[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Comic Strips]]
->Laugh at me, will they?
-->--'''A clown buying a gun,''' ''ComicStrip/TheFarSide''
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Fan Fiction]]
->Her pink face was painted pale white, except around her eyes where the white was disrupted by inky black circles. A sloppily painted teardrop decorated her left cheek -- but Pinstripe hardly noticed it, or the tinge of green now coloring the ends of her tangled mane.\\
He was busy staring at her [[GlasgowGrin scars]].
-->-- ''Fanfic/{{Pagliacci}}'', Chapter 2
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Film -- Animated]]

->'''Batman/Terry [=McGinnis=]:''' What can you tell me about clowns?\\
'''Commissioner Barbara Gordon:''' In this town, they're never funny.
-->-- ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyondReturnOfTheJoker''

->''"Run."''
-->-- The clown from Toaster's nightmare, ''WesternAnimation/TheBraveLittleToaster''

->''"How dare you ruin my perfect record of jesterly awfulness?!"''
-->-- '''The Jester''', ''WesternAnimation/LegendsOfOzDorothysReturn''
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Film -- Live-Action]]
->''"Why so serious? ...Let's put a [[GlasgowGrin smile]] on that face!"''
-->-- '''The Joker''', ''Film/TheDarkKnight''

->''"What's the matter kid, don't you like clowns? Why? Don't we make ya laugh? Aren't we fuckin' funny? You best come up with an answer, cause I'm gonna come back here and check on you and your mama, and if you ain't got a reason why you hate clowns, '''I'm gonna kill your whole fuckin' family."'''''
-->-- '''Captain Spaulding''', ''Film/TheDevilsRejects''

->''"Yes... They all float...[[note]]referring to balloons [[DoubleMeaning and]] bodies in sewers[[/note]] And when you're down here... with me... [[SuddenlyShouting YOU'LL FLOAT TOO]]!"''
-->-- '''Pennywise the Dancing Clown''', ''Film/It1990''

->''"Paul, this is more serious than selling ice cream! There's clowns going around killing people! We're all in danger!"''
-->-- '''Mike Tobacco''', ''Film/KillerKlownsFromOuterSpace''
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
->'''Brienne of Tarth:''' You are no better than the rest of them. You have robbed and raped and murdered.\\
'''Shagwell the Fool:''' Oh, I have, I have, I shan't deny it... but I'm ''amusing'', with all my japes and capers. I make men laugh.\\
'''Brienne of Tarth:''' And women weep.\\
'''Shagwell the Fool:''' Is that my fault? Women have no sense of humor.
-->-- ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire''

->''"[[JekyllAndHyde Nicer the man, meaner the clown]]."''
-->-- '''Winston the Clown''', ''Literature/ThePiloFamilyCircus''

->And laughter rose from the circus tent as the clowns drove on in their happy jalopy and gave balloons to the children, and when they left there were smiles on the faces of nearly all those in the audience, except for the very clever children who sensed that there was [[WasOnceAMan more to clowns]] than bright suits and funny cars and oversized feet, and that if you were wise you didn't laugh at them, and you stayed out of their way, and you never pried into their business, for clowns are lonely and angry and want company in their misery. They are always seeking, always searching for new clowns to join them...
-->-- ''Some Children Wander By Mistake'', by Creator/JohnConnolly

->Guignol.\\
All Paris, it seemed, talked of the capering mountebank. Mention was made of his padded paunch, his camel's hump, his gross red nose, his too-wide grin, [[ScaryTeeth his terrible teeth]], his rouged cheeks, his white gloves with [[FemmeFatalons long sharp nails bursting the fingertip seams]], his red-and-white striped tights, his jerkin embroidered with skulls and snakes and bats, his shock of white hair, his curly-toed boots, his quick mind, his cruel quips, his shrill songs...
-->-- ''Literature/AngelsOfMusic'', "Act III: Guignol"
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
->''"You [[FaceHeelTurn were]] a wonderful clown once. Inventive, funny, outrageous."''
-->-- '''Bellboy''' to the Chief Clown, now Chief Collaborator with [[spoiler:the Gods of Ragnarok]] and increasingly sadistic, ''Series/DoctorWho'', "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS25E4TheGreatestShowintheGalaxy The Greatest Show in the Galaxy]]"

