doesn't do anything evil that we see. He is actually a NonIronicClown who is depressed because his circus was shut down by the mayor. On the other hand, a FreezeFrameBonus reveals that the circus contains a nuclear missile with a clown face on it. [[AmbiguousSituation Did he put that there, and was he planning to use it]]?
285* Zigzagged and darkly PlayedForLaughs in the psychicpebbles short "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWF3R-gE3F8 Clown Robbery]]", where a bank is held up by a clown who, ([[AffablyEvil other than trying to]] "rob" the place, with a balloon-animal gun) otherwise appears to be basically a [[NonIronicClown normal clown doing normal clown behavior]], complete with relying on the same safe, tired old PieInTheFace and squirting flower gags. Everyone else still reacts in absolute horror and panic anyways...until the clown [[spoiler: accidentally shoots the teller in the head for real, and then [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone looks down in horror and shock]] at his "gun".]] ''[[InvertedTrope Then]]'' everyone starts cheering and applauding him.
286* ''WebAnimation/TheCyanideAndHappinessShow'' has Silly the Clown, the connecting BigBad of a building "saga" centered around his exploits. He's just a quiet, grotesque clown with a [[Film/It2017 Pennywise]]-esque LampreyMouth who has NewJobAsThePlotDemands throughout the episodes he shows up in and he loves to pull a HopeSpot on his victims before either killing or snatching them. [[spoiler:Subverted when it's revealed that he only brought victims to his planet just to have a birthday party, as he was lonely, his family mysteriously died and [[ForgottenBirthday no one around has come to celebrate his birthday]].]]
287* ''WebAnimation/DeathBattle'' has pitted two of the worst monster clowns against one another, [[Characters/BatmanTheJoker The Joker]] vs. [[VideoGame/TwistedMetal Needles Kane a.k.a. Sweet Tooth]].
288* ''WebAnimation/GamingAllStars'' has the highly-sadistic [[VideoGame/TwistedMetal Needles "Sweet Tooth" Kane]], who is also one of the few characters in ''The Ultimate Crossover'' and ''Remastered'' to [[spoiler:outright kill a character for real rather than trophifying them]]. [[spoiler:He's also one of the few villains in ''Remastered'' to survive [[Franchise/StarFox Andross]]' attack on Earth, only getting KilledOffForReal during the third season of ''2''.]]
289* ''WebAnimation/HelluvaBoss'':
290** [[VillainProtagonist Blitzo]] is a former clown-turned-assassin operating a hitman service out of Hell. His crass, impulsive and inappropriate behavior has been the death of both his former career and many of his personal relationships. All of which return back to haunt him.
291** The series also gives us another Imp clown: Fizzarolli. Unlike Blitzo, Fizzarolli is a very successful jester and celebrity in the Lust ring, selling robotic replicas of himself as both animatronics and [[SexBot sexbots]] with the added distinction of being the consort of [[{{Asmodeus}} King Asmodeus]] himself. What makes him truly monstrous however, is his willingness to publicly humiliate anyone who crosses him or his master.
292** [[DemonLordsAndArchdevils The Prince of Hell Mammon]] is the AnthropomorphicPersonification of {{Greed}} and ThePerformerKing who acts as a cross between this and a CorruptCorporateExecutive. As Hell's most famous clown, he acted as TheSvengali to Fizzaroli and was the one who came up with the sexbot idea in order to make as much money off him as possible while [[ManipulativeBastard emotionally blackmailing him into doing everything he says]].
293* Strong Man, the Old-Timey version of Strong Mad from ''WebAnimation/HomestarRunner''. As his name suggests, he is actually an unintelligent circus strongman who for some reason ''is always facing the camera'' and is working for [[DastardlyWhiplash Sir Strong Bad]], The Homestar Runner's archnemesis.
294* In ''WebAnimation/IfTheEmperorHadATextToSpeechDevice'', Cegorach has milked his canon status as one of these for all it's worth, only stopping when he's trying to be a ''ScaryLibrarian'' instead. He's only been on screen for maybe 10 minutes total, but in that time single-handedly fought off a chaos invasion while trolling them and scarred for life a pair [[SuperSoldier 10,000 year old custodies]] just for the hell of it.
295* [[https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/umami/images/0/02/Mischief.PNG/revision/latest?cb=20180321020514 Mischief]] from ''WebAnimation/{{Interface}}''. Differently from other examples, he seems to be CreepyGood, as he doesn't show desire to harm anyone and is a friendly figure, while other people don't seem to be creeped out by his appearance.
