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2016 clown sightings

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Evil clown costume

The 2016 clown sightings was a case of mass hysteria fuelled by reports of people disguised as evil clowns in incongruous settings, such as near forests and schools. The incidents were reported in the United States, Canada, Australia, England and subsequently in other countries and territories starting during August 2016.[1][2][3][4][5] The sightings were first reported in Green Bay, Wisconsin, in what turned out to be a marketing stunt for a horror film.[6] The phenomenon later spread to many other cities in the US. By mid-October 2016, clown sightings and attacks had been reported in nearly all U.S. states, 9 out of 13 provinces and territories of Canada, and 18 other countries.

Prior to the spate of incidents in 2016, numerous sightings of people dressed as clowns in odd or incongruous settings have occurred throughout the world since 2013. The proliferation of videos and images of these precursor sightings spread through social media posts and viral sharing of the content.

Scope, timeline and effects of sightings

Precursor sightings

One possible precursor event was the 2013 sightings of a "creepy clown" in Northampton, England. The Northampton clown sightings, which were in the town during September and October 2013, were the work of three local filmmakers Alex Powell, Elliot Simpson, and Luke Ubanski.[7] The clown shared similar looks to Pennywise the Dancing Clown from Stephen King's book It. The trio started a Facebook page for the so-called "Northampton clown" and was using the appearances to drive traffic to the page.[7]

In March 2014, Matteo Moroni from Perugia, owner of the YouTube channel DM Pranks, began dressing up as an evil clown and terrifying unsuspecting passersby, with his videos racking up hundreds of millions of views.[8] A rash of sightings appeared in California, USA in October 2014, which centered upon the "Wasco clown", and primarily occurred in the Wasco, California, area with photos appearing on social media.[9]

The 2014 documentary Killer Legends featured a segment called "Why Are Clowns Scary?". The filmmakers traveled to Chicago to explore the previous clown panics that swept the city in 1991 and again in 2008, linking them to serial killer John Wayne Gacy, and the Stranger Danger panic. It was around this time in 2014 that some of the first clown sighting appeared in the U.S., including early sightings in Staten Island, New York.[10]

A person in clown attire was spotted in a cemetery in Chicago in July 2015. This occurrence involved two residents who spotted the "creepy clown" scaling the gate at the Rosehill Cemetery late at night. After the clown entered the cemetery, they turned to face the residents and began waving slowly as they made a video recording. After waving for a few seconds, the clown ran into a dark wooded area and was not seen again. Police investigation of the sighting did not lead to any arrests.[11]

2016 sightings and effects

In early August 2016, the clown phenomenon began in Green Bay, Wisconsin and according to The New York Times, reports began to surface of clown sightings in Greenville County, South Carolina in late August.[12] In Greenville County, it was rumored that clowns were attempting to lure children into the woods with money or loitering around.[12] Similarly, a clown was sighted in Winston-Salem, North Carolina offering treats to children; the clown fled when police arrived.[13] Five pictures of a creepy clown roaming a vacant parking lot under a bridge in Downtown Green Bay at night started going viral on August 1, 2016.[14] A Facebook page was created shortly after, claiming that the clown was named "Gags". In the days that followed, the pictures were discussed on numerous news outlets including Fox News, and USA Today. Suspicions of the character being related to a horror film were confirmed when a Wisconsin filmmaker announced the pictures were a marketing stunt for a then-unreleased short film titled Gags. A feature film was produced based on the short film and premiered in 2018,[15] with the film having a limited theatre run and released on VOD platforms in September 2019.[16]

After the Wisconsin incident, numerous other incidents started popping up across the United States at the end of August 2016. In early October 2016, further incidents were reported in Canada and the first occurrences in the United Kingdom and Australia. British communities were described as "horrified" and pressure had been placed on police resources.[17]

According to The New York Times, the clown sightings resulted in at least 12 arrests across the United States and one death. In Reading, Pennsylvania, a 16-year-old boy was fatally stabbed during an incident that could have been provoked by a prowler wearing a clown mask. The charges related to the sightings included making false reports, threats, and chasing people.[12]

