Line #187 Main/AfraidOfClowns


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5	[[quoteright:350:[[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/88f80712670428161327ee409237.png]]]]
6
7	-> ''"In my opinion, there are two kinds of people: those who fear and hate clowns... and clowns.''"
8	-->-- '''Bobby''', ''Literature/ThePendragonAdventure''
9
10	In a lot of media, clowns evoke a sense of fear or dread in certain characters, even [[NonIronicClown if they aren't]] a MonsterClown. Of course, fiction being what it is, means that the fear of such people or beings leads to a very large amount of over-dramatizing. This ''can'' be subverted, but expect in a kid's show the dumbest strong guy to fear clowns; in adult shows, it can either be the dumb person or the {{straight man}}. A character may have to [[FaceYourFears face his fears]] in certain settings, especially when they're dealing with someone [[{{Clownification}} transforming into a clown]].
11
12	And, as if it is not enough, some works pit the characters against a CircusOfFear, where a MonsterClown might be one of many. Then again, the narrative can lean into FauxHorrific or an AbsurdPhobia for the characters if the clown itself is clearly harmless.
13
14	TruthInTelevision. As [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coulrophobia the Other Wiki]] discusses -- children frequently fear clown-type decorations in doctor's offices and hospitals. It's implied that it might be tied into the UncannyValley. In fact, the sheer abundance of this trope has resulted in clowns becoming less common as entertainers in real life, since in recent years they're more likely to be seen as creepy rather than funny.
15
16	This is a very common sub-trope of WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes, which covers all sorts of very specific phobias. EveryoneHatesMimes is a related trope, regarding another type of entertainer that some people see as creepy.
17
18	As it would seem topical to point out, Website/TheOtherWiki's other languages go to great lengths to describe what a clown is even supposed to be, for starters, thus firmly placing the CreatorProvincialism of this trope in the North Americas where even a phobia of them has developed.
19	----
20	!!Examples:
21	[[foldercontrol]]
22	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
23	* In ''Anime/MobileFighterGGundam'', [[EagleLand Neo-America's representative Chibodee Crockett]] happens to be scared of clowns due to being held hostage as a child by a bunch of terrorists in clown outfits. This comes to a head in the TournamentArc when he has to face off against Neo-Portugal's representative, who has a clown costume ''and'' a clown-themed mecha.
24	-->'''Fred:''' Who would have thought your mom would hire the only clown in the world who uses a paper shredder as a prop?
25	[[/folder]]
26
27	[[folder:Comic Books]]
28	* The first arc of the ''WebAnimation/BravestWarriors'' tie-in comic book by Boom Studios involves the Bravest Warriors having to help out [[ClownSpecies a race of clown people]], which is difficult for Danny because he's afraid of clowns.
29	* DependingOnTheWriter, ''ComicBook/RedHood'' is sometimes portrayed as really hating clowns, a consequence of having been beaten to death by ComicBook/TheJoker. It's honestly surprising that fear of clowns isn't a widespread phenomenon in the DC universe thanks to the Joker.
30	[[/folder]]
31
32	[[folder:Comic Strips]]
33	* ''ComicStrip/{{BC}}'' strip from [[http://www.gocomics.com/bc/2013/11/07#mutable_1075050 November 7th 2013]]. The Adder (Snake) complains about the Fat Broad beating him with her club. The Apteryx advises him to dress up as something she doesn't fear. The Adder dresses up in a clown outfit and she clobbers him anyway, making it clear that she fears clowns.
34	* ''ComicStrip/{{Crabgrass}}'': During an October 2023 Halloween Story Arc in which Kevin and Miles end up in a HauntedHouse where they must face their fears, Kevin [[https://www.gocomics.com/crabgrass/2023/10/18 faces a clown]]. Since the arc mostly focuses on Miles, we don't get to see him confront the clown until 8 comics later, where [[https://www.gocomics.com/crabgrass/2023/10/27 he has managed to wrestle the clown to the ground]] and makes him say Uncle.
35	* In ''ComicBook/LadyMechanika'' #3, Lady Mechanika and her assistant Lewis have to infiltrate 'Cirque du Romani', and it is revealed that Lewis is afraid of clowns.
36	* ''ComicStrip/{{Nodwick}}'' revealed in one strip that [[OurMinotaursAreDifferent minotaurs]] have a racial phobia of clowns thanks to [[UsefulNotes/McDonalds Ronald]] being their god of death.