296* The titular character of the WebAnimation/LumpyTouch video "Yum Yum" is a self-proclaimed "flavor clown" who is employed by Whoopsie Burger to sample flavors for new burgers, but demonstrates very strange behavior and is heavily implied to be a cannibal.
297* One of the primary bad guys in the ''WebAnimation/MadnessCombat'' Flash series is Tricky the Clown. Originally appearing in ''Madness Redeemer'' as a minor villain, he was pinned to a giant marshmallow (don't ask) by Hank in ''Avenger'' with a stop sign and turned into a zombie before being taken down by Hank again. He donned a Jason-style hockey mask for ''Apotheosis'', but did not take part in the fighting. But in ''Depredation'', ''Antipathy'' and ''Consternation'', the Clown took on the power to [[RealityWarper warp reality itself]], making him virtually unstoppable even after getting the top of his head sliced off and being blown full of holes at point blank range by Hank.
298* Gop Donsterly from ''WebAnimation/ThePinkCity'' is a gelatinous creature vaguely in the shape of a clown that is both a wanted criminal and [[spoiler: has a supernatural game show in his gut]].
299* ''WebAnimation/{{Xombie}}'', a flash animation series which takes place AfterTheEnd in a ZombieApocalypse world at one point goes trough a circus. Guess what the protagonist has to face there.
300--> "Even undead, clowns are annoying."
301[[/folder]]
302
303[[folder:Webcomics]]
304* In ''Webcomic/EightBitTheater'', Black Mage gains a clownlike outfit after becoming a blue mage.
305* Donald [=McBonald=] in ''Webcomic/TheAdventuresOfDrMcNinja'' qualifies.
306* ''Webcomic/AwfulHospital'': Gooey Pink Eyes is revealed to be suffering from a strange plague of tiny, flea-sized clowns.
307* ''Webcomic/{{Bug|Martini}}'' has a page dedicated to this -- "[[https://www.bugmartini.com/comic/clowns/ It's becoming hard to find old-fashioned clowns]]".
308* Scuzzo the Clown appears in ''Webcomic/CobwebAndStripes'', which is partially based on the ''WesternAnimation/{{Beetlejuice}}'' cartoon. He's only shown up briefly thus far, but it's clear that he and Betelgeuse don't like each other.
309* ''Edmund Finney's Quest to Find the Meaning of Life'' [[http://eqcomics.com/2010/09/28/silhouettes/ loves]] [[http://eqcomics.com/2010/06/15/targeting-ads/ this.]]
310* Subverted in ''Webcomic/GeneralProtectionFault'', where The Gamester is portrayed as a benevolent, and rule-following cosmic being. (His EvilTwin, Pandemonium, on the other hand...)
311* ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'' has a [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20110209 Jack-in-the-box]] in Heterodynes nursery combining the charm of Monster Clown with steel-clad brutality of an overengineered murder-bot. "It explains... ''so much''..." We don't know yet who made this toy, though -- it may well be local "young masters" [[MadScientist themselves]].
312* ''Webcomic/GunnerkriggCourt'' does a bit of LampshadeHanging:
313-->'''Mort:''' And how did you know that girl didn't like [[https://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=67 clowns]]?\
314'''Antimony:''' Nobody likes clowns.
315* ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'': Clowns and harlequins appear as a recurring motif associated with villains, monsters and unsettling themes.
316** As Creator/AndrewHussie points out in the Book 2 commentary, the flash where John walks around his house after it enters the Medium and everything is silent and the place is surrounded by void is made significantly more creepy by all the ''[[InsistentTerminology harlequins]]'' scattered around the house.
317** A major mechanic of Sburb is that all items that a player places into their Kernelsprite before entering the Medium give their traits to the enemies spawned by Sburb thereafter. Due to John's giant harlequin doll being the first item used in this manner, all enemies and monsters in the game end up wearing colorful harlequin costumes.
318** Gamzee, who wears clown facepaint and follows a bizarre clown-themed religion, first appears to be a comedic subversion, as he's simply goofy, lighthearted and harmless. However, [[spoiler:he eventually undergoes a psychotic break and goes on a murderous rampage, afterwards vacillating between being a destructive killer and a whimsical but ominous free agent]].