->'''Nate:''' What do you think parents are most afraid of?\\
'''Parker:''' Clowns.\\
'''Nate:''' No.\\
'''Parker:''' Evil clowns?\\
'''Nate:''' No, Parker.\\
'''Parker:''' Crazy clowns called Geegee who whisper your name from under your bed?\\
'''Nate:''' ''[{{Beat}}]'' No.
-->-- ''Series/{{Leverage}}'', "The Toy Job"

->'''Joey:''' Okay, ducks is heads, because ducks... have heads.\\
'''Chandler:'''...Kind of scary-ass clowns came to your birthday?!
-->-- ''Series/{{Friends}}''

->''"I don't like magic. Or clowns. [[NoodleIncident In the dark. With knives]]."''
-->-- '''Leo Fitz''', ''Series/AgentsOfShield''

-> ''"Of all the things you have seen, of all the things out on the dark you have fought, it's me that lives in your nightmares. The painted face '''of a clown!'''"''
-->-- '''Odd Bob the Clown''', ''Series/TheSarahJaneAdventures''

->''"Can I have a ride to...'' '''''your house?'''''"
-->-- '''Series/{{Victorious}}''', ''Car, Rain, And Fire''
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Music]]
->''This used to be a funhouse,\\
But now it's full of evil clowns.\\
It's time to start the countdown;\\
I'm gonna burn it down, down,\\
[[KillItWithFire I'm gonna burn it down]].''
-->-- '''Music/{{Pink}}''', "Funhouse"

->''Some make us laugh, some make us cry,\\
These klowns only gonna make you die!\\
Everybodys runnin' when the circus is coming to the town\\
Everybody's runnin' from the likes of the killer klowns\\
From outer space\\
Killer klowns From outer space\\
The ringmaster shouts that the show began\\
Send in the klowns, then let them do you in\\
See a rubber nose on a painted face\\
Bringing genocide to the human race\\
It's time to take a ride on the nightmare merry-go-round\\
You'll be dead on arrival from the likes of the killer klowns\\
From outer space\\
Killer klowns from outer space''
-->-- '''The Dickies''', "[[Film/KillerKlownsFromOuterSpace Killer Klowns]]"
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
->Without exception, Death Jesters possess a [[BlackComedy grisly sense of humor]] that leads them to seek new and inventive ways to terrorize, torment and eventually kill their victims. They can sometimes be heard [[DissonantSerenity chuckling or humming in the midst of battle]], and will occasionally pause to sketch a deep bow or [[SarcasticClapping offer mocking applause]] to foes whose horrible fates have especially entertained them.\\
Killing the foe is not enough for a Death Jester. To make war worthwhile, they must intersperse death with ironic humour. [[SedgwickSpeech Slaying an officer at the crescendo of a rallying speech]], panicking enemy sappers so [[HoistByTheirOwnPetard they flee into their own minefield]], or wounding a heavy weapon trooper so their shot flies wide and destroy the very objective they were defending; these are the kinds of cruel deed in which Death Jesters find their amusement. Indeed, there are few in the galaxy as talented or imaginative [[MadArtist when it comes to writing the tragic comedy of war]].
-->-- ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000: Codex -- Harlequins''
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Theme Parks]]
->''Not afraid of the dark? [[DoubleMeaning You don't know Jack]]!''
-->-- '''{{Tagline}}''' referring to Jack the Clown, [[Ride/UniversalStudios Universal's]] ''Theatre/HalloweenHorrorNights''
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
->''"Take the Carnival. Look at 'em, they're really scary. There's nothing more terrifying than a homicidal female clown with a tambourine."''
-->-- '''Superball''', Registered Hero, ''VideoGame/CityOfHeroes''

->''What's a clown doing here? Everyone knows the only thing scarier than a horde of zombies is a clown. Behold the true face of fear!''
-->-- ''VideoGame/ZombievilleUSA 2''

->''"Crazed, axe-wielding clowns? I'm gonna have nightmares for sure!"''
-->-- '''Spider-Man''', ''VideoGame/SpiderMan2''

->''"Let your enemies fear! For the Harlequins of the Laughing God dance by your side!"''
-->-- '''Eldar Harlequins''', ''VideoGame/DawnOfWar''

->''"Aww ***. There just had to be a friggin' clown..."''
-->-- '''Max's dad''', after a clown accidentally scares Max and his friends, ''VideoGame/MaxAnAutisticJourney''.

