Professional clowns have condemned the craze for dressing in clown outfits to scare bystanders, saying it threatens their livelihoods and their own safety, and risks permanently damaging the reputation of the artform.
British police forces were called to dozens of incidents over the weekend, as the “killer clown” trend, which originated in recent weeks in the US, swept the UK, fuelled by social media.
Now the world’s oldest clowns’ club has hit back, saying the craze is “just not funny”.
"This is nothing to do with clowning, it's to do with people hijacking a costume and for some sinister reason trying to scare people," said Rob Bowker, spokesman for the UK-based Clowns International.
“These idiots are undoubtedly affecting people’s awareness of clowns and undoing a lot of good,” said Mr Bowker, who is based in the Midlands and performs as Bibbledy Bob.
“My fear is that hospitals will say, ‘Oh, we can’t have clowns in because the children are getting scared,’ or stuff like that. And then all that work that’s been done over the years will be undone.”
The chair of the organisation, Noeleen Breem, aka Clown Silly Tilly, said she “absolutely” feared for the livelihoods of its members.
“We are concerned about the impact on our reputation, the suggestion that clowns are something to be feared.”
Many members, she said, spend a lot of time with elderly people or sick children, and “everything is so gentle, so patient”.
The craze for terrorising people, she said, “is the exact opposite of what clowning is.
“The clown is very vulnerable. The reason we find them funny is because we see their vulnerability.
“These people are turning that exactly the opposite away around, and behaving in a really abhorrent way that is really quite frightening.”
Officers in Thames Valley, Norfolk, Suffolk, south Wales, Cumbria, Gloucestershire, Bedfordshire, Essex, Northumbria and elsewhere have dealt with multiple incidents of the prank, as members of the public have reported being chased or threatened by people wearing clown costumes, and in some cases wielding weapons.
Chief Supt Andy Boyd of Thames Valley police, which received 14 reports of clown incidents in 24 hours, warned that the craze was wasting police resources and could lead to arrests for public order offences.
Ms Breem said: “The last thing we want is to be having any concerns about repercussions on us if we are travelling in our costumes to and from shows.”
The current craze has gathered momentum in the US over the past month, apparently influenced by Stephen King’s horror story It, the villain of which is a clown called Pennywise.
King tweeted about the craze earlier this week, saying: “Hey guys, time to cool the clown hysteria, most of ’em are good, cheer up the kiddies, make people laugh.”
However, it has not stopped the craze from spreading as far as Australia and New Zealand.
Reported incidents
Incidents reported to police in the UK have included four children from Durham aged 11 or 12 being followed to school on Friday by a man in a clown outfit who was armed with a knife.
In Norwich, a 30-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of public order offences after allegedly jumping out at a woman in a park on Sunday, screaming and then chasing her.
On Sunday, a dog-walker from Kent reported seeing a man dressed as a clown and holding what appeared to be a machete and a severed head, who ran towards him “laughing maniacally” before running away.
Mr Bowker said his 10-year-old daughter had asked him to walk her to school on Monday because she was afraid of “scary clowns popping out”.
“I have been a clown since before she was born,’’ he said.
“Still, she vocalised that she was really scared about it, and it’s all the talk of the playground. It’s really tragic. Look at the harm they are doing.”
Circus Clown Rico, aka Croydon-based Ricardo Caruana, who has performed as a clown for more than 20 years, said he had already modified his act owing to the changing reputation of traditional clowns.
“I used to wear the full make-up, and I was very much in demand, but I hardly go out as the full clown any more,’’ he said.
“I haven’t worn any slap for years, because people find it a bit too scary.”
While he still wears a colourful costume, he said: “I don’t wear the big shoes any more and I haven’t put a red nose on for years.”
He added that he would not accept a booking for a street performance if full make-up was requested.
“It’s just become . . . ‘Let’s have a go at the clown, hit the clown, pinch his nose, step on his shoes.’ It just lost its respectfulness,’’ he said.
“I don’t think there’s any respect for clowns out there any more.”
Guardian service