The dark history of the clowns.

CLOWNS: Comedians or killers?

We all know clowns have been around for a long time, entertaining us. Yet some people are terrified of them. Even though most clowns are harmless this fear may not be totally irrational.

Ancient times:

A version of early clowns were actually found in ancient Egypt. It was said that Egyptians did everything for entertainment and a good laugh. Legend has it that some priests were also playing clowns as a side hustle. The Egyptians would capture other tribes to entertain their kings, sometimes as clowns.

Just like everything else the ancient Greeks had their own version of clowns. Though It was more of a mime.

Even the Romans had clowns. Plays were a big thing in Roman times. So the clowns had a big role to play. They were called stupidus. It was all fun and games, however, things took a darker turn when in ancient Rome, if a person died, the family would hire a clown in the funeral. The clown pretended to be the person who died and made them laugh. 

Middle ages:

In the middle ages clowns were considered as more of a servant. They were called court jesters. They had to wear patch works to symbolize that they are lower class. Some of  them served the royals. Interestingly enough, the clowns were the only ones who were allowed to make fun of the royalty.

By the 1500s every culture had their own version of clowns. Some native Americans believed that to  gain wisdom and spiritual powers, getting all the laughter out first was important. The priest who performed the ceremony was given the name 'heyoka' which means sacred clown. 

Italy also had their own version. Clowns were a big part of entertainment. Their characters were based on the mask the actors would wear. Each mask had its own personality. 

The 17th century is when clowns really started looking like the clowns we know today, with cartoonish and colorful outfits and makeup. 

Joey Grimaldi, born on 18th December 1778, in London, was the most famous clown of all time. Growing up, Joey had an abusive father who was also a professional dancer, which created a lot of pressure for young joey to perform on stage. At 9 years old, when Joey's father passed away the family's responsibility fell on his shoulders to make a wage. But people all across the town loved 'Joey the clown'. The clown makeup we know today was created by Joey Grimaldi. 

Things were going well for Joey, until one day during one of the performances he had shot himself in the foot, which put him in bed rest for a month. At the time he fell into serious depression, which also led to him drinking. The term sad clown was probably invented then. Joey's health got worse and worse. In 1837, the famous clown passed away. 

Now around this time, a famous French clown, Jean Gaspard Deburau, ends up murdering a little boy. That, along with Charles Dickens book called 'The Pickwick Papers' (inspired by joey), really gave clowns a bad reputation. 

In the 1800s, When circus became a thing, clowns did not have much of a role. They were just there with their costumes, clown makeup, and acting drunk. 

Modern times:

In 1947, Alan Livingston, a music executive, came up with the clown Bozo. Kids as well as adults loved him. Bozo was this happy healthy clown. He had his own cartoon show, merch, TV show etc. 

During the 60s a company reached out to the actor, who was playing Bozo at the time, for a new clown mascot, and that is how Ronald McDonald was created. 

Things were going good for clowns for a while. But then John Wayne Gacy came into the picture. He was the man who ruined people's trust in clowns forever. 

During 1972-1978 John killed 35 people, most of the time, dressed as a clown. This is the man who inspired Stephan King to write horror stories about scary clowns. He even wrote the book "IT" featuring the famous clown "Pennywise". 

All this sets the stage for the 'Phantom clown theories'. During 1981 people ( mostly children) would randomly spot evil clowns. But there wasn't any physical evidence of it, so no one knows if kids were making it up, being paranoid, or if some clowns were actually there.

In 2016, these theories returned when people randomly started seeing clowns in different places. In Texas,  a clown was even caught in a security camera, trying to break into a house with a knife. Police really couldn't keep up with all the calls, reporting creepy clowns. Few months later news came out that those clown sightings were really some people trying to make a low budget clown horror movie. However, no one knows for sure.

AFTERMATH:

Clowns have been there for our entertainment for centuries. Even though they are portrayed as evil or scary, there are many great clowns out there who are passionate about making people laugh. At the end of the day, they do deserve more credit.