Pennywise, the creepy clown in Steven King’s “It,” and the recent increase in “evil clown sightings” around the country have fueled the anti-clown movement in the US and hurt clowning as a legit business. From the Hollywood Reporter:
“Last year we were really blindsided,” says World Clown Association president Pam Moody of the evil clown sightings — typically pranksters in store-bought clown masks who lurked near schools and in residential neighborhoods, sometime with weapons in hand. “We’ve since created a press kit to prepare clowns for the movie coming out.”
That guide, “WCA Stand on Scary Clowns !!,” reminds the WCA membership that the “art of clown is something to be treasured and enjoyed” and that “just because someone wears a rubber Halloween mask, that does not make one a clown!” It also recommends “that young children not be exposed to horror movies” such as It…
The industry has taken a hit thanks to all this “scary clown” business. “People had school shows and library shows that were canceled,” says Moody. “That’s very unfortunate. The very public we’re trying to deliver positive and important messages to aren’t getting them.”