The 2016 Clown Craze | Horror History

[@wordsofagirlinterrupted]

This was one of those “you just had to be there to understand” experiences

[@sympatheticflake890]

yea

[@batgoku9]

yeah and everyone was there

[@small9637]

yea i feel like we would never have something like that again like all the young kid youtubers that would do the same liked om tracis feel like all kids do now is skibibi toilet and brain rot

[@iamnotbrucewayne-r9v]

I was 7 and I still remember ts

[@changedacclol]

I knew someone who was making a sandwich at around 2 at night and a clown popped up infront of his window and he used the butter knife to stab his nose 😂

[@creaturw]

I remember during the clown craze, I was in 6th grade, one of our security guards came into the cafeteria during lunch to make a speech to all the kids that he wouldn't let the clowns hurt us and they would protect the school and everyone clapped and cheered. It was a weirdly nostalgic time. Some family friends had encountered them but I never did.

[@CZsWorld]

Another dude who thought he was in a movie haha

[@creaturw]

​@@CZsWorld It felt like a movie for my small town lol

[@peruvianpuffpepper27]

that’s actually so sweet and wholesome, glad to hear you had a nice and dedicated security guard at your school

[@snowlunawolfq8492]

Same!

[@becklawliet1131]

@@CZsWorldp

[@Jidds]

The world just felt different back then, I genuinely can’t believe 2016 is almost 10 years ago.

[@floppaeditz123]

mhm

[@cyclonus_is_a_nerd]

I physically cringed at this shocking revelation

[@kaleyD]

i literally looked like Ö as u pointed out how it was almost 10 years ago that is genuinely insane

[@nasimfaheemalquadir]

It still feels like 2010..

[@prodashibe]

what

[@AndrewMovie13]

The fact that because IT: Chapter Two takes place 27 years after the first one (1989), it's canonically set in 2016.

[@tylerlandry1669]

No way that wasn't intentional

[@isabelortiz1230]

​@@tylerlandry1669 what is bro on about

[@BaliwlikeForever]

Imagine Pennywise VS 2016 Clowns.

[@t.n.h.ptheneohumanpatterna8334]

I’ll tell you what Tyler was trying to say in the movie every 27 years it awakes from her hibernation and starts eating people and then goes back to sleep for 27 years and it the actual movie came out in 2016 which is 27 years after the original movie which came out in 1989

[@hamishlarkin8721]

It was 1990 and 2017

[@b.j.l.2573]

The jumpscare at the beginning. I knew it was coming, but my heart still jumped our of my body ngl

[@cyclonus_is_a_nerd]

I know bruh I think a small part of my soul disappeared when that shit came up

[@LizardDoesStuff]

Same

[@Supreme24083]

Same 😭

[@aaronzwrld]

sameeee😂

[@v_jayson]

like omg… 😭😭

[@justaguy2182]

2016 was a wild year. Kinda wish I could experience it again tbh.

[@ryand9873]

Same

[@jeremyscungio16]

It was the end of 8th grade and start of 9th grade so I don't know if I want to re do all of that

[@lancefloyed9091]

@@jeremyscungio16bahahahahaha right I’m not going back to highschool no way

[@starmaster191]

it really was....

[@nunion12]

Same if only because I was only 4 years out of high school with no idea of what I wanted to do in life versus 12 years out of high school wasting away

[@Blaze43338]

This was the reason why IT was so popular, no debate

[@CZsWorld]

It was the perfect storm of events for that movie

[@neehaa]

@@CZsWorldor a great marketing campaign

[@KrystalEdits1]

​@CZsWorld Hello Can you make an update with the history of valak in the nun 2 if you want?

[@mr.nickols1293]

It was also just a great movie

[@PinkyLov3r]

​@@KrystalEdits1I'm pretty sure he is

[@negamikey2392]

Fun fact: in the late 90s/early 00s this craze happened in Puerto Rico. After a kid got kidnapped, schools were shutting their gates and having cops patrol the area for clowns

[@retrosiren824]

Did they ever find the kid?

[@negamikey2392]

@@retrosiren824 Nope. They did a country wide campaign to find him, but they never did

[@joshtondurrah8048]

@@negamikey2392 That is scary as hell.

[@zaynes5094]

@@negamikey2392probably, MAYBE, the kid was a runaway? That's my best guess. Either that or they were legit kidnapped.

[@dvv]

@@negamikey2392 Poor kid could’ve been trafficked out island for all we know given how common it is in PR :(

[@noahjames1985]

I don't agree with the notion that these people were just having harmless fun. If they were doing all these things NOT dressed like a clown, they would probably be arrested. Think about someone hanging out in the woods and trying to lure children to them with candy, someone coming on your property to look through your windows, someone staring at you for a long time and then running straight at you without warning, someone standing in the middle of the street and chasing your car as you passed by. These are all precursors to assault. Wearing a clown costume does not make it okay, the world is not a haunted house.

[@Forest9528]

The way i see it is that it started out as actual harmless fun and then it got out of hand. For example i think its fine to stand on the side of the road and just look into cctv cameras then dissapear but it just kept escalating. There always had to be somebody who did somthing more extreme until it did go to thsoe lengths of luring kids into the woods and going onto private property and chasing people around that werent ok

[@Princess_Celestia_]

Ah grow up. Most of that stuff was made up. Clowns luring kids in to the woods with candy? In 2016 where every one has camera phones but not a single video? Just the word of some kids and teens? Yeah, totally made up story by kids looking to have some fun. Hell when I was a kid back in the 90's my friends and I would regale our parents with stories of how we went fishing down at the nwar by creek (a mile for us country boys is the same as a city block for them city slicker kids) only to encounter escaped loonatics from the near by mental hospital. Remember, the cops and adults immediately went into the woods to find these clowns and they found no trace of them, like it never happened. All the confirmed clown sitings was just dudes in clown costumes having a bit of fun while breaking no laws.

[@user-cs7fg5eq9r]

Yeah, I think he's going a little easy on them. Masked people are still masked people, the whole point of a mask is to not only hide your identity but also what your intentions are since humans are social creatures and we use facial expressions to gauge what other people are thinking or about to do. And people reacting with violent words is not the same as people going out in a costume and scaring people, bit of a weird attempt to hoist blame on the 'Clown Hunters' on his part.

