The fear of clowns is a fairly common phobia, mainly in children but it is also seen in adults. The phobia can range from mild to very severe and it is called Coulrophobia. Coulrophobia includes the fear of both clowns and mimes.
It is not known exactly what causes Coulrophobia but a common belief amongst most scientists is that children are afraid of clowns because of the exaggerated face paintings. Babies and toddlers are very reactive to unfamiliar body types or people with an unfamiliar face. Another theory behind the fear is that clown acts often mimic physical pain and the child or adult watching is sensitive to this.
These factors, combined with the often busy, loud bustling places can overwhelm a child and the whole experience can turn into a frightening one. For one child
For older kids the fear may also come from horror movies as the media will often portray clowns as evil characters.
Johnny Depp, Daniel Radcliffe and Puff Daddy all have a fear of clowns. So when you next hold a family party, you may want to avoid inviting them or book a party entertainer who is not a clown .....
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