37	[[/folder]]
38
39	[[folder:Fan Works]]
40	* In the fanfic ''Fanfic/MovingOn'', Ladybug is revealed to be creeped out by clowns.
41	* ''Fanfic/{{Pokempanions}}'': In ''New Year's Birthday'', Lairon dresses as his clown persona Steele and performs at Eevee's birthday party. His toddler cousin Aron becomes frightened by his appearance and hides under a table, crying TearsOfFear.
42	[[/folder]]
43
44	[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
45	* ''WesternAnimation/InsideOut'': Riley seems to be deeply afraid of clowns, as there is a MonsterClown named Jangles who is locked up in the darkest depths of her subconscious. It's said she sometimes has nightmares about him, and his mere presence is enough to wake her up. It's implied that this fear comes from a particularly traumatizing birthday party, where Jangles is actually a NonIronicClown, but Riley was simply too afraid to realize this.
46	* ''[[Animation/KikoRikiAnimatedFilms KikoRiki. Deja Vu]]'': Chiko the hedgehog is shown to be terribly afraid of clowns due to Krash's Arbor Day stunt. Ironically, when Krash tries to order some clowns for Barry's upcoming birthday party, he's told that they themselves have developed a fear of hedgehogs. He gets over his fear by the end of the film, if only because clowns seem like a cakewalk in comparison to [[FightingAcrossTimeAndSpace what he and his friends get to experience]].
47	[[/folder]]
48
49	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
50	* ''Film/{{Clownhouse}}'': Our main character Casey has this fear. His brothers try help him overcome it by going to the circus where a NonIronicClown still ends up scaring the shit out of him. Then it gets worse when a trio of escaped lunatics dress up as {{Monster Clown}}s and invade Casey's house when he's home alone with his older brothers...
51	* ''Film/KillerKlownsFromOuterSpace'': In a [[DeletedScenes deleted scene]], Debbie has a bad experience with clowns as a child. That made Debbie afraid of clowns ever since.
52	* ''Film/LooneyTunesBackInAction'': A DeletedScene has Daffy pitch a film idea to the studio that depicts Elmer as an insane supervillain. The idea is rejected due to Elmer seemingly dying, but Daffy insists he returns even more insane than before. Elmer doesn't like the idea at all because he feels he comes off as a crazy clown, stating that he's afraid of clowns before running off crying.
53	* ''Film/{{Poltergeist\|1982}}''. Robbie Freeling is afraid of a clown doll in his room. His fear turns out to be justified, as the ghosts haunting the home later animate it and use it to try to strangle him.
54	* Junior from the ''Film/ProblemChild'' series is afraid of clowns.
55	* In ''Film/{{Zombieland}}'', Columbus is afraid of clowns. At the end, [[spoiler:a zombie clown stands between him and saving the girls. He [[BludgeonedtoDeath Drops the Hammer]] and saves the day]].
56	-->''Of course it had to be a clown...''
57	-->''No, wait...''
58	-->''it had to be a clown...''
59	-->''and it had to be Wichita up there to make me realize...''
60	-->''that some rules...''
61	-->'''''RULE #17: DON'T BE A HERO --> BE A HERO'''''
62	-->''...are meant to be broken.''
63	-->''Time to nut up or shut up.''
64	[[/folder]]
65
66	[[folder:Literature]]
67	* ''Literature/{{Coulrophobia}}'' is a short story about a shut-in who has nightmares about an abandoned circus. It involves a MonsterClown.
68	* In the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'', this is deliberately cultivated as part of the background to everyday life in Ankh-Morpork, where Clowns, Fools, Minstrels, Jesters, and Troubadors are a [[WeirdTradeUnion recognized Guild]] and considered to be both sinister and abjectly unfunny.
69	* ''Literature/{{It}}'': Ironically ''inverted'' by probably the most fearsome MonsterClown in all media, Pennywise the Dancing Clown. Since the book is set far before coulrophobia became a commonly known fear, It actually uses Its clown guise to lure children into Its grasp, before it shapeshifts into whatever the victim fears most.
70	* ''Literature/JunieBJones'': Junie B. does not like clowns. She claims that "they are not normal people". In "The Yucky Blucky Fruitcake", a clown annoys her and she shouts, "Back off, clown!" However, she dresses as a clown for Halloween in "BOO...and I MEAN It!".
71	* ''Literature/NightmareHour'': In the short story "Afraid of Clowns", a boy named Christopher has a fear of clowns, and it doesn't get any better for him when he's taken to the circus. His fear turns out to be completely justified when the clowns [[{{Clownification}} turn him into one of them]]. He does embrace his new status as a MonsterClown, so at least ''he's'' not afraid anymore.