[@littleflowers7678]

Fun fact: a clown (I forget their name) threatened to shoot up my school on facebook and it freaked the hell out of one of my friends at the time as well as a few other students to the point where some kids stayed home for the week and my school had to increase security. Still have no idea what happened to the guy, but we didn't hear a peep from him after that.

[@PunkPinkJesusFreak13]

A similar thing happened in my area. It was different accounts of creepy clowns that threatened several high schools. Such a weird time.

[@restant8845]

Same thing here. Seriously what the fuck was up at that time. Like where did all these people come from

[@ocifer]

probably a kid in your school that took it too far and got scared by the heightened security, or they were caught and warned to stop or they’d be in trouble

[@unusual_log]

the same thing happened back when i was in elementary! the clown actually texted one of my siblings saying they were gonna follow them to school and threated a shooting and we were on lockdown for around 3-4 hours.

[@sleepysadpoet]

Damn were you in my school district bc it happened in my town too

[@pandoraavatar9901]

My last year of Trick or Treating was in 2016. I was dressed up as a witch, complete with a wooden staff that I use from hikes. I told my friends that if a clown came at us, I would wack it with my staff. A clown jumped out of a bush at some point in the night. I kept my word and gave the clown a good hit with my staff. I did not feel guilty. Still don’t.

[@Gayngisconisgayngisconisgay]

If he hit you back and broke your eye socket you'd have pressed charges. Assault isn't cool

[@gustaafargoan]

I hope you were arrested for assault.

[@lll-w]

you’re proud to be among the violent people in this video who enjoys assaulting someone for wearing a clown costume?

[@dommiedarkoh8816]

Suuuure 😂

[@larrythelobster966]

@@gustaafargoanif someone jumps out to scare you and you’re not in a haunted house where they’re permitted to do so, you have every right to hit them idc

[@GrandpaMunster86]

Important reminder kids: You're not the main character on planet earth. Nobody has to put up with you trying to scare them if they don't desire to be scared.

[@Hamrik_Oswald]

It amazes me this point is lost on many people.

[@G0ld3nFW]

​@@Hamrik_Oswaldyeah, im not sure of this is correct but people have died trying to pretend to be " killer clowns"

[@GrandpaMunster86]

​@@G0ld3nFW play stupid games, win stupid prizes lol

[@megax6425]

@@GrandpaMunster86 Bad take for 90% of the clowns. The ones that just watch from a distances or looked into cameras, where not doing anything illegal or anything that should get them hurt. The ones popping out of nowhere to jump scare someone, At the most should get punched, but not shot or killed. The 10% that would chase people with weapons or things that look like weapons are the only ones that had it coming.

[@deedeedoodoopeepeepoopoo]

@@megax6425menacing someone you don't know "for a prank bro" isn't dangerous for the person choosing to spend their time that way?

[@thegametroll6264]

I was starting to remember this. Wondering where they all went or where the hell they even came from. I also remembered the guy who dressed as batman going out fighting crazy clowns so kids would feel safer. Edit: I saw it on the news to my memory. They were doing a special report. Apparently, the guy was pretty good at self-defense fighting, so he decided he'd give the kids peace of mind and dress as batman and go out to fight the scary clowns. I remember him saying to the camera, "You don't need to be scared, kids, and as for you clowns, try scaring me." In a batman voice.

[@Roojules98]

That’s beautiful 🥲🥲

[@esca3119]

Wait, I totally forgot about this! I thought it was awesome as a kid. Hope that guy's doing well made a lot of kids feel safer!

[@realityorfiction]

It's in the video..

[@Puggled64]

Why did that jumpscare at the start actually get me so bad 💀

[@EminentEntity2]

Ikr

[@salemwarren1207]

Me sitting here like wHaT jUmPsCaRe and then immediately getting scared by it lmao

[@Hewokwitty]

I literally freaked out I swear I almost had like a goddamn heart attack or smt lmao

[@AfterLyfe_Demon]

Scared the shit out of me

[@emild2372]

ISTG I NEALARLY FELL OF MY CHAIR BC OF THAT JUMP SACRE

[@NittaniLyons]

I graduated from Penn State in 2018 and vividly remember this going down. The "JOEY" chant is referencing Joey Julius ("Big Toe Joe"), the star kicker of the football team at the time. That mob was almost exclusively freshmen (who live in East Halls and Pollock Halls primarily), but I incidentally came across the crowd at Old Main while walking from the McDonald's on College Ave making my way to West Halls to meet my best friend. I'm stoked to see such detailed coverage of a very fond and funny memory from my college years! WE ARE!!!

[@wtfj4462]

Who was the shirtless guy and did he get mocked on campus for the rest of the year?

[@Sp1tfire_5316]

The clown craze scared me so much bc I lived in a rural area known for drug use. I was terrified that one of those ppl might try to take advantage of the craze and try to break into my home or scare me when I came home from school. I have a clown phobia from when I was little so this was a literal waking nightmare for me

[@Hamrik_Oswald]

That is the problem people are missing. The craze created cover for criminal minded opportunists to operate (unintended alliteration). That combined with the reckless content made by absent minded pranksters, actors, and *influencers* it created the perfect storm of real/reasonable fear and hysteria. How many people must have felt in danger or could have been legitimately in danger just for news, police, CZ to tell them there is nothing to worry about? Inversely, how many people were not in any danger but believed they were and took measures to defend themselves just for it to turn out to be some "it was a prank bro" sh¡thead. I am actually surprised that, looking back, it didn't lead to much tragedy. Edit: I get that here in most circumstances news and police were fanning the flames to their own degree, but I am just saying there might have been instances where local channels and police departments advised people to not panic that it was just a fad/hysteria/pranks that would die off. My point being it created an environment where people could have refrained from calling police because they were afraid of being seen as a hysterical fool if it turned out to be nothing or that people wouldn't believe them even if they were in actual danger.

