Skeptoid #1001: The Phantom Clown Panic
August 12, 2025
Key Takeaways
- The 2016 “phantom clown” panic, fueled by social media and latent fears, was largely a social delusion or mass hysteria, with no credible reports of actual harm to children, despite widespread fear and school lockdowns.
- Historical “phantom clown” panics, dating back to at least the early 1980s, share a pattern of sensational claims, elusive figures, and a lack of concrete evidence, often amplified by parents, media, and authorities.
- The best defense against recurring social panics like the clown sightings is media literacy, skepticism, and critical thinking, as these events often exploit existing anxieties and are amplified by the spread of information.
Segments
Phantom Clowns and Folklore (00:03:40)
- Key Takeaway: The phenomenon of “phantom clowns” is a recognized form of folklore, characterized by elusive figures and unverified sightings, with historical accounts from the 1980s demonstrating a consistent pattern of fear and lack of evidence.
- Summary: This section delves into the concept of “phantom clowns,” a term coined by Loren Coleman, and explores early documented cases from the 1980s in Massachusetts and Boston, highlighting the recurring themes of children reporting clowns attempting to lure them and the police’s inability to find any evidence.
Social Panics and Media Amplification (00:04:32)
- Key Takeaway: Folklorists and sociologists view phantom clown panics as a type of social panic, where the media, parents, and authorities play a significant role in spreading and legitimizing rumors, often without concrete evidence.
- Summary: This segment discusses the academic perspective on phantom clown panics, citing research that emphasizes the role of parents, police, and mass media in amplifying these rumors. It also connects these events to broader “phantom attacker panics” and lists other historical examples of similar social delusions.
Real-World Consequences and Hoaxes (00:08:39)
- Key Takeaway: The 2016 clown panic led to real-world consequences, including school lockdowns and arrests for terroristic threats, while also revealing numerous hoaxes and pranks that contributed to the widespread hysteria.
- Summary: This part of the discussion details the tangible impacts of the clown panic, such as school lockdowns in Alabama due to social media threats, and the subsequent arrests of individuals involved in creating these threats. It also highlights instances of hoaxes and pranks, including a viral marketing campaign and individuals admitting to fabricating stories.
Debug Information
Processing Details
- VTT File: Skeptoid_ClownPanic_Ep1001.vtt
- Processing Time: September 11, 2025 at 02:41 PM
- Total Chunks: 1
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- Caption Count: 135 captions
Prompts Used
Prompt 1: Context Setup
You are an expert data extractor tasked with analyzing a podcast transcript.
I will provide you with part 1 of 1 from a podcast transcript.
I will then ask you to extract different types of information from this content in subsequent messages. Please confirm you have received and understood the transcript content.
Transcript section:
[00:00:03.440 --> 00:00:08.240] Shortly before Halloween 2016, there was a widespread panic about scary clowns.
[00:00:08.240 --> 00:00:12.640] They'd happened before, dating back at least to the early 1980s in America.
[00:00:12.640 --> 00:00:14.480] But this time it was different.
[00:00:14.480 --> 00:00:27.680] Fueled by rumors, social media, and latent concerns about clowns, the sightings and reports of evil, stalking, and threatening clowns spread across the country and eventually around the world, resulting in fear, violence, and even school lockdowns.
[00:00:27.680 --> 00:00:33.040] Today on Skeptoid, we'll dig into the curious cases of the clown panic of 2016.
[00:00:39.440 --> 00:00:44.240] Join us for an exclusive three-day exploration of historic Death Valley.
[00:00:44.240 --> 00:00:51.520] From October 21st to 24th, we'll take you from Las Vegas deep into the heart of this rugged, otherworldly landscape.
[00:00:51.520 --> 00:00:55.440] All transportation, lodging, and meals are included.
[00:00:55.440 --> 00:00:58.080] Your guides will be Skeptoid's Brian Dunning.
[00:00:58.080 --> 00:00:59.600] Hey, I know that guy, he's me.