72	* ''Literature/ThePendragonAdventure'': Bobby hates clowns. When he has to stay in a room full of clown dolls for the Quillan Games, he outright refuses, and only relents at first because there are no other rooms available.
73	* ''Literature/{{Speak}}'': Minor character Ivy has an intense fear of clowns stemming from an incident in her childhood where she went to the circus and became terrified by the clowns working there. And unfortunately for her, she gets assigned "clown" as the subject of her big art class project.
74	[[/folder]]
75
76	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
77	* One of the victims in ''Series/OneThousandWaysToDie'' is a party clown who was coulrophobic as a child and hates his job.
78	* ''Series/NineOneOneLoneStar'': Fire Captain Owen Strand's fear of clowns is revealed when just by chance, he and his crew have to rescue a man dressed as one. He denies his fear, but the rest of the crew points out how badly he's hiding it.
79	* ''Series/AmericanHorrorStoryCult'': Ally has a crippling fear of clowns, which shouldn't be as big of a deal as it is, since she lives in a small suburb of Michigan, so her only real encounter with clowns should be [[AscendedMeme Twisty]] in her son Oz's comic book. But then clowns start appearing everywhere around Ally in her town, and it turns out that Kai's cult dresses up as clowns. [[spoiler:This is an early hint that Ivy is part of the cult and actually put Kai onto Ally in order to gain custody of Oz, telling him about her fear of clowns in order to make her look unstable and lose custody.]]
80	* On ''{{Series/Bones}}'', Booth is scared of clowns for a while; it doesn't come up much, and after he comes out of a coma he discovers he's no longer afraid of them.
81	* Alan Shore from ''Series/BostonLegal'' suffers from both night terrors and a fear of clowns.
82	* ''Series/TheBrokenwoodMysteries'': In one episode, a man involved in the case has a side job as a clown. [[ButtMonkey Breen]] finds clowns unsettling and doesn't understand how children can enjoy them, which earns him some teasing from his superiors.
83	* In the ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' episode "Nightmares", it is revealed that Xander has a fear of clowns. He gets over it by beating up an evil clown created by a magical phenomenon that brought people's nightmares to life.
84	* ''Series/ChicagoFire''
85	** The paramedics head to a cemetery to tend to a man whose arm is pinned under a fallen tombstone. While they're helping the man, they notice a group of clowns approaching. (It's a circus cemetery.) Sylvie completely freezes up and later confesses that she's afraid of clowns.
86	** In season 5, Sylvie gets anxious when tending to a patient wearing clown duds. For the season 11 HalloweenEpisode, she gets put in charge of creating a haunted house for the neighborhood. Come Halloween proper, a group of children and their teacher show up for the haunted house. Since all the other haunted house committee members have scary costumes, Sylvie, dressed as a friendly witch, is selected to entertain the young visitors, only to encounter them all dressed up as clowns. She runs away in panic.
87	* ''Series/{{Frasier}}'': In "Boo!", Frasier tries to help a patient get over her fear of clowns by dressing as one. As it turns out, Martin's afraid of them too, and he even goes into cardiac arrest from witnessing Frasier in that suit.
88	* An episode of ''Series/GoodEats'' had Alton develop a fear after being surrounded by clowns at a dinner table at the end of the episode.
89	* PJ in ''Series/GoodLuckCharlie'' mentions being afraid of clowns among other phobias he has.
90	* ''Series/TheHauntingHour'': The episode "Afraid Of Clowns" was about a boy named Chris who had a crippling fear of clowns, which doesn't bode well for him when the circus comes to town. On the night of his 13th birthday, Chris is brought to the circus, much to his horror. [[spoiler:Then it's revealed that the clowns in the circus are [[ClownSpecies a human-like species unto themselves]], and Chris is one of them. His skin turns into that of a clown's not long after, basically [[DownerEnding dooming Chris to spend the rest of his life among his greatest fear]].]]
91	* ''Series/ImInTheBand'': As revealed in the WhatDoTheyFearEpisode, Ash is afraid of clowns, which is depicted as sillier than his bandmates' fears of {{spiders\|AreScary}} and {{snakes\|AreSinister}}.
92	* In the Disney XD show ''Series/KickinIt'', Jack reveals his fear of clowns. So, his dojo friends try to help him face his fear by making him defeat a mob of hired karate clowns.