[@ankaplanka]

​@@Hamrik_OswaldIs that how the supposedly called "normal people" operate? Jokes aside, there is a possibility of people dying because they couldn't get through to the call center..

[@Boozhound905]

Same here

[@benamisai-kham5892]

I was there for it and remember how big it was in my small town, everyone was on vigilance because no one wanted to risk it being a sicko or criminal that actually wanted to cause harm instead of a silly prank. In the middle of nowhere with dead end roads everywhere, you don't play those games with folks.

[@Superfan303]

​@@Boozhound905boo

[@savannahcoughlin4684]

I also have a feeling that the clown craze of 2016 probably would not have nearly been as bad as it was had the parents also not been around during the time of the John Wayne Gacy murders

[@sunnydargonnel]

This, most of the fear of actual clowns comes from that so, it's understandable.

[@ArthurSanford3706]

It really was the perfect storm for this to go viral. Parents and grandparents who remembered John Wayne Gacy, young adults who remembered the 1990 IT movie, and teenagers/kids ready for the new IT movie. We've all got one thing that made us scared of clowns.

[@Superfan303]

​@@ArthurSanford3706yea the clown hate its created for us is real

[@Princess_Celestia_]

​@@ArthurSanford3706 dude, clowns aren't scary, they're goofy. Now Rodeo Clowns are scary. You got to be nuts to intentionally make your self the target of a pissed off raging bull

[@christabelle__]

Yeah, between the It movies, and John Wayne Gacy...what do you f*cking expect, you know? This would have been a PERFECT time for a real predator to act like a prankster clown... and start actually causing real harm. Or for those who worship JWG to mimic him - there's a reason a lot of people were ready to FIGHT.

[@Kageoni187]

Just a note the song they were singing wasn’t by the Beetles. The song called “Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye “ by Steam

[@nashjillian4450]

Came here to say that.

[@karawigley6231]

I was wondering if I was the only one who caught that. 😂

[@callanightshade8079]

Thank goodness I'm not the only one who noticed 😂

[@matthewpalmer-jones9186]

Ah, excellent. I was not the only one.

[@etcraven]

Gotta love the thorough research that goes into KZbin videos.

[@IronyOfNadir]

2016 has always been one of my favorite years

[@Ash05771]

I wanna go back

[@dreamlandnightmare]

2016 would have been a good year for me if not for one thing in my personal life.

[@Tyson-zo6sm]

It was a good year

[@MrsAlmightyKey]

​@dreamlandnightmare literally cannot agree more to this statement, it was my PERFECT adult life, then that personal incident happened and that's truly the only demise of that year!

[@ignorant1126]

The fact that the clown sightings lead to a man dressing as Batman to take them down. Bro 💀

[@djch33zy_b4con6]

I lived in Florida at the time of the clown sightings. They didn't last too long, as far as I recall, I only heard of one or two. But there was one time somebody dressed as a clown jumped out of my dad's truck with a machete, and just stood there and, what my dad and I think, waited for us to get out. My dad flashed his copy of the second amendment, if you catch my drift. The clown ran away, and we never had a problem like that again.

[@MonBerry]

If it happened to me and my family hed die from lead poisoning.

[@mehmeh3745]

Apparently there were many sightings here but I never seen any only heard that people were getting hurt from the news

[@Princess_Celestia_]

So, your old man brandished a firearm, you know that's a crime right? You might not want to post stuff like that on the internet, kid.

[@djch33zy_b4con6]

@@Princess_Celestia_ firstly, I'm 22. Secondly, my dad has his CCW. Thirdly, Florida is a stand your ground state. Therefore, no crime was committed. Thank you for coming to my TedTalk.

[@DankrumStar]

@@Princess_Celestia_if some some f*cker jumps at your truck with a machete they absolutely can commit the crime of showing him the weapon. He didn’t shoot him. He warned him “f*ck around and find out”

[@danteshollowedgrounds]

I love how the public had or has a real fear for clowns. Crazy because I never liked clowns back then at all but now I love them very much.

[@Arc115YT]

I was never scared of clowns, but never had a real love for them. As an adult though, I really enjoy clowns. Creepy or not.

[@UltraMaga45]

Its not so much about clowns as protecting your family and property from someone out to do harm, Yes maybe some of the clowns are dumb ass teens who wanted clout but whoso too say there's not a few legitimate crazy's among them ?

[@lucyhardy-styles-shield2728]

Unlike me who absolutely FUCKING HATES clowns...yet I work for a fast food company who once had a clown as a mascot 😅

[@robinkholmes7127]

1) Uncanny Valley 2) Anything the same size or larger than you charging at you

[@Hamrik_Oswald]

​@UltraMAGA45 exactly. Many people seem to be oblivious or willfully ignorant in downplaying the problem. I generally like this channel, but the tone of "it's just a prank bro" and "no crime had been committed" is making me question if I should follow this channel anymore. His tone seems indicative, to me, of believing someone should be willing to be a victim before defending themselves. Almost as if he thinks a defensive weapon is just going to appear like the sword of Gryffindor. A person doesn't have the right to chase a clown down and confront them in that matter, but a person does have the right to take defensive measures and prepare if a clown or anyone shows ill intent. A person may have the right to dress as a clown A person may have the right to be out at night A person may have the right to tease people A person may have the right to wield a machete or various blunt objects (depending on where they live. Laws strip many people of their rights) But if a person exercises all those things they may have the right to do all at once, they are going to trigger someone's survival instincts of fighting or fleeing. People have a right to self preservation and when a circumstance that isn't in the realm of the ordinary presents itself (i.e. a clown holding a machete, staring at your house, standing or walking on your property, standing at your front door, at night) a person has the right to take DEFENSIVE measures. As we like to say, hope for the best and be prepared for the worst. So long as the defender doesn't seek or initiate the conflict, they are within their rights. CZs deflection of "they aren't breaking the law" is incredibly irresponsible and ignores the full context of these situations. Probably reviewing horror (fictional/fantasy) for so long has probably made him lose sight of the fact that people shouldn't have to be victims just so a threat level can be established. If a person is put in a situation where they feel there is danger or potential for danger, they have the right to issue warnings to the perpetrator. I find it a little ironic that, as a person that consumes so much horror media, he doesn't see the parallel. These are THE exact people/situations that horror movies caution us about. Idk, maybe he's fallen down the rabbit hole and is beyond retrieve now fitting into the horror movie category/trope of the movie nerd that will become suspect numero uno. Were people in jeopardy? Probably not, but his tone suggests, at least as I hear it, that people should be willing to be pawns or test subjects first. People have a right to self preservation and be armed for these exact reasons. Not to be trigger happy as some yahoo is likely to suggest I am getting at, but to be prepared for when or if you are being threatened or attacked. A defensive tool's primary function is to serve as a warning rattle as to say "You're in for a world of trouble if you come at me". That is what all the people that according to CZ as "threatening violence" were getting at. FAFO. These clowns were pushing their luck, as their behavior could have been reasonably seen as nefarious. All it could/would take is that one step over the invisible line that confirms for their target that they are in danger.