319** Monster Clowndom appears to be the [[GangOfHats hat]] of the Subjugglators, judging by the Grand Highblood's facepaint and colorful paintings. [[NightmareFuel/{{Homestuck}} Facepaint and colorful paintings made of the blood of slaughtered trolls.]] The Highblood's pre-Scratch incarnation, [[EnemyMime Kurloz]], does not look as much like a clown as the rest of the Makara family, but he's in the same cult, uses terms inspired by ICP more frequently, and is just as insane. Notably, not many other examples of this trope act quite as subtly or in as much Machiavellian style as he does.
320** The Music/InsaneClownPosse have a significant influence on the backstory of the [[CosmicRetcon Post-Scratch]] universe. In addition to their entry above, they acted as the last presidents of the US, and were responsible for innumerable deaths [[spoiler: before being assassinated by Dave's alternate self]]. Also, they (along with Dave and Betty Crocker) were indirectly responsible for [[spoiler: Gamzee]]'s aforementioned rampage.
321* ''Webcomic/InWilysDefense'' does some LampshadeHanging as well, [[http://www.incomprehensibility.com/archives.php?type=iwd&c=512 a comic]] being devoted to how terrifying clowns can be, in order to further Cut Man's argument that [[Characters/FinalFantasyVI Kefka]] is a better villain than [[Characters/FinalFantasyVII Sephiroth]].
322* Part of the seven-strong BigBadEnsemble of ''Webcomic/KillSixBillionDemons'' is Gog-Agog, a perky CloudCuckooLander who combines TheWormThatWalks with TheVirus and nigh-godlike power. Anyone who eats one of her worms becomes a part of her, and in the CrapsackWorld of Throne there are plenty of people miserable enough to think being parasitized by a bright, chipper MadGod to be worth the downsides. She also has a monopoly on Throne’s news and entertainment industries (she’s a major celebrity), meaning she knows what’s going on everywhere with everyone.
323* [[https://www.deviantart.com/art/Pennymon-734840298 Pennymon]] from [[https://darkkomet.deviantart.com/art/The-Lightningbolts-Red-And-White-722986193 The Lightningbolts: Red And White]], [[https://darkkomet.deviantart.com/art/The-Entity-736015704 The Entity]] and [[https://darkkomet.deviantart.com/art/The-Black-Tower-742204632 The Black Tower]] is a digimon form of The Enty, resembling a cross between [[Anime/DigimonAdventure Piedmon]] and [[Literature/{{IT}} Pennywise]], and kills just for the enjoyment of evil and enjoys killing children out of sick amusement.
324* In ''Webcomic/NobodyScores'' the cast is too horribly jaded even for [[http://nobodyscores.loosenutstudio.com/index.php?id=145 this]].
325* In ''Webcomic/{{Nodwick}}'', after re-lived her fifth birthday several times:
326--> '''Piffany''': I had to watch the ''clown'' they hired for my party. I'm going to need a few more ''teddy bears'' to get to sleep tonight!
327* ''WebComic/OnePunchMan'' A Dragon - level monster known as the "Pesky Clown" showed up. He carried a bunch of balloons that could [[JustifiedExtraLives pop as a substitute for him taking damage]], effectively making him invincible until he ran out of balloons. He was eventually defeated by Amai Mask, although he required [[TheReveal revealing]] his true monster form to do so.
328* ''Webcomic/RedMeat'': Apparently [[http://www.oocities.org/ed_the_fairy_godbastard/redmeat/rm_079.gif dead clowns]] [[http://www.oocities.org/ed_the_fairy_godbastard/redmeat/rm_362.gif are kinda]] [[http://www.oocities.org/ed_the_fairy_godbastard/redmeat/rm_428.gif funny.]] Maybe?
329* ''Webcomic/SaturdayMorningBreakfastCereal''
330** In strip [[http://www.smbc-comics.com/?id=3573#comic #3573]], someone explains the attributes of clowns on the basis that they are creatures that have evolved in dark caves and sewers.
331--> "You'll note they really only come out when small high-calorie animals are herding."
332** In "Bedtime", an(other?) example of parental trolling claiming this trope:
333--> "Dad, I don't get clowns. Nobody ever laughs when they do stuff."
334--> "Well, I dunno. I think it's pretty funny to see a dead guy walking around in big floppy shoes."
335** ''[[https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/adverse Adverse]]'' takes a look at the trope as a self-perpetuating matter of adverse selection, comparing it to healthy people dropping insurance leading to higher prices for sicker people: If kids ''started'' a bit scared of clowns, only people somewhat comfortable with scaring kids become clowns, leading to more frightening clowns in turn, which feeds back into the loop as kids are more frightened than before. Iterate enough, and any thinking kid has to assume anyone willing to be a clown today is ''objectively'' terrifying. [[spoiler:And going by the clown in the comic, the kid would be right]].