93	* ''Series/LegendsOfTomorrow'': In "[[Recap/LegendsOfTomorrowS3E2Freakshow Freakshow]]", Mick Rory is revealed to be afraid of clowns. He has to face his fear to save his friends at the end of the episode.
94	* ''Series/MidsomerMurders'': In "[[Recap/MidsomerMurdersS20E6 Send in the Clowns]]", a murder [[CircusEpisode involving a circus]] (and a MonsterClown spotted roaming local villages carrying a machete) reveals that Chief Inspector John Barnaby has a phobia about clowns.
95	* ''Series/TheMentalist''. In "18-5-4", the VictimOfTheWeek is scared of clowns, and his killer dresses as one while killing him.
96	* ''Series/ModernFamily'': Phil has a fear of clowns. [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial He claims it has nothing to do with]] the time he found a dead clown in a field as a kid.
97	* ''Series/RavensHome'': In "Fears of a Clown", Raven reveals her fear of clowns when she sees one in the apartment hallway; said clown is eventually revealed to be the mother of Wally, the boy Booker and Levi have become fast friends with. Said fear threatens Wally's mother into never letting him visit again until Raven admits her apology through a clown performance herself.
98	* In series 8 of ''Series/ShamelessUK'', Jamie Maguire is revealed to have a serious fear of clowns, after seeing one choke to death when he was a child.
99	* ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'': Kramer has a fear of clowns. This helps Joe Divola mess with him when he was dressed as Palliaci.
100	* One episode of ''Series/SesameStreet'', fittingly titled "Elmo's Fear of Clowns," has Telly and a group of kids trying to help Elmo overcome his fear of clowns. They try various methods, such as slowly putting each costume piece on Telly as Elmo watches, dressing Elmo himself up as a clown, and having him repeat the phrase "Elmo is not afraid of clowns" ten times, all of which fail. Telly is distraught by this, but Elmo still comes to comfort him despite him still being dressed as a clown. Elmo realizes that he's not afraid of clowns anymore, and everyone celebrates.
101	* In an episode of ''Series/SonnyWithAChance'', Chad babysits a group of kids with a fear of clowns from a youth center. However, through a mishap hair treatment to avoid losing his hair, he [[MistakenForClown accidentally looks like a clown himself]] and scares them away.
102	* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'': Sam Winchester, seasoned demon hunter who has fought monsters almost daily since childhood, really does not like clowns. This comes up a couple of times when the MonsterOfTheWeek takes the form of a clown.
103	** First established in "Everybody Loves a Clown," in which the brothers investigate a circus whose patrons are being violently killed after they go home. The monster is a ''rakshasa'', which appears as a clown to appeal to children, [[MustBeInvited so they'll invite it in]] and it can eat the parents.
104	** "Plucky Pennywhistle's Magical Menagerie" involves a pizza parlour. The parents of children who had a birthday party there end up murdered shortly after, by the children's worst fear. Sam ends up getting beaten up by two clowns before defeating them, [[BlatantLies and insists the experience was therapeutic]].
105	--->'''Dean:''' [[YouHaveGotToBeKiddingMe Killer clown? You're serious?]]
106	--->'''Sam:''' [[DeadpanSnarker No, Dean, I'm joking.]] [[SarcasmMode Because clowns are really funny to me.]]
107	* In the ''Series/ThatsSoRaven'' episode "Big Fat Pizza Party", Cory reveals his fear of clowns when he objects to having a clown at William's birthday party. When Eddie pretends to be a clown to entertain the kids while Victor and the actual clown are running late, Cory is outright terrified and runs from him until he learns the truth, at which point he finally gets over his fear.
108	[[/folder]]
109
110	[[folder:Podcast]]
111	* Subverted in ''Podcast/TheThrillingAdventureHour''. As a boy and during his first encounter as a man, Frank Doyle is frozen with fear at the sight of MonsterClown boogeyman Nightmares the Clown. His wife Sadie, however, finds clowns of all kinds utterly hilarious and spends every encounter with Nightmares laughing at him and being incapable of taking him seriously. In subsequent encounters, Frank is no longer afraid of the nightmare clown monster either.
112	[[/folder]]
113
114	[[folder:Theater]]
115	* British author Mike Green theorized that even Creator/{{Shakespeare}} knew clowns were unfunny and distinctly odd. He speculated that the lines attributed to them in the plays -- which come across to modern readers as limp, nonsense text with no meaning to it -- were "placeholders" for substituting sight routines and slapstick along with funnier jokes ad-libbed on the night, which appears to be the only way to make things work.