[@SwampyFrendoX33]

I remember almost dying laughing when I saw the KZbin videos about this, like ‘ a crazy clown chased me’ I’m glad you covered it, keep up the amazing work!:)

[@CZsWorld]

I've now seen THOUSANDS of these video haha

[@enderbandit1325]

this is why assault laws exist in the uk, that is, laws that criminalise making people think you are going to attack them, not actually attacking

[@kyledowning6775]

No joke, my brother dressed up as the green ranger ready to throw down with some clowns. He's actually trained in a few MMA styles too, so I can only imagine how that would've gone. Truly a time in human history. What a ride.

[@LesbianKimDokja]

This is gonna be a tough one for me to watch when I have a fear of clowns but I literally love CZsWorld videos so I’m still gonna watch it (suffer in silence y’all it gets you places)

[@CZsWorld]

Good luck... 🤡

[@CesarDelgado-fu2nd]

​@@CZsWorld 😊

[@beckyanderson988]

​@@CZsWorldthen of course it was my dumbass as a child during this situation where I ran up to one of the clowns that was at my school grabbed his hand and dragged him into my principal's office and just told my principal this is my friend now The entire time the clown was trying to pry me off and run away. 😅

[@LizardDoesStuff]

What was ur reaction the the jumpscare

[@AlleyCryptid]

At around 7:17 you missed a "he's standing there menacingly!!" Moment lol

[@Goldy-Bear88]

CZ covering real life advents is spooky af, i remember this so clearly. Surreal to see it being covered like a creepypasta.

[@spoopypanda3932]

I remember this. Two things I remember the most was being really afraid of seeing a creepy clown in my yard, and during that year on Halloween no one was allowed to dress up as a clown at my school. Still scares me to this day tbh

[@BigBinLaden]

So we’re not gonna talk about that tab right there at 50:47 ? 😂

[@WallyGrandine-sy1ki]

What was it?

[@BigBinLaden]

@@WallyGrandine-sy1ki the hub 🟧⬛️

[@rickguillen2016]

Cause being prepared to defend yourself is a "stupid idea"? What a clown.

[@jayes13]

are you talking about the child who brought a weapon to a school?

[@Superfan303]

Are You using 'clown' as a derogatory term pal??

[@kody_lee1394]

The way i vividly remember seeing a clown outside my house in the woods when i was 11 still kinda creeps me out

[@HolyClownFuckarus]

Whoops

[@americacortes5364]

i was chased by one in 2016 back in 7th grade

[@Superfan303]

​@@americacortes5364you were fast

[@jamestreviss]

2015-2017 was some of the best years for movies, clowns, games and music and I really miss it

[@Sonic-gy7kq]

I remember being driven home after coming out of a movie and being absolutely terrified of a clown standing on a busy intersection. Hoping and praying the dude wouldn't come up to the windows or anyway messing with us specifically. It didn't happen but everyone thought it was so funny and like "oh lets turn around" "oh lets chase him down" I was like shitting bricks.

[@jessicacreed7773]

A worldwide pandemic kicked off in 2020, but 2016 still feels like the crazier year for me lol

[@mothman1307]

crocheting and watching CZsWorld... a perfect Saturday.

[@lillycullen2235]

I'm here with my cross stitch, craft nerds unite XD

[@HolyClownFuckarus]

Yay

[@tianaidoo8799]

I FOUND MY PEOPLE

[@-Itz_CoralYT-]

@@tianaidoo8799SAME AHAHAH

[@dadsbedtimestories2940]

Fuck around and find out, if idiots want to run around scaring people, those people are going to feel threatened and act to defend themselves.

[@GrandpaMunster86]

Preach.

[@westrywayne]

I’m loving the timeline of real world spooky events…you got something here CZ.

[@CZsWorld]

These episodes are so much fun to make

[@joshtondurrah8048]

@@CZsWorld Keep doing them.

[@leonmeekel5486]

I still remember tales of these clowns. I remember a story that my dad told about a bunch of clowns comming to a school during lunch break to scare kids and then driving of once they all were inside. I remember being scared it would happen at my school aswell but now i can see the humor if they would be a little less extreme. Like on the night of Halloween to go out and just goofing around and messing with people sounds pretty fun.

[@hydeebauder309]

Bro the cop with no face that you showed in the video is scarier than most of the clown sightings

[@AJMoonyoze]

im gooning

[@tacticalmattfoley]

The Ohio sheriff didn't issue a threat in any kind of way. He's warning copycats that if they FA they're likely to FO. Threats and warnings aren't the same thing......Edit: if someone chases you holding what appears to be a weapon, you must assume your life is at risk.

[@GrandpaMunster86]

Seriously. I love his content, but the defending of the behavior here is freaking wild to me.

[@PxNxWxGxW]

​@@GrandpaMunster86 Agreed. Sorry not sorry if a Clown meets it's end fucking around.

