 Lon Chaney Sr. Clowns are creepy, fact! The fear of clowns if known as coulrophobia, as term invented some time in the 80s. From Lon Chaney's creepy clowns in Laugh, Clown, Laugh (1928) and the depressing He Who Gets Slapped (1924), to the infamous image of serial killer John Wayne Gacy, clowns are creepy! Many of us have childhood nightmare memories of seeing clowns at the circus, and on late night TV, in cult movies like IT! (1990) (with child-killing Pennywise) and Killer Klowns From Outer Space (1988). |  John Wayne Gacy |
| | Clowns were a regular part of kids TV in America, in the 50s and 60s. There was Bozo the Clown, at one time played by Willard Scott, who also played and claimed to have invented the first incarnation of Ronald McDonald. Not forgetting the creepily 'mute' Clarabell the Clown, on Howdy Doody, first played by Bob Keeshan, who later went on to create the famous kids TV character Captain Kangaroo. And let's not forget Rusty Nails, supposedly the inspiration for Krusty the Clown. |
| Clowns also appeared in TV commercials, before the appearance of Ronald McDonald on our TV screens, the creepiest of all the TV clowns to send shivers down the spine was Krinkles the Clown. Krinkles was the mascot for Post's Sugar Coated Rice Krinkles. His manic face was more than enough to put you off your cereal in a morning.  | The Weird Retro Creepy Circus Clowns facebook page archive has an ever growing collection of some of the best creepy clown images to be found.  |
