Hattie PerryProfessor Nathan ColeEnglish 2010-043-Sp138 Apr. 2013

"Can't Sleep. Clown will eat me."

Why Parent's should not decorate their children's rooms with Clowns.

Clown Historian Bruce Johnson has implied that children have a natural fear of clowns. On his website he writes "Children around the age of two and three are uncertain around anything unusual that they don't understand. At that age they are uncomfortable around fantasy characters like Santa Claus and clowns. ... Children normally outgrow this natural fear unless something happens that traumatizes them at this stage of their development."

Johnson, Bruce. Charlie the Juggling Clown. Bruce Johnson, n.d.. Web. 6 Feb 2013.

I propose that decorating a young child's room with clowns could cause just

this kind of trauma.

"Lisa's First Word" The Simpsons. Fox. KSTU, Salt Lake City. 3 Dec. 1992. Television

In one episode of the Simpsons, little Bart must give up his crib and move to a big boy bed. Bart is resistant to the change so his father tries to encourage him by making him a very special bed.

Bart's dad did not intend to scare him, but...

Lisa's First Word" The Simpsons. Fox. KSTU, Salt Lake City. 3 Dec. 1992. Television (Online video clip - YouTube)

If video fails to load please click here. Video will load in seperate window.

... poor Bart is traumatized.

"Lisa's First Word" The Simpsons. Fox. KSTU, Salt Lake City. 3 Dec. 1992. Television (Online video clip - YouTube)

If video fails to load please click here. Video will open in seperate window.

In the movie Poltergeist little Robbie wants to go to sleep, but there is something in his room making it very hard.

Poltergeist. Dir. Toby Hooper. Perf. Craig T. Nelson, JoBeth Williams, Heather O’Rourke, and Oliver Robins.

Warner Brothers, 1982. Film

Seems innocent enough..

Poltergeist. Dir. Toby Hooper. Perf. Craig T. Nelson, JoBeth Williams, Heather O’Rourke, and Oliver Robins.

Warner Brothers, 1982. Film.

... but Robbie doesn't seem to like it much.

Poltergeist. Dir. Toby Hooper. Perf. Craig T. Nelson, JoBeth Williams, Heather O’Rourke, and Oliver Robins.

Warner Brothers, 1982. Film (Online video clip- YouTube)

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So why is it still in his room?

Poltergeist. Dir. Toby Hooper. Perf. Craig T. Nelson, JoBeth Williams, Heather O’Rourke, and Oliver Robins.

Warner Brothers, 1982. Film. (online image courtesy of deviantart.net)

Just look at the consequences for poor Robbie..

Poltergeist. Dir. Toby Hooper. Perf. Craig T. Nelson, JoBeth Williams, Heather O’Rourke, and Oliver Robins.

Warner Brothers, 1982. Film (Online video clip- YouTube)

If video fails to load please click here. Video will load in seperate window.

Now poor Robbie is traumatized too!

No parent wants to frighten or traumatize

their child.

Parents

Its time

to Accept

the fact

that kids

hate clowns.

Stop decorating their rooms with clowns.

Terabytes. No Clowns Allowed. Photograph. Sodahead., 2012. Web. 29 Mar. 2013

Why not decorate with Clowns?

In 2008 the University of Sheffield conducted a study to determine what theme they should use when decorating rooms in a pediatric hospital. They polled over 250 children between the ages of 4 and 16 and showed the children images of clowns. Researcher Dr. Penny Curtis stated that clowns were “universally disliked. Some found the clown images to be quite frightening and unknowable ... Even some of the oldest children found the images scary"

"Hospital Clown Images Too Scary." BBC News. BBC,15 Jan. 2008. Web. 5 Mar. 2013.

Why not decorate with clowns?

Child Psychologist Patricia Doorbar stated "Very few children like clowns. They are unfamiliar and come from a different era. They don't look funny, they just look odd. Children are much more happy with things stuck on the wall that have some sort of personal relevance for them, not images that are foisted upon them by adults.“

"Hospital Clown Images Too Scary." BBC News. BBC,15 Jan. 2008. Web. 5 Mar. 2013.

Why not decorate with clowns?

Marjorie Gillies is a senior nurse for patient services at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow. She stated "We found that having clowns and decorations everywhere is too much. We have gone back to plain walls with areas decorated appropriately."

"Hospital Clown Images Too Scary." BBC News. BBC,15 Jan. 2008. Web. 5 Mar. 2013.

If Children wouldn't want their hospital rooms

decorated with clowns, why would they want their bedrooms decorated with

them?

How should parents choose decorations for their child's room?

University of Sheffield researcher Dr Penny Curtis indicates that it is important to consult children when when choosing decorations for them.

She stated "As adults we make assumptions about what works for children. "

"Hospital Clown Images Too Scary." BBC News. BBC,15 Jan. 2008. Web. 5 Mar. 2013.

What Happens when we make assumptions about what our children should

like?

A parent might think clowns are cute and adorable.

Gaines, Jordan. "Why Are Clowns Scary? Is Coulrophobia (Fear of Clowns) Real? What is fear anyway?" Brain Babble: Unraveling Neuroscience Research and FAQs-Without the Jargon. Psychology Today, 10 Oct. 2012. Web. 1 February 2013

Their child might think clowns

are monstrous!

Collingwood, Jeffery. Scary Clown Glaring At You. Photograph. 123RF. Web. 29 Mar. 2013

Junior from the Problem Child movies certainly didn't like the clowns in his room.

Problem Child. Dir. Dennis Dugan. Perf. John Ritter, Michael Oliver, Gilbert Godfried. Universal Studios, 1990. Film.

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If Junior's parent's asked him what he liked, instead

of assuming he liked clowns, maybe this would

not have happened.

Give your child sweet dreams not nightmares.

The solution is simple.

Ask your child what they like before decorating their

room.

When in doubt go back to plain walls.

And remember . . .

Terabytes. No Clowns Allowed. Photograph. Sodahead., 2012. Web. 29 Mar. 2013

Never Decorate with Clowns!

Works Cited

Collingwood, Jeffery. Scary Clown Glaring At You. Photograph. 123RF. Web. 29 Mar. 2013

Gaines, Jordan. "Why Are Clowns Scary? Is Coulrophobia (Fear of Clowns) Real? What is fear anyway?" Brain Babble:

Unraveling Neuroscience Research and FAQs-Without the Jargon. Psychology Today, 10 Oct. 2012. Web. 1 Feb. 2013

"Hospital Clown Images Too Scary." BBC News. BBC,15 Jan. 2008. Web. 5 Mar. 2013.

Johnson, Bruce. Charlie the Juggling Clown. Bruce Johnson, n.d.. Web. 6 Feb. 2013

"Lisa's First Word" The Simpsons. Fox. KSTU, Salt Lake City. 3 Dec. 1992. Television

Poltergeist. Dir. Toby Hooper. Perf. Craig T. Nelson, JoBeth Williams, Heather O’Rourke, and Oliver Robins. Warner

Brothers, 1982. Film

Problem Child. Dir. Dennis Dugan. Perf. John Ritter, Michael Oliver, Gilbert Godfried. Universal Studios, 1990. Film.

Terabytes. No Clowns Allowed. Photograph. Sodahead., 2012. Web. 29 Mar. 2013