[@meagancrowley5197]

Just coming here to vent. I'm really frustrated with the lack of awareness from people saying "its a prank so you are doing something illegal and stupid cuz you think you're gonna defend yourself" 😤 bro what? Does no one understand how human survival instincts work? Its not stupid "just cuz it's a clown" its a human person behaving intentionally in a way that is MEANT to terrify you. You have NO IDEA if they are going to approach or pull out a weapon, but you DO know they are crazy enough to put on make up and stand in the woods looking for people to stare at that and that is NATURALLY unnerving to the human instinct. No matter how many stupid people live online. Stupid people cause death REGULARLY. They are definitely something to be concerned with. It doesn't actually matter what the costume is. Your brain in real life is going to go into fight or flight mode to protect you from a perceived threat. It's not stupid to be cautious of strangers acting weird, even if they try to make it look like a joke, or casual innocent behavior. Did we or did we not all experience the murder podcast craze? My Favorite Murder was famous for coming up with catch phrases that encourage people to be on their guard for this stuff! And not without good reason! We actually DO know that PEOPLE(not clowns!) are scary and when they act suspicious, it is extremely wise to take several steps back, or make yourself look bigger/scarier in order to ward off that threat. There's a lot of people, especially women and kids, who would still be alive today if they didn't assume that some strange behavior was just okay and worth dismissing, especially to be polite, or follow the rules. You can't blame people raised on John Wayne Gacey stories for having an association with clowns and the MURDERS OF 30 REAL HUMAN PEOPLE. It’s not stupid to be afraid of PEOPLE behaving in intentionally scary ways. Yes, you're probably taking the bait! But if you let yourself become ACUSTOMED to scary behaviors you will actually be more easily attacked in the future. It's like serial killer grooming honestly! Or like, reverse boy who cried wolf. This threatening behavior as far as I'm concerned, prank or no, should absolutely be against the law. You are intentionally disturbing the peace, the same way a nudist or loud band in a neighborhood would be, only the frequent terrorizing of families and communities is so much more detrimental. People actually DO need to feel safe in order to be well, mentally, and they need to be well mentally in order for the community to survive. They NEED to be allowed to easily tell the difference between real and percieved threats, so that they can stay alive when real threats occur. It should be considered your civic DUTY to help protect your town from unnecessary terror and fear for their lives. It is DISGUSTING that people can laugh at others who really are scared they might die to a crazy person out of no where showing up and knockingon their door at night, or waitingfor them in a secluded place. Because those deaths really do happen. I'm not saying lock up every person who's ever jumped out and said boo, but lurking in gore themed costumes outside of Halloween, around neighborhoods of families, is not justified in my book. The machetes are insane, the 'defending' yourself with a knife when you went out of your way to cause an altercation with a child is insane. There are very few situations where I consider those kinds of prank shocks (the ones without the weopons) reasonable, and every one of them requires the torrorizer to reveal the joke, and assure the victim that they meant no harm. Because from what we know about the science of trauma now, if you do not get closure on those moments where your body really thought it was going to die, you can carry that stressor for decades or your entire life afterwards. And it can cause physical health problems, as well as the obvious mental ones, and cost you stupid amounts of money to fix for no damn reason except someone wanted to play with you and see how you react to unnatural stressors. It's the same reason we don't (or shouldn't) accept bullying in our culture. Playing with peoples boundaries and fear is gross! The NATURE of mankind to try to defend itself by either carrying a weapon, or simply threatening to carry one, is actually very logical. Making "redneck" threats online is actually a deterrent. The cop being upfront and saying these clowns are running a risk and they might get really hurt, is a deterrent. The reason these deterrents exist is because SOCIETY DECIDES WHAT IS OR ISNT ACCEPTABLE AND THEY CREATE BORDERS OF DECENCY WITH DETERRENTS. THATS. REALITY. THATS HUMAN NATURE. THATS ANIMAL NATURE. THAT SOCIETAL STRUCTURE AT ITS CORE. It's so dumb to act like people make threats for LITERALLY no reason except to look tough on social media, or because they were raised in like 'gun nut culture'. If you don’t threaten the things in your culture that you want to be purged out of yoir culture, because it causes harm or discomfort, those things will just cause more stressors until your tribe falls apart. There are rules for a reason, and every single rule comes with the threat of a consequence! Gah! I'm so annoyed right now and I definitely went on too long but ahfhfhfhfhsmskfjek!

[@meagancrowley5197]

Also! (Sorry I can't keep it in) I have taken gun training classes and one of the things that gets brought up is how quickly someone can run up on you before you can even pull put your gun. And when they reach you, they can knife you or whatever. Like. People are scary dude! I don't wanna be a paranoid person! But people are acting more and more insane and you just have NO IDEA what they're gonna do and even if they are just "standing there, mEnAcIngLy!" They could change that in an incredibly short time! And it's funny because if I just saw a normally dressed person in the woods standing there. I wouldnt think "hey they MIGHT start running at me" I'd just think they're out for a stroll. (If they give me a sus look or follow me, that is a different story!) They could be a murderer idk but I have received NO signals to fear and so they haven't done anything 'wrong' But if you go into the woods dressed like a clown you might as well wear a shirt that says "I AM about to run out at you. I WANT you to be afraid, and I AM unstable and or stupid and therefore worth worrying about" because we're not idiots! Even our caveman brain knows thats shady af! We know the intention is to make you scared, to make an impression, and the people doing this are going to be either the kind of people who enjoy causing distress, or are stupid attention whores. BOTH OF WHICH HAVE BEEN CAUSES OF GENUINE CONCERN FOR PEOPLES LIVES. The humans who enjoy distressing others are one hop skip away from actually attacking people to get a reaction, and idiots on social media have caused so many problems in general, tide pods and milk crate challenges- honestly they reak of danger just because of their stupidity. Like avoiding a bad driver on the road, I'm just as worried about being in the proximity of a moron chasing internet views at any point in my day! 😂 my limbic system associates these people with danger even if John Wayne Gacey wasnt a thing!

[@PxNxWxGxW]

@@meagancrowley5197 100% agree. The way the mental state is declining...no love for Clowns in the dark.

[@darkusomegus3540]

Who knew that Billy’s warning that clowns would “DESTROY US ALL!” came true (sort of).

[@trevorhensley3185]

WE NEED TANGELOS!

[@thomaskorte6823]

Bro I was on the toilet when that clown at the beginning caused my bowels to evacuate 😭😭😭

[@dubuyajay9964]

I mean, it helped, right?