[00:00:59.920 --> 00:01:03.200] And Death Valley expert, geologist Andrew Dunning.
[00:01:03.200 --> 00:01:12.000] Together, they'll lead you to world-famous sites like Badwater Basin and the Artist's Palette, plus hidden gems that you won't find in any guidebook.
[00:01:12.000 --> 00:01:16.560] This year's trip features all new destinations with minimal overlap from last year.
[00:01:16.560 --> 00:01:21.760] And here's a bonus: Skepticamp Las Vegas begins the same evening we return to Las Vegas.
[00:01:21.760 --> 00:01:26.960] Make it a two-for-one trip and stick around to hear me talk about my visit to Area 51.
[00:01:26.960 --> 00:01:30.400] Details at skeptoid.com/slash events.
[00:01:30.400 --> 00:01:32.240] Spots are very limited.
[00:01:32.240 --> 00:01:33.680] Secure yours today.
[00:01:33.680 --> 00:01:41.440] Email help at skeptoid.com with questions and join the conversation with fellow adventurers at skeptoid.com/slash discord.
[00:01:41.760 --> 00:01:43.760] Death Valley is calling.
[00:01:43.760 --> 00:01:46.480] Are you ready to answer?
[00:01:50.320 --> 00:01:51.920] You're listening to Skeptoid.
[00:01:51.920 --> 00:01:56.560] I'm Ben Radford, guest hosting for Brian Dunning from Skeptoid.com.
[00:01:56.560 --> 00:01:58.960] The Phantom Clown Panic.
[00:01:59.280 --> 00:02:09.640] Welcome to the show that separates fact from fiction, science from pseudoscience, real history from fake history, and helps us all make better life decisions by knowing what's real and what's not.
[00:02:09.640 --> 00:02:14.520] The clown panic of 2016 can be traced back to a bizarre incident in August of that year.
[00:02:14.520 --> 00:02:21.080] Creepy clowns were reported in Greenville, South Carolina, allegedly luring children into the woods behind a block of apartments.
[00:02:21.080 --> 00:02:24.440] It was scary and alarming, whether real or rumor.
[00:02:25.080 --> 00:02:27.480] Most of the handful of reports were from children.
[00:02:27.480 --> 00:02:34.680] No one was actually harmed by the menacing clowns, who children claimed lived in a house located in a pond at the end of a trail in the woods.
[00:02:34.680 --> 00:02:42.920] Police who investigated this sinister Hansel and Gretel-like tale found no signs of suspicious activity nor anyone dressed as a clown.
[00:02:43.560 --> 00:02:56.200] According to an ABC News story at the time, one resident said she was in front of her apartment one evening when one of her sons approached her and stated that he had seen clowns in the woods whispering and making strange noises.
[00:02:56.200 --> 00:03:05.080] The resident added that she went over to the area that her son had mentioned and observed several clowns in the woods flashing green laser lights before seeing them run off.
[00:03:06.040 --> 00:03:16.520] If this report is be credited, it suggests that the pranksters were afoot, perhaps teenagers with store-bought clown masks and laser pointers having fun in the months leading up to Halloween.
[00:03:16.520 --> 00:03:20.280] Either way, it was only the latest in a series of creepy clown reports.
[00:03:20.280 --> 00:03:25.400] In fact, there have been several earlier sightings across the country, but none of that profile.
[00:03:26.040 --> 00:03:31.480] Most evil clowns are fictional, though a few, such as serial killer John Wayne Gacy, are real.
[00:03:31.480 --> 00:03:40.280] But there are other bad clowns reported to roam the streets and parks looking for innocent children to abduct, yet seem to vanish just before police can apprehend them.
[00:03:40.600 --> 00:03:44.360] Some say they're real, while others claim they're just figments of imagination.
[00:03:44.360 --> 00:03:50.800] They are known as phantom clowns, a phrase coined by author Lauren Coleman in his book Mysterious America.
[00:03:52.080 --> 00:03:54.560] Phantom Clowns.