->'''Everyone told you hiring a clown would be a good idea. 'Clowns are great for parties,' they said, But now everyone's missing, and the power is out, and something's laughing just down the hall..."''
-->-- '''FlavorText''' for Surprise Party Fiddlesticks, ''VideoGame/LeagueOfLegends''

->''"Is it a demon? Is it a clown? Let's try a little of both!"''
-->-- '''Surprise Party Fiddlesticks''', ''VideoGame/LeagueOfLegends''
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Comics]]
->'''TC:''' I AM GOING TO MOTHERFUCKING KILL ALL YOU MOTHERFUCKERS.\\
'''TC:''' and paint the wicked pictures with your motherfuckin blood.\\
'''TC:''' FROM YOUR VEINS WILL DRIP MY MIRACLES.\\
'''TC:''' your crushed bones will make my special stardust.\\
'''TC:''' WELCOME TO THE DARK CARNIVAL, [[KillTheCutie BROTHER]].
-->-- '''Gamzee Makara''', ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}''

->'''Napalm Man:''' The fact of the matter is that [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI Kefka]] is nothing more than a glorified clown.\\
'''Cut Man:''' I believe you underestimate the sheer fear-inducing energy a clown possesses. Take [[Characters/BatmanTheJoker the Joker]] for example. For starters, he was played by Creator/JackNicholson. That's kinda scary enough. Then he was played by Creator/MarkHamill, the most evil voice actor in the world. To hell with acting, Mark Hamill WAS the Joker. Also, clowns with chainsaws? ''SCARY AS ALL HOLY HELL.'' That should be outlawed in every place on Earth. Ever. And look at Kefka himself. He looks like he fell off the insanity tree, hit every branch on the way down, then hit a trampoline, and hit them again.\\
'''Napalm Man:''' But Why would Emperor Ghestahl even have Kefka as a high-ranking member of the military if he looked like a clown?\\
'''Cut Man:''' When you're charging at your enemy, who's charging at you with their weapon drawn... who would you rather see? One of those evil ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' orcs? Or an insane clown?
-->-- ''Webcomic/InWilysDefense'', [[http://iwd.fetchquest.com/archives.php?type=iwd&c=512 "Clowns Are Freaking Scary"]]

->''[After terrifying Paz with an [[MasterOfIllusion illusory]] CircusOfFear]''\\
'''Mort:''' ...and how did you know that girl didn't like clowns?\\
'''Antimony:''' ''[deadpan]'' Nobody likes clowns.
-->-- ''Webcomic/GunnerkriggCourt'', [[https://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=67 p. 67]]

->''"Suppose kids are just a ''little'' afraid of clowns. In that case, the people least comfortable terrifying children will not become clowns. [[SelfFulfillingProphecy Thus clowns become objectively more terrifying, prompting kids to be more scared, driving out the least-scary remaining clowns]]. At this point in the process, a rational child should assume anyone still willing to go into clowning is objectively to be feared."''
-->-- '''[[https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/adverse Adverse]] comic''', ''Webcomic/SaturdayMorningBreakfastCereal''
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Original]]
->'''2017 Pennywise:''' My movie was scarier.
->'''1990 Pennywise:''' Well mine was funnier.
->'''2017 Pennywise:''' We're not supposed to ''funny!''
->'''1990 Pennywise:''' We're freakin ''clowns!''
-->--''WebVideo/NostalgiaCritic'', "It"

->''"And there's this clown... but it's not a very funny clown. He made me realize why I'm so afraid of clowns. ''[...]'' He is a psychopathic clown with deep psychological issues who looks like he put on his grandmother's makeup wrong."''
-->-- '''[[WebVideo/BumReviews Chester A. Bum]]''' reviewing ''Film/TheDarkKnight''