[@thomaskorte6823]

@@dubuyajay9964 if only you knew 😢

[@dubuyajay9964]

@@thomaskorte6823 Oh, sorry. 😞

[@blooketalt2527]

Hello! I was actually a penn state student at the time, and the chant for joey was indeed for him!

[@xl000]

The problem is that borderline individuals could use this kind of fad on the month to test the waters and use the " it's just a prank, bro' . Nothing comes to mind specifically, but maybe doing reconnaissance for a robbery / home jacking or something.

[@johannakasper109]

Dude I was almost abducted during this clown craze… some Stephen King “IT” wannabe stalked me all the way back to my dorm in Jackson Mississippi.. I’ve never sprinted so fast in my life

[@jovanbijelic4345]

Thats crazy. Did the guy get caught?

[@Golden_Embers]

The Clown Mobs at Colleges reminds me of the "Evil Dies Tonight!" scenes in Halloween Kills lol. Would love to see a trend like this again.

[@Superfan303]

I dont need any angry anti clown mobs

[@dingbatpaltry]

People like to be scared when it's their choice-- voluntarily putting themselves in a position to be scared, like going to a Halloween haunt, watching horror movies. People don't like being scared going about their daily lives. And some people get excited at the perceived opportunity to retaliate aggressively and violently when the situation grants them "approval" to do so. Pranking people you know, whose reactions to pranks you can predict, is totally fine. That's my opinion on it all. I enjoy horror movies and have enjoyed going to a Halloween haunt and haunted hay ride where people "mess" with you a bit. But outside of that I'm a bit of a wet blank. Oh yeah-- I loved that movie Gags the Clown.

[@Hugo-ed1if]

No way I just watched almost a whole movie about 2016 killer clowns who weren’t actually killers

[@missstrawberrypancakes6206]

My uncle had a rough time during the 2016 clown craze. He had quit his job, since he worked as professional clown at the time. But that just goes to show you how people can make life awful for other people

[@Superfan303]

Amen

[@MegaArturis]

I have to strongly disagree with your conclusion. The clown's intention was to scare people, while many did not explicitly break the law, acting with the intention of terrorising strangers is wrong. When we go to the cinema to watch a horror film or tour a haunted house, we are agreeing to potentially be frightened. Its separate from everyday life and we are consenting to it. Having strangers dressed in scary costumes going to your door at night or looking in your windows isn't fun... its terrorising someone. You also don't know the person your scaring. Could they be schizophrenic and the encounter worsens their condition? could the individual have a severe fear of clowns and suffer a panic attack? People who are not able to handle horror and deliberately avoid it were being put in a situation they have no control over. Its not a big issue for you because you actively enjoy horror... a lot of people don't. The other big issue is those taking part in the clown craze were effectively giving cover to criminals. While genuine examples of attacks by clowns were rare they did happen. Worse still are the stories of people dressed as clowns offering money and candy to children. With so many people dressed as clowns running around it would be impossible to say a clown who was arrested is the same clown that attempted to lure children into the woods. The craze gave cover to genuinely disturbed and dangerous people. Lastly the people who threatened violence against the clowns were doing so out of frustration or fear. Whether it was because they had children too scared to sleep at night, or they seen videos of strangers being chased by clowns wielding bats and machetes, all while police said there was nothing they could do. The clowns brought terror and the legal system wasn't equipped for it. As a result people had to find other ways to resolve the situation and discourage the activity.

[@Hamrik_Oswald]

Thank You! It is painfully disappointing that he misses this point.

[@winterbabygraphics239]

I agree, because I live in MO and there were plenty of people dressing up as clowns to terrorize kids and teens. I remember one kid got kidnapped.

[@littleflowers7678]

THANK YOU!! I love horror, but I suffer from PTSD and I know that if I was the victim of this kind of prank, it would've sent me into a full-blown panic attack. I had a friend who suffered from anxiety during this time and she hated horror movies because she couldn't handle them very well. She stayed home from school several times during this craze because she was terrified. While pranking friends who you know very well is fine, terrorizing random people is absolutely NOT and can be very risky. I actually heard of one clown prank that resulted in a man being hospitalized due to a heart attack (thankfully, he survived)

[@rocksreviewsreactions337]

I agree, I'm kind of tired people always going on the "clowns" side and was shocked by his conclusion. People were genuinely being terrorized during that period, not too mention the people acting like clowns were trespassing.

[@Superfan303]

​@@rocksreviewsreactions337 oh so all clowns are terrorist is that it pal??

[@jigsawvoorhees5724]

I still remember the day they came to my school November 6th 2016. It was just another day and I was in PE class and all the sudden I heard someone screaming. I saw a girl pointing to the chain link fence and I saw a man hopping it dressed like a clown. I was only 100 meters away but I could make out the colorful yellow and green suit he had on. Our class went into the gym and the school was placed on lockdown. We were only in 7th grade, kids were crying for their parents, others were just silent in shock. Our teacher who was an Army veteran suddenly said something that will stick with me for the rest of my life. "Shut up, shut up. The next person at the door could be a bad guy and your noise could get us all killed" . That's when it hit me that this was real. You never know how precious life is until you realize it might get taken away from you at any moment.

[@jigsawvoorhees5724]

@Reulorics you dont have to belive me but it did and it still sticks with me

[@emansayeddd]

i love how we’re getting our horror history as well as movie horror history, such a good vid CZ I’ve been wanting this topic to be covered well for agessss

[@Utubesuperstar]

The 2016 guys are wild knowing a ton of us are strapped. I remember the video of clowns going after a dude and him opening his trunk and sending his dog after them

[@dubuyajay9964]

Link?

[@Utubesuperstar]

@@dubuyajay9964 bro u think I got a link from 2016? Google that shit lmao

[@AidenLaMont120]

I remember being in third grade when this craze has happening. There are a lot of corn fields near me including right next to my elementary school, only separate by a small chain link fence that ends near the side of the school. Rumors started that someone saw a clown in the field. But what made it terrifying was I, and many others, played soccer in a grass patch between the blacktop and fence. And the ball went over the fence every once in a while.