[00:03:54.560 --> 00:04:07.920] As discussed in my book Bad Clowns, one of the earliest reports of phantom clowns occurred in May 1981 when several children in Brookline, Massachusetts reported that clowns had tried to lure them into a van with promises of candy.
[00:04:07.920 --> 00:04:10.560] Police searched the area but found nothing.
[00:04:10.560 --> 00:04:18.880] The following day, Boston parents and police grew worried when children there claimed that adult clowns had been bothering children on their way to school.
[00:04:18.880 --> 00:04:23.120] Other reports surfaced in other cities and in later years with the same pattern.
[00:04:23.120 --> 00:04:31.920] Parents were fearful, children were warned, and police were vigilant, but despite searches and police checkpoints, no evidence was ever found of their existence.
[00:04:32.560 --> 00:04:38.960] Though the public and police didn't know what to make of the panic, folklorists and sociologists had been studying them for years.
[00:04:39.280 --> 00:04:53.440] Folklorists Sandy Hobbs and David Cornwell, writing in their book Supernatural Enemies, researched the phantom clown panics and concluded that parents, police, and the mass media all played a role in spreading and legitimizing the rumors.
[00:04:53.440 --> 00:04:58.560] Quote, one student reports that older children told the stories to frighten younger ones.
[00:04:58.560 --> 00:05:05.440] Others appear to assume that the story derives from an actual incident, even though it may have become exaggerated in the telling, end quote.
[00:05:05.440 --> 00:05:12.480] When teachers, police, parents, and the news media share warnings about the threat, that further legitimizes the reports.
[00:05:13.120 --> 00:05:21.920] In their 2024 book, Social Panics and Phantom Attackers, Robert Bartholomew and Paul Weatherhead examined the Phantom Attacker Panics.
[00:05:22.240 --> 00:05:34.520] These cases typically begin with outbreaks of sensational claims of attacks by elusive, mysterious figures who frighten the public and then seem to vanish without a trace, leaving few, if any, serious injuries, but many questions.
[00:05:35.480 --> 00:05:47.960] Some of the most recognizable events include the panics surrounding the War of the Worlds hoax, the Monkey Man, Havana Syndrome, Satanists during the Satanic Ritual Abuse Scare, the Mad Gasser of Matoon, and many others.
[00:05:48.280 --> 00:05:51.480] The Phantom Clown panics fit neatly into this category.
[00:05:51.480 --> 00:05:54.520] Were the evil clown sightings phantom attackers?
[00:05:54.520 --> 00:05:56.760] Well, yes and no.
[00:05:57.080 --> 00:06:06.920] Though there were no actual clowns trying to abduct or harm strangers, there were, of course, copycats, lots of them, who were definitely trying to scare people for fun, clicks, or both.
[00:06:07.560 --> 00:06:14.040] Throughout the Phantom Clown Panic, no hard evidence was ever found, and more importantly, no children were actually abducted.
[00:06:14.040 --> 00:06:18.520] This suggests that some form of social delusion or mass hysteria was at play.
[00:06:18.520 --> 00:06:22.200] If the clowns are real, why were they so invariably incompetent?
[00:06:22.200 --> 00:06:25.480] Surely at least one of the bad clowns could have succeeded.
[00:06:25.480 --> 00:06:31.800] Any real clown could easily abduct a child at a birthday party and spirit the victim off into a waiting van.
[00:06:31.800 --> 00:06:39.240] Dressing as a clown is guaranteed to draw attention, which is exactly the opposite of what real-life child abductors want to do.
[00:06:40.200 --> 00:06:44.360] Digging a little deeper into the original Greenville sightings, we find an odd detail.
[00:06:44.360 --> 00:06:58.840] An August 21st report from the Greenville County Sheriff's Office noted that several children of the community stated that several clowns have been appearing in the woods behind Building D and tried to persuade them into the woods further by displaying large amounts of money.
[00:06:59.480 --> 00:07:02.760] This is a curious and suspicious detail.