Throughout this time, Internet social media sites received numerous postings related to the phenomenon. The World Clown Association president Randy Christensen took a stance against the current trend of people dressing up as clowns to frighten people.[18] Circuses[19] and other clown-related businesses were affected.[20] In October 2016, McDonald's decided that Ronald McDonald would keep a lower profile as a result of the incidents.[21] A sociologist has called 2016 "a bad time to be a professional clown".[22] The killer clown craze was linked to a significant increase in sales of clown suits in and near Glasgow, Scotland.[23] During Halloween, some Floridians decided to go armed while trick-or-treating.[24]

Warnings

On October 12, the Russian Embassy in London issued a warning for Russian and British citizens because of the clown scare.[25]

On October 13, Fijian police warned people against involvement in the events.[26]

Clown costume withdrawals and bans

Several New Zealand shops withdrew clown costumes from their shelves.[27] In the United States, the East Side Union High School District, the West Milford school district, Ohio school district, and Springboro Community Schools[28] issued a blanket ban on all clown costumes and clown masks in addition to previously existing policies and restrictions. Target pulled clown masks from its website and stores as a result of the scare,[29][30][31] as did Canadian Tire. The village of Memramcook, New Brunswick asked residents not to dress up as clowns on Halloween.[32] Employees of theme parks were instructed to remove any horror costumes and make-up before leaving work.[33]

Threatened "clown purge" and aftermath

By October 25, 2016, several news outlets reported on an alleged clown-initiated "purge" or "attack", which supposedly was to take place on Halloween Eve of 2016.[34][35][36] While there were no widespread "purge" attacks as threatened, a family from Florida was attacked on October 31, 2016, by a group of approximately 20 people in clown masks (and masks styled after The Purge movie). No arrests were made.[37][38]

Hunts

Students at Pennsylvania State University and Michigan State University were involved in mobs that searched for clowns on campus after reported sightings.[39] Campgrounds floated with rumors of clown attacks.[40]

