It's not a high percentage but there will be a few here and there. A simple Clown nose in the place of a sponge ball will not have them running for the door.
I've had Kids come up after a show and said "I use to be afraid of Clowns but now I'm not."
I perform in a Circus once a year and there will be thousands of people there over three days. I've NEVER had anyone run off or act afraid. So saying a high % is a stretch.
www.sluggosmagicgiggles.com

oh thats what he was talking about! ok

In my opinion sluggo children are not afraid of pro clowns, they are not scary. Its the amateurs who do not entertain the children they scare them. Unfortunatly parents dont want to pay out for a pro and children end up being scared of clowns.

Actually many people are afraid of clowns, pro and amateurs. It is a real phobia. So to say its not real....
I know people of different ages that are afraid of clowns on some level.

I am not scared of them, I just dont find most of them amussing. I have only found a few clowns that I truely enjoy in action.


perform in a Circus once a year and there will be thousands of people there over three days. I've NEVER had anyone run off or act afraid. So saying a high % is a stretch.

That probably because those people dont go to those shows very often.
Lots of people are afriad of snakes, but while working at the local rattle snake round up, I see very few people running out. Mostly because, those who are afraid arent going to come see the show. Just because you dont see them, doesnt mean they dont exist.

I did not read through the whole thread but I do hope that someone, somewhere in it has suggested books or videos by David Ginn.

David,
It's very true that it's a phobia, why I don't know. I pay extra attention as I approach people because you can see signs of it if you watch. A lot of Adults are 'leary' of Clowns but saying it's a high percentage isn't true. All the shows that I do a year it'll only happen every great once in awhile. The oddest request I got for Clowns came from a guy that was very afraid of Heights and Clowns.
He wanted to propose to his girlfriend and he was going to take her to the top of a 52 story building walk thru several Clowns and propose to her. Showing her that he'll overcome anything for her. Once he did it he took pictures with us and simply said just don't touch me or lean into me and I'll be okay. Everything went off without a hitch.
The only downside is my Wife thought that to be very romantic and wondered why I wasn't more like that.
But it is nice when Kids do come up and tell you they are no longer afraid of Clowns. I think the longer this phobia goes on without them actually coming in contact with one that treats it accordingly the harder it is for them to get over it.

Some clowns are mean.
I was at a festival or something
and I was like 10 and I wanted a balloon hat and the clown yelled at me to wait a minute.

Thats just people, not clowns, but i dont feel comfortable around clowns, its just so unnatural and strange.

yeah I am not scared of clowns. there just really are very unnatural like you said ukcop

Thats a cool story.

Percentage wise, I truely dont know it. I could guess, make up a number or even research it... so I did a quick search on wiki; not the most accurate site but...


Evil Clown
Some people find clowns disturbing rather than amusing. It is not uncommon for children to be afraid of disguised, exaggerated, or costumed figures — even Santa Claus. Ute myths feature a cannibalistic clown monster called the Siats.

Clown costumes tend to exaggerate the facial features and some body parts, such as hands and feet. This can be read as monstrous or deformed as easily as it can be read as comical.

The irrational fear of clowns is known as coulrophobia. Some have suggested that a fear of clowns may stem from early childhood experience, when infants begin to process and make sense of facial features. The significant aberrations in a clown's face may frighten a child so much that they carry this phobia throughout their adult life.

It can also be said one's response to a clown might depend on where it's seen. At a circus or a party, a clown is normal and may easily be funny. The same clown knocking on one's front door at sunset is more likely to generate fear or distress than laughter or amusement. This effect is summed up in a quote often attributed to actor Lon Chaney, Sr.: "There is nothing funny about a clown in the moonlight." In the Space To Care study aimed at improving hospital design for children, researchers from the University of Sheffield polled 250 children regarding their opinions on clowns; all 250 children in the study, whose ages ranged between four and sixteen, reported that they found clowns frightening and disliked clowns as part of hospital decor.

The British arts and music festival Bestival discarded its 2006 clown theme because many adult ticketholders were afraid of clowns.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7191721.stm



I learned something new today.

Very interesting! It does have a lot to do with age with kids. Four and under is where you get the most 'fear factor' from kids.
I no longer wear the bright red wigs anymore and I don't put as much makeup on...it does seem to help.
One show I've done for several years I've noticed a big difference by doing this.
The first year I wore all the garb and I didn't get a lot of helpers. The following year I toned things down and it was like a whole different world.
I still get far more requests from Parents to come as a Clown than anything else.
If the kids are going to be younger I use very little makeup.
I had a Parent hire me for a Bd and all the Kids the kids were going to be very young. I explained to her that this age doesn't go well with Clowns and I should come as a 'person.' She insisted a Clown...Well when I walked in you'd thought a monster appeared. The kids thru up their hands and took off screaming in all directions. It was quite funny but it wasn't fun for me.
So I made some balloons and handed it to the Parents who had to take them to the wigged out Kids.