336* In ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'' [[http://sluggy.com/comics/archives/daily/021115 a paramilitary clown]] is a KnightTemplar planning to [[http://sluggy.com/comics/archives/daily/021116 take control of]] Satanic kittens. He's got a [[http://sluggy.com/comics/archives/daily/021117 maniacal laugh]] to boot.
337** Riff is apparently afraid of clowns. He can deal with this to some extent, but [[http://www.sluggy.com/comics/archives/daily/021109 unresistingly hands over a gun]] when the clown asks for it, gets all flustered when questioned why, and later, when the clown grins at him, [[http://www.sluggy.com/comics/archives/daily/021115 faints]]. He also has a nightmare about the Kitty-girl Clowney-devil.
338* In [[http://www.mezzacotta.net/garfield/?comic=2708 this]] ''WebComic/SquareRootOfMinusGarfield'' strip, Binky the Clown shoots Uncle Roy.
339* ''Webcomic/WapsiSquare'' demonstrated that there are few things scarier than a [[http://wapsisquare.com/comic/11282003/ dog in a clown mask.]]
340* In ''Webcomic/TheWordWeary'', Yorick's elf rogue character is disguised as a jester- and he's just as [[http://wordwearycomic.blogspot.com/2011/04/28-april-2011.html acerbic and mean]] as he is the in regular story.
341[[/folder]]
342
343[[folder:Websites]]
344* Hilariously subverted and turned on its head in [[https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/001/407/550/eae.png this]] Website/FourChan post, where a gang of clown-clad vandals find their match in a ''buck-naked'' rifle-wielding not-so-GoodOlBoy. You almost feel sorry for the poor bastards.
345-->''> [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere I have NEVER seen anything haul ass faster in my entire life]]\
346> no vandalism on the news for a couple weeks''
347* The Cheezburger Network's newest website, [[http://72.47.209.134/ Clown Fails]], is nothing but this.
348* ''Website/{{Cracked}}'': [[http://www.cracked.com/blog/exploring-the-mysteries-of-the-mind-with-the-sims-3/ Subject Beef]] certainly fits. Seanbaby speculates on the cause-effect relationship of wearing clown makeup and killing people. All we can say for sure is that it's there, one way or another.
349* The villains from ''Website/HectorsWorld'' are a group of clowns called the Info Gang.
350* ''Website/{{Mortasheen}}'' combines this with {{Mon}}s and has a classification of creatures (Specifically the Joker class) based on this concept. Some of them are very weird. Like the eye-chicken-ventriloquist [[http://www.bogleech.com/mortasheen/opticaper.htm Opticaper]], the straitjacket-snake-clown [[http://www.bogleech.com/mortasheen/insanititter.htm Insanititter]] and whatever [[http://www.bogleech.com/mortasheen/madcap.htm Madcap]] is.
351* The Website/RPCAuthority actually subverts this with [[http://rpcauthority.wikidot.com/rpc-235 RPC-235]], a total of 13 living Matryoshkas with a clownish appearance who are completely harmless. If anything, they're [[SadClown Sad Clowns]].
352** Played straight with [[http://rpcauthority.wikidot.com/rpc-239 RPC-239]], who is a DemonicDummy possessed by a SerialKiller known as "Bobo the Clown".
353* The Website/SCPFoundation has [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-993 SCP-993]], the "Bobble the Clown" show. Once the program starts, everyone in the room over the age of ten passes out, while children under the age of ten report that an animated clown gives how-tos on cannibalism, arson, and a number of other horrifying things; further, the children who watch a show will [[{{Brainwashed}} regularly perform whatever actions Bobble instructed them in]] until their memories of the show are removed with EasyAmnesia. Worse, whoever is creating the show (and there's a certain amount of evidence that the show itself is a sapient entity that creates and broadcasts itself) appears to be aware that the SCP Foundation has found a way to intercept and block its transmission, as the two most recent episodes are Bobble Hates You[[note]]Bobble the Clown, sitting in a chair and glaring silently at the viewer for the entire episode.[[/note]] and *EXPLETIVE* YOU *EXPLETIVE* YOU *EXPLETIVE* YOU[[note]] Bobble the Clown breaches classification on Foundation researchers, administrators, and [=SCPs=], including detailed instructions on how to breach containment of a number of incredibly dangerous [=SCPs=], with a special guest appearance by the animated version of an SCP researcher who happened to be passing by the room where the Foundation keeps the recordings they make of the show at the time shown on a clock in the episode.[[/note]]
354** [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/behind-the-scenes When Bobble eventually calmed down about the Foundation blocking him]] he turned out to be FauxAffablyEvil, which was infinitely creepier than him being angry.