116	[[/folder]]
117
118	[[folder:Video Games]]
119	* ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV'': Trevor has a bad history with clowns. During his specific [[MushroomSamba "Grass Roots"]] mission, he hallucinates that he is being attacked by a load of [[MonsterClown Monster Clowns]]. As he fights them off, the things he screams at the clowns imply that he was molested by a clown when he was a child, hence his fear of them.
120	* In ''VideoGame/HarryPotterHogwartsMystery'', Barnaby is afraid of clowns. When the group faces ''boggarts'' -- which take the appearance of Voldemort -- your Riddikulus charm turns them into clowns, and Barnaby admits that he finds them even ''more'' terrifying afterward.
121	* ''VideoGame/HauntedMuseum'': At the end of ''Shh...! Welcome to Frightfearland'', it seems that fighting the [[AmusementParkOfDoom creepy amusement park full of evil clowns]] has given Chris a fear of them. A normal clown approaches him and [[TraumaButtonEnding this scares the crap out of him.]]
122	* In ''VideoGame/KikiAndAnaTheChild'': When Kiki sees Ana's [[CreepyDoll creepy clown doll]] Happy, she gets very nervous. Ana reads her mind and finds out that Kiki's terrified of clowns. Later, Ana uses this against Kiki [[{{Yandere}} to convince her to stay with her]] when she traps her in a circus-like area that has giant versions of Happy everywhere. After this, however, Kiki says she no longer fears clowns.
123	* ''VideoGame/MaxAnAutisticJourney'': The ''Max's Birthday'' DLC reveals that Max and several of his classmates are terrified of clowns, as they panic when the manager of the fast food restaurant dresses up as a clown to try and entertain them. This is especially ironic for Max because he likes scary monsters, as well as ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys'', a horror game.[[note]]Later games in the FNAF series actually feature several MonsterClown characters, but it's implied that Max has only played the first game, which doesn't have any.[[/note]]
124	* ''VideoGame/MoshiMonsters'': According to Moshi Magazine issue 61, Big Bad Bill fears clowns (as well as [[AbsurdPhobia teaspoons]]).
125	* ''VideoGame/NekomewsNightmares'': One of the creatures in Nekomew's nightmares is a clown. Nekomew's [[LivingToys doll]] mentions that when he was hospitalized, the doctors tried to cheer him up with a clown, but this only made him feel worse.
126	* ''VideoGame/SpectacularSparky'': Sparky is a HeroicComedicSociopath who constantly maintains a cheerful attitude, but he is horrified when he meets Melonhead, a floating, disembodied clown face. It's hard to tell whether or not Melonhead actually wants to fight Sparky, but there is a boss fight anyway, implying that Sparky is killing him just for being a clown.
127	* In ''VideoGame/SuperMarioOdyssey'', if Mario confronts Bowser in a clown costume, Bowser [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial will specifically insist that the "totally scary costume" doesn't scare him]] despite stuttering his words. Ironic, considering that one of Bowser's favorite mode of transportation is a ClownCar.
128	* Nathan Drake of the ''VideoGame/{{Uncharted}}'' franchise claims to be afraid of clowns. When asked what his "fear scale" looks like, clowns are 10/10.
129	* ''VideoGame/Yume2kki'': Implied with Urotsuki -- the game takes place in her DreamLand, and {{Monster Clown}}s show up as recurring Chasers, with some of the more nightmarish segments involving them.
130	[[/folder]]
131
132	[[folder:Web Animation]]
133	* ''WebAnimation/HelluvaBoss'': In "Loo Loo Land", Stolas says Octavia used to shed TearsOfJoy when she saw Robo-Fizz the creepy robotic clown. Cue a flashback of a younger Octavia crying TearsOfFear when she's standing face-to-face with Robo-Fizz.
134	* ''WebAnimation/SpookyMonth'': Deputy Jack is afraid of clowns, which turns out to be both helpful and harmful when he unloads numerous bullets into a cult leader clown.
135	[[/folder]]
136
137	[[folder:Web Comic]]
138	* Discussed in ''Webcomic/EnnuiGo.'' NonIronicClown Sarah tries to be as funny (and [[FanService sexy]]) as she can because, as she puts it, "most people have a bone-peeling fear of clowns" and she tries to put them at ease. She thinks she might overdo it, though, giving some people Coulro''philia'' instead. Cut to one of her former clients dating a [[MonsterClown Juggalo]].
139	[[/folder]]
140
141	[[folder:Web Videos]]
142	* ''WebVideo/FiftyPercentOff'': Makoto mentions he's afraid of clowns when discussing his terrible last birthday party.