->''With Krinkles the Clown as the mascot, every serving of Sugar Krinkles now had the vitamins and minerals of one handful of flesh and the fear you need to get you going in the morning. The prize inside every box was whispers. Whenever you lost a kitchen knife in 1969, you would somehow always find it inside New Post's Sugar Krinkles. The side of the box had photos of missing children, but each of them was labeled "Ingredients". Sugar Krinkles was eventually pulled from the shelf, but Krinkles the Clown continued to find work. [[ParanoiaFuel He now appears in mirrors every time you look away from them]].''
-->-- ''Website/{{Cracked}}'', [[http://www.cracked.com/blog/the-8-most-baffling-food-mascots-all-time_p2/#ixzz1UFxold00 "The 8 Most Baffling Food Mascots of All Time"]]

->'''Wiz:''' They visit you for birthday parties, cheer you up when you're sad, and probably also want to kill you.\\
'''Boomstick:''' Clowns...
-->-- ''WebAnimation/DeathBattle''

->''[A clown suddenly appears in his house, [[EvilLaugh cackling villainously]]]''\\
'''Jon:''' ''[laughing]'' [[SubvertedTrope Oh thank God, it's just a clown]]. ''[[spoiler:[[AntiClimax pulls out a pistol and kills the clown with one shot]]]]]''
-->-- '''WebVideo/JonTron''', ''[[Film/TheHowling Howling II: Your Sister is a Werewolf]]''

->Nozo produces a variety of cartoonish sproings, boings, honks, cuckoos, hee-haws, quacks, giggles, [[BreadEggsMilkSquick and bloodcurdling screams of hellish agony]] to keep children amused.
-->-- ''Website/{{Mortasheen}}''

->''"I SENSE EVIL CLOWN SHIT."[[note]]"Shit" as in "business", not literally.[[/note]]''
-->-- '''Bob''', ''Roleplay/TropersTheSeries'' (S5:E20, "The Carnival Is Not Over")

->''The Mantis Shrimp is a living fossil of the prehistoric clown that all modern clowns evolved from ''[...]'' and just like the modern clown, the Mantis Shrimp has a psychopathic killing instinct.''
-->-- ''WebVideo/TrueFacts About the Mantis Shrimp''

->''What a great day to visit the funhouse! Use your pencil to find the funnest way out! Be careful, though! [[{{WhamLine}} Your fear is already on my tongue and your cries for help only bring me closer]]. I am the minotaur. All clowns are the minotaur. All clowns are the minotaur. [[{{OhCrap}} It will never be your birthday again]].''
-->-- ''Website/{{Cracked}}'', [[{{Creator/Seanbaby}} Man Comics]]

->''"So, hot take no one asked for? Clowns? Kinda rad!\\
\\
They’re the closest things to living caricatures that humanity has to offer. Exaggerated, goofy folk who just have a propensity for messing up. Inherently, it's one of the most humble professions, filled with humility and laughing at themselves as they bumble forward, often letting themselves be the butt of jokes and getting bystanders in on the act in humorous and ultimately harmless ways. Clowns represent pure spectacle in laughing at yourself, and all the positivity that taking a step back and chuckling at the simple absurdity of a pratfall can offer. It’s fun… and also incredibly easy to defile and make creepy.\\
\\
With such a simple, pure template of "look funny, make happy", the idea of something more '''unscrupulous''' beneath a clown's stupidly smiling surface becomes very easy to buy into. And you don’t need me to tell you that pop culture '''loves''' itself some evil clowns-- cads who turn the desire to get everyone else to laugh into finding the perfect way to laugh at everyone else’s expense. It’s when mischief becomes malicious that a clown turns from silly to sinister, and… yeah, [[Characters/BatmanTheJoker The Joker]] and [[Anime/DigimonAdventure Piedmon]] and [[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons Krusty]] and [[Literature/{{It}} Pennywise]] are really engrossing at a base level. The simple idea of corrupting something so fundamental as laughter creates this macabre allure of how far the clown’s sick joke can be taken, and is so instantly understandable that even a child can get creeped out by an unsettling clown’s smile, even if they don't quite know why.\\
\\
It’s a simple, base desire to see something fun and then have it twisted to something as entertaining as it is frightening…"''
-->--'''Pyrrikong''', ''[[https://www.youtube.com/c/DesigningFor Designing For]]'', [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMJK56Zd1EY "Marx: Kirby's Calamitous Clown -- Designing For Corruption"]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
->''"[[YouHaveToBelieveMe You gotta believe me, Mandy]]! The clowns are nothing but ULTIMATE EVIL! They wanna be the dominant species on the planet, and they'll destroy us all to make it happen! ''[[BrokenRecord DESTROY US ALL! DESTROY US ALL! DESTROY US ALL!]]''"''
-->-- '''Billy''', ''WesternAnimation/TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy''