[@MWNTI_Studios]

This is one of the strangest things to happen in recent times. I actually witnessed this in broad daylight that summer but had no idea this was happening. I found out later the next year when the events were recalled by a friend of mine.

[@CZsWorld]

Did the clown interact with you?

[@MWNTI_Studios]

@@CZsWorld It didn't. I don't know if that was good or bad.

[@Chonk_enthusiest]

God I'm so glad you mentioned the Northampton clown. As someone who grew up and still lives there, I remember being warned all over the local news about being wary of clowns and people in costume, he was sited a lot nearby where a live at the beginning, it did stop being so prevelant when it became pretty clear he wasn't really going to hurt anyone however.

[@sanstheskelepun2991]

I find it crazy how this happened when I was in 6th grade. I can't remember anything ever happening around in my area, but I remember always being freaked out to go outside and watching all of the videos on KZbin about them, man, I miss those days

[@mypeeisred24]

I was in elementary during this time, but I remember all my classmates spreading rumors about killer clowns who would tie kids to trees and watch them die. It was scary for me since I was still a little and naive kid, but I wish I was old enough to join the mobs at that time

[@Muegando]

I remember when the clown Craze resurfaced in England 2018-2019 and there was people chasing kids into alleyways or into forest parks while dressed up as a clown. Some people got chased by clowns with a machete down their street onto a bridge and when they turned around they disappeared.

[@spectrophobic]

I remember during this time they made it illegal to purchase clown costumes in the uk

[@j-rey-]

I'm imagining a sketchy guy behind a high school with weed, coke, and a clown costume inside his trench coat trying to sell them to kids.

[@spectrophobic]

@@j-rey- what? hows that relevant to my comment?

[@Rey_Palpatine]

Drugs are illegal. Clown costumes were apparently illegal. There's a cliche/stereotype about shady, trench coat wearing drug dealers. The joke is that obtaining a clown costume would be similar to the process of buying drugs.

[@spectrophobic]

@@Rey_Palpatine im confused

[@bonkobonko6707]

Are you diagnosed with Autism?

[@Kyle-ut4ek]

I like that ur adding history of real world scary stuff in addition to horror movie history. keep it up!!

[@justchillinghere6566]

I remember even in Germany when I went to elementary school that the teachers gave us lectures that we should be careful and go straight home before my mother sent me a warning from the police. It was a cool and also slightly scary time, I remember always watching videos of killer clowns on youtube or on the school computer.

[@Ashlyn-yp6yq]

I think my fear of clowns came from the 2016 clown craze. I attempted to watch the 2017 IT remake, but legit got scared shitless. IT Chapter 2 on the other hand, wasnt as scary to me (not sure how), but i actually watched it fully through.

[@stonerb0y420]

Tennessee resident here, 2016 was INSANE for the clowns here, I was 10/11 at the time and I was absolutely batshit terrified

[@MariAnimates]

I live in SC, right near Greenville so I knew about this from the beginning. There was actually a killer clown that showed up outside my school. The cafeteria had a bow window alcove and covered the entire wall, and there was a door to the right of the alcove. I looked up and saw the clown, told my friends and we started freaking out. Everybody started noticing and the whole cafeteria was terrified and confused. I got up and locked the door. We had to go on lockdown for hours.

[@rolmodel12.]

Or, and hear me out, it was just a clown. Not a "killer clown."

[@cheese-and-ricemooney7487]

Well, how you described it only makes it sound like the clown wasn't a killer clown as you didn't mention if the clown tried to kill you all or not, but by what you said, or rather didn't say it doesn't sound like a killer crown. I can understand the fear of it but it doesn't sound like a killer clown to me. Also the fact that you went to close the cafeteria door of all people and no one thought of leaving the cafeteria doesn't sound credible, no offense. But I can't exactly believe how you alone went to close the door and no one else panicked to the point of running away or call a teacher, plus there's literally the lunch lady there if needed.

[@MariAnimates]

@@rolmodel12. well that's what we called them man wtf do you want from me?!

[@rolmodel12.]

@@MariAnimates lol, to chill 😎

[@MariAnimates]

@@cheese-and-ricemooney7487 number one we just called them killer clowns, I don't see why that's an issue ur having. Number two if you read my comment you'd notice that I mentioned there were people panicked. Nobody from my table went to tell a teacher but I can't speak for 300+ people in a fuckin cafeteria dude. Number 3 getting up to lock the door was really the only thing I could think to do. I was the closest person to the door so I'm not sure if an adult was on the way or not. The sightings in other parts of the state were happening so we knew what it was but still. Idk what you want from me I was in fuckin highschool. Number four it's been years so I might not remember everything that happened

[@jasonblundelldobebussing]

18:05 the power of neganive article. Truly something out of the Shakespeare

[@karendover6001]

For what it's worth, many older cities were named after war heroes or founders. Greenville, SC, for example, is named for General Nathanael Greene. This a cool video. I'm from Greenville and I heard about all this when it happened, but I had no idea it was so extensive.

[@MARLO11209]

i remember, during this time, there was a clown driving a clown car, but he was a horrendous driver and did something that made my mother honk at him a few times, and then after he followed us for like 5 minutes until we stopped in a store parking lot, he came up to apologize and say that he was a new driver still learning.

[@madisontequila]

I remember a couple of years before 2016 it was Easter Sunday & my cousins & I were playing in the patio when a clown peeked over the fence, it probably though we were alone, but my cousin who was way older than us little kids came out to tell the clown to go away. The clown silently left. I believe it was one of the neighbors, but I guess I'll never be sure.

[@carbon301]

I remember everytime I was outside I would be so scared that a clown could come out anytime and chase me with a bat lol.

[@harryovo]

I’m so glad you made a video about this. This is my favorite time.

[@d3adlymaggotz]

This whole event made schools (at least in my state) ban clown halloween costumes of any kind. Many kids got in trouble, and still do! They still have the ban!

[@GDAWG1k]

I live in Ottawa, Canada and it reached us here as soon as it blew up. I remember being in grade 6 hearing that some creepy clown IG page had my school on the list of schools they were targeting. They did nothing at all and school never had one lockdown.