143	-->'''Nagisa:''' That was not a clown, that was my {{UsefulNotes/Juggalo}} friend. Your fear WAS warranted, though; he was the one who set the piñata on fire.
144	* Played for BlackComedy in [[TheStinger the after-credits ending]] of the third ''WebAnimation/SpookyMonth'' episode ("[[Recap/SpookyMonth3UnwantedGuest Unwanted Guest]]"). When the two cops, Sheriff John and Deputy Jack, investigate an old house used as a hideout by an [[ReligionOfEvil evil cult]], the cult's leader ([[MonsterClown who happens to be a clown]]) starts [[EvilGloating rambling about the cultists' vague evil plans]]. Jack starts [[OhCrap panicking due to his extreme phobia of clowns]], [[PoliceBrutality opening fire on the Clown without warning]] and [[MultipleGunshotDeath unloading every bullet from his handgun just to put him down]].
145	* WebAnimation/{{Wolfychu}} reveals in "Weirdest Things That Scare Me" that she's feared clowns ever since she won a [[CreepyDoll creepy clown plushie]] at a fair. She even had nightmares about it chasing her and claims that she still doesn't trust clowns.
146	[[/folder]]
147
148	[[folder:Western Animation]]
149	* ''WesternAnimation/AllGrownUp'': Chuckie has overcome most of his childhood fears, but he still fears clowns. In "Oh Bro, Where Art Thou?", when the kids are being assigned circus roles, he hopes that he doesn't get to be a clown.
150	-->'''Chuckie:''' No clowns, no clowns. Don't like 'em, don't trust 'em.
151	* ''Franchise/{{Animaniacs}}'':
152	** Wakko Warner and Thaddeus Plotz of ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}'' are revealed to be terrified of clowns in one episode. Hilarity ensues when Plotz sends a clown over to the Warners for Wakko's birthday, only learning of his fear after doing so.
153	** Subverted in ''WesternAnimation/Animaniacs2020''. When the Warners meet an actual MonsterClown named Nickelwise, they acknowledge [[CallBack Wakko's fear of them]]. It even looks as if Wakko is going to panic. Then he starts calling Nickelwise adorable and not scary at all.
154	* ''WesternAnimation/Ben10'': Ben is initially scared of clowns and the circus in "Last Laugh." Once [[MonsterClown Zombozo]] pushes him too far though, he decides to [[MookHorrorShow invert this trope]]. By ''WesternAnimation/Ben10Omniverse'' however, Ben relapses back into it after reliving the traumatic event that started it in the first place--seeing his grandpa turn into a zombie clown, which was just like how he saw his grandpa wear clown makeup when he was 5.
155	* ''WesternAnimation/BobsBurgers'': Implied with Andy and Ollie in "Bad Tina". Tammy gives Tina [[UncannyValleyMakeup an excessive amount of makeup]]. Andy and Ollie scream in horror upon seeing them and Ollie yells, "Bathroom clowns!!"
156	* ''WesternAnimation/CampLazlo'': In "Clown Camp", it's shown that Lazlo has hated clowns ever since a clown frightened him on his fifth birthday. Unfortunately, Lumpus has decided to make every day Clown Day.
157	* ''WesternAnimation/CarsOnTheRoad'': In "Show Time", Lightning [=McQueen=] dreads going to the circus due to his fear of clowns and does not enjoy their big show in the least. Mater suggests choosing [=McQueen=] to assist in the clowns' act as an "exposure therapy" thing, but thankfully for [=McQueen=], they have Ivy join in instead.
158	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Caillou}}'': In "Caillou is a Clown", Caillou's mother decides not to take Caillou and Rosie to the circus because there are clowns and Rosie hates them. Caillou is infuriated until his mother points out that he also used to fear clowns when he was Rosie's age, so he decides to help her get over this fear.
159	* ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'': In "[[Recap/TheFairlyOddParentsS4E7ABadCaseOfDiaryUh A Bad Case of Diary-Uh!]]", Vicky [[KidsShouldntWatchHorrorFilms forces Timmy to watch scary movies]] and he mentions that clowns freak him out.
160	* ''WesternAnimation/TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy'':
161	** Billy is deathly afraid of clowns, which so annoys Mandy that she decides to cure him, and ropes Grim into helping her.