355** They also have [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/log-of-anomalous-items a wooden statue of a clown which giggles when it's in the dark]]. Or ''had'', actually, since a clown-hating Foundation agent [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill shot it 15 times with his gun, reducing it to nothing but splinters]].
356* There's a viral comment being spread on Website/YouTube warning, "a clown will kill u at 3:00 A.M. tomorrow morning if u dont pass this 2 10 vids ''[sic]''."
357* Here's a particularly scary example of a monster clown jack-in-the-box, just scroll a bit down to see it (but be warned, it is ''very'' unnerving). Click if you dare: [[http://www.bogleech.com/halloween-2009sept.html]]
358[[/folder]]
359
360[[folder:Web Videos]]
361* ''WebVideo/AtopTheFourthWall'': Linkara is fed up with the negative portrayal of clowns in the media, and introduced [[NonIronicClown Boffo the Clown]] (who is friendly, dignified and polite) as a deliberate subversion of this trope.
362* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MItzvEjNURA Behold Baby Ronald McDonald]]. Possibly downplayed, as the baby is more creepy than evil.
363* Website/ChannelAwesome featured a video with Creator/DougWalker doing a pretty damn good impression of Creator/HeathLedger[[Film/TheDarkKnight 's Joker]] practicing his origin story. An attempt to spin this off into a series called "Melvin, Brother of the Joker" was not nearly as well received, and the character became TheScrappy among fans. Walker has engaged in a fair amount of SelfDeprecation about this, and Melvin was killed by other TGWTG contributors during one of the donation drives.
364* WebVideo/DiamandaHagan, who is a female Joker and enjoys slaying her minions when bored.
365* WebVideo/JonTron hilariously subverted the trope in his ''Film/TheHowling'' Halloween episode. Jon enters his creepy, cobwebbed house and starts to read from a haunted book, but is interrupted by the demented laughter of a clown in his room. He reacts by [[spoiler:[[InvertedTrope casually murdering it.]]]]
366-->'''[=JonTron=]:''' ''(laughs it off)'' Oh, thank God. It's just a clown. ''[[spoiler: [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments (pulls out a pistol and shoots the clown dead)]] ]]''
367* Jay Insano of the ''WebVideo/NewVillainOrder''. Originally he even spoke in Creator/MarkHamill voice clips.
368* ''[[NinjaPirateZombieRobot Ninja Clown Monster!]]'' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-SamlxVgnc&feature=related This may keep you up tonight.]]
369* ''WebVideo/TheSpoonyExperiment'' features Creator/{{Noah|Antwiler}} playing "Chuckles the Fucking Jester", a character from the ''VideoGame/{{Ultima}}'' series. Spoony finds him creepy, screaming when he enters the room. He is also relentlessly obnoxious, making bad jokes and beating Noah with a rubber chicken for not playing "The Game" correctly. After [[ItMakesSenseInContext Spoony's robot blasts him with a laser beam]], Chuckles flees, and a mysterious figure points out his ability to cause great fear, giving him [[Comicbook/BlackestNight a Yellow Lantern ring]].
370* ''WebVideo/UnwantedHouseguest'' features one riding a bike in Episode 29 of "TRUE Scary Stories." The "Monster" part, however, may [[UnreliableNarrator just be the narrator's paranoia.]]
371* ''WebVideo/WondersOfTheWorldWideWeb'': Parodied. In the [=GrubHub=] video, one of the restaurants featured is "Odium Burger." Its mascot is a clown with [[MoreTeethThanTheOsmondFamily many sharp teeth]] and blood running down his chin. Kinna describes him as "adorable." It's unclear whether she's a NightmareFetishist or just cheerfully oblivious. Also, if you order from Odium Burger, you get a free knife!
372[[/folder]]
373
374[[folder:Other]]
375* "Clowns: Satan's idea of what's funny" [[http://cheezburger.com/3095631360 poster]]
376[[/folder]]
377----
378-> '''[[JustForFun/StatlerAndWaldorf Statler]]:''' Gee, Waldorf, look at all these examples! Who knew clowns could be so awful?\
379'''Waldorf:''' Eh, don't worry about those guys. They're nowhere near as bad as the clowns who ''write'' these things!\
380'''Both:''' Do-ho-ho-ho-hoh!

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