[@ponypals100]

As someone who is from SC and was in high school during this time. My school was surrounded by woods and in the middle of nowhere basically, we had security guards EVERYWHERE (we didn’t have that since we were a private school) especially during football games. They made sure students and families were escorted to their cars safely because of the clown scare. It was terrifying honestly.

[@FFF_FilmsforFun]

Bro same, Im from south carolina too. We had a police team come in and brief the students on the situation lmao

[@Sqawkward]

had to search it up back when you did Ronald McDonald's horror history, the results seem censored so I didn't bother. Glad you made this.

[@bk7064]

57:23 Man that series still haunts us as Cleveland fans. We had it. After we tied the game with Davis late in the game causing one of the loudest audience reactions of all time, we we're winning that game. We had a championship game in Cleveland of all places. Then, the weather delay came, and we lost all momentum.

[@nelanhtariley2254]

I remember these clown sightings. I was completely unphased. I live in New Orleans. A random clown wouldn't be considered out of place.

[@TikoVerhelst]

I remember that craze. It wasn't just 2016. NOS Stories, the main Dutch news outlet, made a news item about it on KZbin in 2018! "ACHTERVOLGD tijdens Halloween 🎃| De waarheid over KILLERCLOWNS" I was a into creepypastas back then as an 11-year old, and still am. The main message of Dutch media, especially the NOS, was that clowns were fine, as long as they weren't bothering people in traffic or being threatening in any other way. In the Netherlands, it was also mostly kids try to be scary. Mostly getting each other scared or sometimes the local town but usually getting scared themselves when the police got involved..... And it was also mostly a thing around Halloween I can remember. I think everyone got bored of the whole thing by 2018 and stopped in 2019 but I can't say for certain. They did stop before 2020 though for obvious reasons.

[@brittanycraigo2191]

Living in South Carolina in 2016 was wild. I was in college at the time, but am from the Greenville-Spartanburg area, so had friends posting about it on social media.

[@xavierneedshelp]

The editing and transitions in this video is amazing. It's like watching a Netflix documentary. Great job.

[@Cutiemuffinz]

Surprising you’re having a full discussion about clown panic and you haven’t mentioned John Wayne Gacy or the uncanny valley. History is FULL of clown panic, seems to go hand-in-hand with satanic panic. I’d love for you to extend this out and talk about horror through the ages, where it stems from and how it interplays with the real world. There’s a lot of meat there!

[@remc0s]

Gacy was only dressed as Pogo when performing as a party clown. He never killed any of his victims while dressed as Pogo, which technically doesn't make him a clown-themed killer.

[@GlaziolaNacht]

God, revisiting this insanity is just- damn, 2016 was well… insane

[@Grace-n8y5q]

My grandma was a clown and she used to go to hospitals with her friends and entertain kids but after everyone was scared of clowns they couldn't do it anymore it really makes me sad

[@sapphirejade5029]

I was in HIGH SCHOOL during the Clown Panic '16. I saw the panic as a Halloween prank gone too WAY far. I was worried that those who were affected by it would get hurt.😟

[@yamask1017]

Just because its a misdemeanor doesnt mean it legal. If someone runs at you with a mask on that is aggrivated assult. End of discussion

[@-._A2._-]

Wouldn't it also be harassment too?

[@yamask1017]

@@-._A2._- if they did it multiple times yes but not if they did it once

[@rolmodel12.]

Well done, my dude! Fun, little deep dive into a period when things went weird; before the world would be reminded how scary reality can really be.

[@jeremyfalkner9223]

44:27 That's not Hey Jude by the Beatles. That's Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye by Steam.

[@CariannaP]

I remember the clown craze. I was fresh out of high school and had just started living on my own near Texas Tech campus and the campus went on lockdown due to 3 clowns walking around with guns. Shots were fired at one point, but no one was hurt. Had friends in the dorms that heard people screaming for the 3 hours the campus was on lockdown though.

[@Coldtohandle]

Best thing to come from this was the cool ass clown costumes being made

[@jasonwohlers6151]

I can see if this happened in 2021 after Halloween Kills came out that the mobs start chanting " Clowns Dies Tonight!"

[@Hamrik_Oswald]

This maybe the evidence that proves cz fits the mould of one of two movie characters 1) the horror movie nerd that has watched 1 too many movies where the boundaries between fantasy and reality have merged and is now detached and so enamored by horror he follows/reveres/emulates the villain or is the villain himself. Or 2) he is the "he just wanted his machete" type. Basically he's the character that is so oblivious, he gives the villain an embarrassing amount of benefit of doubt to the point he will actually villify the people that are defending themselves.

[@Loggy2288]

Joey is actually a circus term used to refer to a clown

[@samidayal5408]

My sister had a nightmare of a killer clown experience , this was during the peak of the trend and she was at school until one day 3 clowns were spotted on the school property holding machetes each, the school went into instant lockdown as people would look out the windows to see the clowns wandering around the buildings unable to get in any, eventually police did show up and those clowns ran to get away, nobody knows what happened to them as they all dropped their machetes and ran to get into the woods , idk if anything happened to those people since the police did not make a statement about what happened and soon everyone quickly moved on

[@hayksim321]

Bro I really think that a video on the house of 1000 corpses would be pretty cool

[@_infinitejets]

As a fellow Cubs fan, I appreciate the gymnastics CZ employs to bring them into the story.

[@changedacclol]

I’m between the Cubs and Orioles right now, I’m not a massive baseball fan but I do watch occasionally.

[@Wap_TV]

I remember being in school at that time and we got flyers saying we shouldn’t be out at night and if we see a clown on our way walking back to school we have to go back to school and have someone pick us up and the school resource officer said they will get 8 calls a day of a suspected clown sighting

[@matthewisguy7336]

Ever since it ended I've been waiting for someone to make a video on this time. Thank you for making this I've been waiting for it

[@davidwolfe6773]

There is a low budget movie called beyond the sightings that was inspired by this event its actually pretty good movie.

[@KnowvaPlays]

This is the second time in a week I have had a deep dive into the clown craze of 2016. Interesting week. I miss the clowns.

[@Superfan303]

Thanks