162	--->'''Billy:''' "Ya gotta believe me, Mandy! The clowns are nothin' but ultimate evil! They want to be the dominant species on the planet and they will ''destroy us all'' to make it happen! [[MadnessMantra DESTROY US ALL! DESTROY US ALL! DESTROY US ALL! DESTROY US ALL! [at the cafeteria] I'll take the chicken! [cut to next scene] DESTROY US ALL!]]..."
163	** Eventually, Billy's "inner frat boy" encourages him to not be afraid of clowns, but to instead be angry at them for being different. The cartoon ends with not just Billy, but also Mandy and Grim all hating clowns.
164	* ''WesternAnimation/GrowingUpCreepie'': Creepie may be a CreepyChild and a NightmareFetishist, but clowns are what creep her out the most. According to "Creepie Crawling", Creepie's been afraid of clowns since she was a baby, if her wailing at the sight of a painting of a clown is anything to go by.
165	* ''WesternAnimation/JohnnyBravo'': Johnny's fear of clowns is a major plot point in "The Man Who Cried 'Clown'", when he is freaked out by a clown who keeps showing up on the window of an airplane.
166	* ''WesternAnimation/KipoAndTheAgeOfWonderbeasts'': Invoked. When Kipo is trying to come up with ideas to keep [[spoiler:Emilia]]'s army from attacking Timbercat Village, she asks what would scare away humans. Benson suggests clowns (and admits a minute or two later that his suggestion isn't very helpful).
167	* ''WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitchTheSeries'': Despite being a NightmareFetishist in general, Lilo is revealed to hate clowns in "[[Recap/LiloAndStitchTheSeriesS1E5Spooky Spooky]]". Naturally, Spooky turns into one to frighten her.
168	* ''WesternAnimation/LittlestPetShop2012'': In "[[Recap/LittlestPetShop2012S3E23SueSyndrome Sue Syndrome]]", Sue is [[PerformanceAnxiety extremely nervous about having to give a speech at an assembly]]. Youngmee suggests imagining that the audience is full of clowns and this just freaks Sue out even more because she fears clowns.
169	* ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'': In "[[Recap/TheLoudHouseS4E26FriendsInDryPlacesCoupeDreams Coupe Dreams]]", when Lori ends up taking on more passengers to try and raise money to buy her dream car, she ends up giving a joint ride to Lucy and the Young Mortician's Club and Luan and her clown troupe. Boris ends up shaking in fear and admits to not liking clowns.
170	* ''WesternAnimation/MarthaSpeaks'':
171	** In "[[Recap/MarthaSpeaksS1E5MarthaTakesTheCake Martha Takes the Cake]]", it's implied that TD fears clowns when he says the robot clown is "scarier than a real clown".
172	** In "[[Recap/MarthaSpeaksS1E41ItchyMartha Itchy Martha]]", this is implied with Jake, as he gets quite frightened when OG has Martha wear a clown mask.
173	* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'': According to Discord in "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS9E23TheBigMacQuestion The Big Mac Question]]", Fluttershy hates clowns. Additionally, in the [[ComicBook/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicIDW IDW comics]] issue "The Return of Queen Chrysalis- Part 4", she finds a MonsterClown behind a door and she whimpers nervously before slamming the door.
174	* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyPonyLife'': In "Lolly-Pop", Fluttershy dresses as a clown at a carnival, which makes Applejack so nervous that she runs out of there. She admits to her friends that she has a fear of clowns, so the try to help her get over this. [[spoiler:It pays off in the end and Applejack performs alongside Fluttershy.]]
175	* ''WesternAnimation/TheReplacements'': Dick Daring, daredevil-stuntman reveals in the episode "The Spy Who Was Riley", that he's been afraid of clowns since childhood. [[spoiler:He managed to face his fear when he joins with Todd to distract Dr. Scorpius' two henchmen.]]
176	* ''WesternAnimation/Rugrats1991'':
177	** One of [[LovableCoward Chuckie's]] many fears is clowns, as shown in "Give and Take" and "The Trial", in which he destroys, or is tempted to destroy, clown-shaped objects, and in "Clown Around", where he views [[{{Clownification}} becoming a clown]] as a terrifying fate.
178	** Didi is shown to have a fear of clowns in "Reptar's Revenge" when a clown at a carnival honks his horn at her. She [[ImplausibleDeniability initially tries to deny it]] when Stu asks her about it. Weirdly enough, she doesn't appear to be scared of the clown at the beginning of "Circus Angelicus".
179	* ''WesternAnimation/SavingMe'': In the first episode, when young Bennett Bramble is trying to swim away from the island in his MentalWorld that he and old Bennett Bramble are on, Bennett's fears start rising out of the water. Old Bennett mentions two of his fears are spiders and clowns, so he has a giant spider clown rise up out of the water.