See also

References

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  1. ^ "Creepy clown sightings reported in more communities in South Carolina". WJW (TV). 2 September 2016. Archived from the original on July 16, 2020. Retrieved September 3, 2016.
  2. ^ Rogers, Katie (August 30, 2016). "Creepy Clown Sightings in South Carolina Cause a Frenzy". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved September 3, 2016.
  3. ^ McGurty, Frank; Prentice, Chris (3 September 2016). "Clown sightings spook South Carolina, perplex police". Yahoo!. Reuters. Archived from the original on August 15, 2020. Retrieved September 3, 2016.
  4. ^ Harris, Chris. "South Carolina Police Chief to Creepy Clowns: 'The Clowning Around Needs to Stop'". People. Archived from the original on December 7, 2020. Retrieved September 3, 2016.
  5. ^ Zuppello, Suzanne (2016-09-30). "'Killer Clowns': Inside the Terrifying Hoax Sweeping America". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2020-12-01. Retrieved 2017-08-23.
  6. ^ "Green Bay's creepy clown was marketing ploy". Green Bay Press-Gazette. Retrieved 2023-06-15.
  7. ^ a b Simpson, Connor. "Northampton Solves the Mystery of The Creepy Clown". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  8. ^ "Why I am a 'killer clown'". BBC. 25 October 2016. Archived from the original on 8 November 2020. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
  9. ^ "Mysterious Clowns Terrorizing California City". ABC News. 13 October 2014. Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  10. ^ "The great clown panic of 2016 is a hoax. But the terrifying side of clowns is real". 12 October 2016.
  11. ^ Reporter, David Moye; Post, The Huffington (24 July 2015). "Creepy Clown Menaces Chicago Cemetery". HuffPost. Archived from the original on 11 May 2019. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  12. ^ a b c Mele, Christopher (29 September 2016). "Creepy Clown Hoaxes Lead to 12 Arrests in Multiple States". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
  13. ^ Mele, Christopher (7 September 2016). "Creepy Clown Reports Continue, and Clowns Are Not Happy". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
  14. ^ May, Ashley (4 August 2016). "Creepy clown with black balloons wandering Wisconsin". USA Today. Archived from the original on 6 December 2020. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
  15. ^ "Gags the Clown (2018)". imdb.com. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2023-01-11.
  16. ^ Miska, Brad (2019-09-03). "Bloody Disgusting Presents: 'Gags the Clown' Has Come to Town on VOD Platforms!". bloody-disgusting.com. Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved 2023-02-09.
  17. ^ ""Killer clown" craze hits Perth as masked man bursts from trees to terrify walker". The Courier. 13 October 2016. Archived from the original on 24 November 2020. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  18. ^ "Clown president: 'We don't want to scare people'". New Zealand Herald. 10 October 2016. Archived from the original on 9 August 2020. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
  19. ^ "Circus clown: Stop giving us a bad name". stuff.co.nz. 11 October 2016. Archived from the original on 2020-07-03. Retrieved 2016-10-11.
  20. ^ Brown, Vanessa (11 October 2016). "How the creepy clown craze is killing the entertainment profession". New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 7 July 2020. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
  21. ^ "McDonald's: Ronald McDonald keeping a lower profile". New Zealand Herald. 12 October 2016. Archived from the original on 24 June 2020. Retrieved 11 October 2016.
  22. ^ Greig, Patricia. "Clown craze: It's going to peak, it's going to be here in New Zealand". NZ Herald. Archived from the original on 2020-07-07. Retrieved 2016-10-13.
  23. ^ Fancy dress shop say their costume was used in 'killer clown' prank Archived 2020-10-28 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved October 2016
  24. ^ Moran, Lee (31 October 2016). "Creepy Clown Threat Prompts Spooked Floridians To Trick-Or-Treat While Armed". The Huffington Post. Archived from the original on 8 November 2020. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  25. ^ "Russian Embassy warns citizens about British 'clowns'... while locked in Syria stand-off with Boris Johnson". Mirror.co.uk. October 12, 2016. Archived from the original on June 10, 2020. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
  26. ^ "Police Warn Against Clowns Movement". Fiji Sun Online. Archived from the original on 2020-11-08. Retrieved 2016-10-14.
  27. ^ "Halloween clown outfits pulled from Kiwi hire shop shelves". 15 October 2016. Archived from the original on 20 June 2020. Retrieved 21 October 2016 – via New Zealand Herald.
  28. ^ "Local elementary school banning clown costumes, masks". WHIO-TV. October 18, 2016. Archived from the original on 20 October 2016. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  29. ^ Pheifer, Pat (October 16, 2016). "Target pulls clown masks from stores and website due to 'crazy clown' scares". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on July 8, 2020. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
  30. ^ Walters, Joanna (2016-10-16). "Clown sightings: hysteria in the US reaches a fever pitch". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2020-11-08. Retrieved 2016-12-13.
  31. ^ Wang, Amy B. (2016-10-17). "Target halts clown-mask sales amid creepy-clown hysteria". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on 2020-11-08. Retrieved 2020-04-16.
  32. ^ MacInnis, Jonathan (October 28, 2016). "No laughing matter: N.B. village asks residents to ditch the clown costumes this Halloween". CTV News Atlantic. Archived from the original on 3 July 2020. Retrieved 29 October 2016.
  33. ^ "Theme park staff told to take off clown costumes". The Times. 2016-10-17. Archived from the original on 2020-07-03. Retrieved 2016-11-12.
  34. ^ Rogers, Eryn (25 October 2016). "Clown purge rumor targets Greenville". wspa.com. Archived from the original on 27 November 2020. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
  35. ^ "Killer Clown Purge 2016: Where & When Will The Clowns Attack?". morningledger.com. 25 October 2016. Archived from the original on 26 October 2016. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
  36. ^ "Map of Killer Clowns Purge 2016: Which States Will Be Attacked?". 26 October 2016. Archived from the original on 30 October 2016. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  37. ^ EndPlay (1 November 2016). "Victim recognizes teen during brutal attack by 20 people in 'The Purge,' clown masks". Archived from the original on 2 November 2016. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  38. ^ Ober, Amanda (1 November 2016). "Man says he was random target of masked Halloween mob attack in East Orange County". Archived from the original on 13 November 2020. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
  39. ^ Hoyt, James (13 October 2016). "Creepy clown sightings college campuses". USA Today. Archived from the original on 2020-11-29. Retrieved 2022-05-04.
  40. ^ Unknown, Unknown (6 October 2016). "Man near garden of the gods attacked by assailant in clown mask". Archived from the original on 8 November 2020. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
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