->''"[[MadnessMantra Can't sleep, clown will eat me... can't sleep, clown will eat me... can't sleep, clown will eat me...]]"''
-->-- '''Bart Simpson''', ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS4E10LisasFirstWord Lisa's First Word]]"

->''"[[HulkSpeak Clown smash]]!"''
-->-- '''Protoclown''', ''WesternAnimation/TheTick''

->''"Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go kill some evil clowns."''
-->--'''Sterling Archer''', ''WesternAnimation/{{Archer}}''

->''"You have made me one VERY SAD CLOWN!"''
-->-- '''Joker''', brandishing a giant hammer, ''WesternAnimation/TheBatman''

-> ''"I'm Dr. Rockzo, The Rock & Roll Clown! [[AddledAddict I do cocaine!]]"''
-->-- '''Dr. Rockzo''', ''WesternAnimation/{{Metalocalypse}}''
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Real Life]]
->''"A clown is funny in the circus ring. But what would be the normal reaction to opening a door at midnight, and finding the same clown standing there in the moonlight?"''
-->-- '''Creator/LonChaney'''

->''"You know... clowns can get away with murder!"''
-->-- '''John Wayne Gacy''', allegedly said to taunt police shortly before his arrest

->''"To me, clowns aren't funny. In fact, they're kinda scary. I wondered where this started, and I think it goes back to the time I went to the circus, and a clown killed my dad."''
-->-- '''Creator/JackHandey'''

->''"Few things are as hopelessly saturated with the stink of fear and death as a colorful, smiling clown. As my four-year-old son put it after having clowns explained to him: 'So clowns are supposed to be funny, but then they accidentally make you sad and afraid?'"''
-->-- '''[[Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000 Michael J. Nelson]]'''

->''"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself... and evil clowns."''
-->-- '''Unknown'''

->''"I have a childhood memory of a clown appearing at a friend's party, and most of my friends breaking down in tears at the very sight of the inhuman, grinning madman. I certainly didn't want to approach the thing; we all wondered why on earth the adults had let such a ghoulish creature in the building. ''[...]'' Perhaps we'll soon be seeing headlines claiming that 'Millennials killed the clowning industry,' along with all the other industries we supposedly drove into the grave. Like clowns, millennials aren't quite the mass-murderers we're made out to be, but on behalf of the teary, frightened children around the country, we'll happily take credit for this one. "''
-->-- '''Dani Di Placido''', [[https://www.forbes.com/sites/danidiplacido/2017/09/04/world-clown-association-blame-stephen-kings-it-for-ruining-their-reputation/#4117afed4365 "World Clown Association Blame Stephen King's 'It' For Ruining Their Reputation"]], ''Forbes''

->''"Yeah, it's [[CultureClash not really a thing in Japan to be scared of clowns]], but when we did send the first sketches over to Creator/{{Nintendo}} of America, we got some responses saying it was a little scary. So I thought, 'Oh, so Americans are scared of clowns.' I felt like I learned a weak point of Americans."''
-->-- '''Kosuke Yabuki''', [[https://youtu.be/3_-ZFahQseo?t=435 when asked about]] the character [[FightingClown Lola Pop]] in ''VideoGame/{{ARMS}}''
[[/folder]]
----