180	* ''WesternAnimation/SchoolForVampires'': Count von Horrificus' only fear is clowns.
181	* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' episode "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS4E10LisasFirstWord Lisa's First Word]]". Even though Bart enjoys and continues to be a fun of Krusty the Clown afterwards, spending the night in a poorly-built clown-shaped bed Homer constructed, Bart is seen curled up in a fetal position.
182	-->'''Bart:''' Can't sleep, clown will eat me... Can't sleep, clown will eat me...
183	* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'':
184	** In "[[Recap/SpongeBobSquarePantsS13E3GoofyScoopersPatTheDog Goofy Scoopers]]", the members of an animatronic band are thrown out and made to get new jobs. One member, Clem Clam, moves to the circus. When [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick meet him there, he's very nervous about being surrounded by clowns, and quickly accepts rejoining the band.
185	** In "[[Recap/SpongeBobSquarePantsS7E12ThePlaysTheThingRodeoDaze Rodeo Daze]]", he summons everyone in Bikini Bottom to his house to save Sandy from a rodeo. The only reason he wants to save her is that there are clowns attending the rodeo.
186	* ''WesternAnimation/TangledTheSeries'': In the WhatDoTheyFearEpisode "Be Very Afraid", many characters' fears are shown. Lance is shown to be afraid of clowns, along with spiders and singing in public. His fears appear to him in the form of a giant spider with a clown head ordering him to sing.
187	* ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitansGo'': In "[[Recap/TeenTitansGoS2E50TheReturnOfSlade The Return of Slade]]", Starfire asks what clowns are, and when Robin shows her a photo of one, she utterly freaks out and becomes a trembling mess. Robin hires Honk the clown, which does not help her nerves in the slightest and she hides from him.
188	* ''WesternAnimation/TotalDramaRama'': In "He Who Wears the Clown", Harold is revealed to have a fear of clowns. When Chef reveals that Harold's father hired Floppo the clown to visit the daycare, Harold lets out a BigNo and goes into a TroubledFetalPosition. He does ''not'' take it well when Owen [[ItMakesSenseInContext magically turns into a clown]], but [[FaceYourFears he has to face this fear by taking Owen to Floppo]] so that Owen can go back to normal. After various failed attempts to turn Owen back into a human, Harold realizes that he no longer fears clowns since he feels bad for Owen.
189	* ''WesternAnimation/TheWeekenders'': The episode "Clown" centers on Tino's friends trying to help him tackle his overwhelming fear of clowns, which was brought on jointly due to Tito being scared by a jack-in-the-box, followed by a visit from his clown-like aunt.
190	* In ''WesternAnimation/WhatsNewScoobyDoo'' episode "[[Recap/WhatsNewScoobyDooS3E8ATerrifyingRoundWithAMenacingMetallicClown A Terrifying Round with a Menacing Metallic Clown"]], Velma is too scared to solve the mystery because it involves a robot clown and she's afraid of clowns. However, unlike most examples, it's not because of the makeup -- she's afraid of them because one shredded some of her books when she was a kid at her 5th birthday.
191	* ''WesternAnimation/XiaolinShowdown'': According to Hannibal Bean, Jack Spicer is afraid of clowns. This is one of the fears he thinks Jack must overcome if he wants to be truly evil.
192	* ''WesternAnimation/ZigAndSharko'': "The Clownfish" from ''The Adventures of Bernie'' reveals that Bernie's feared clowns ever since a clownfish gave him a balloon animal that deflated. Naturally, this becomes a problem when he attempts to enter the circus in order to fire himself through a cannon to get back to the island. He decides to [[FaceYourFears deal with it]] by laughing at the clownfish the way Zig did back when they were kids.
193	[[/folder]]
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195	[[folder:Other]]
196	* ''Website/{{Cracked}}'': Mentioned in the third entry on [[https://www.cracked.com/personal-experiences-1726-bribing-kids-5-realities-planning-rich-kid-birthdays.html this article by a professional party planner]]; Kids these days prefer entertainers dressed as superheroes at their party, and dislike or are even downright afraid of clowns. Something parents frequently find out the hard way when they hire a clown.
197	* Kosuke Yabuki, a designer for the game ''VideoGame/{{ARMS}}'' was surprised when many westerners reacted with fear to a new clown skin for the character Lola Pop, and joked he "learned a weakness of Americans".
198	[[/folder]]
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Context Main / AfraidOfClowns