[00:07:02.760 --> 00:07:09.000] Malicious clowns might be expected to lure children with candy or ice cream, but a big stack of Benjamins?
[00:07:09.000 --> 00:07:14.040] Flashing wads of cash can draw a crowd anywhere, and no clown costume is needed.
[00:07:14.040 --> 00:07:28.320] It seems like an example of urban legend folklore in the making, perhaps fueled in part by creepy clown sightings in the news and the recent release of publicity photos for the Stephen King killer clown Pennywise from the then upcoming remake of It.
[00:07:29.280 --> 00:07:39.760] The Greenville clown reports were likely either pranksters, mistakes, for example, assuming that a bang on a door must have been caused by an unseen clown, legend, or a combination of all three.
[00:07:39.760 --> 00:07:45.760] The chances that one or more people dressed as clowns are actually trying to abduct children is vanishingly remote.
[00:07:45.760 --> 00:07:54.080] Many people likely recognize this, but parents and police understandably err on the side of caution, deciding that it's better to be safe than sorry.
[00:07:58.240 --> 00:08:01.280] Fall is here and Skeptoid has you covered.
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[00:08:29.920 --> 00:08:35.440] Head to skeptoid.com/slash store and get your gear today.
[00:08:39.280 --> 00:08:42.480] But it didn't go away, and soon the panic spread.
[00:08:42.480 --> 00:08:51.120] Viral videos and threats, many of them originating or shared on social media, resulted in increased police patrols and, in some cases, full lockdowns.
[00:08:51.120 --> 00:08:59.520] In September 2016, police in Flomington, Alabama investigated what were deemed credible threats to students at Flomington High School, shared via social media.
[00:08:59.720 --> 00:09:08.680] The so-called Flomo Clowns had a Facebook page where they said, I kill people for a living, and displayed several gun emojis.
[00:09:08.680 --> 00:09:12.360] One post stated, quote, it's going down tonight.
[00:09:12.680 --> 00:09:27.880] About 700 students at Flomington High School and nearby Flomenton Elementary School were told to shelter in place while the schools, following protocol, were placed on lockdown for much of the day, while dozens of police and law enforcement officers searched the grounds for threats.
[00:09:27.880 --> 00:09:32.040] The digital trail led FBI investigators to one adult in two teens.
[00:09:32.040 --> 00:09:38.520] 22-year-old Michaela Smith of Flomington was arrested for making a terroristic threat while posting as an evil clown.
[00:09:38.840 --> 00:09:43.720] She pled guilty and in 2018 received a sentence of five years of probation.
[00:09:44.360 --> 00:09:49.960] This string of other incidents left parents and teachers wondering if the clown lockdown were the new normal.
[00:09:49.960 --> 00:10:00.120] In another Alabama school threat, two people dressed as clowns appeared in a Facebook video brandishing a knife and ranting for several minutes about coming for you in Troy, Alabama.
[00:10:00.120 --> 00:10:08.200] Police identified the two in the video, which had been seen more than 50,000 times, as juveniles who attended the Charles Henderson High School in Troy.
[00:10:08.200 --> 00:10:13.400] Police did not charge either of the two boys but warned that copycats would not be tolerated.
[00:10:14.040 --> 00:10:17.160] The rumors can, of course, have serious consequences.
[00:10:17.160 --> 00:10:22.200] Though children have little to fear from stalking clowns, the urban legend may pose a real danger.
[00:10:22.200 --> 00:10:29.080] In the Greenville reports, alarm citizens fired weapons into the wooded area, hoping to kill any clowns lurking there.
[00:10:29.080 --> 00:10:33.000] Fortunately, no one was hurt, but the situation could have turned deadly.
[00:10:33.320 --> 00:10:39.080] Amid the rumors and scares, an 11-year-old girl in Georgia took a knife to her middle school to fight off clowns.
[00:10:39.080 --> 00:10:43.720] The girl was arrested September 16th at Bernie Harris Lyons Middle School in Athens.
[00:10:43.720 --> 00:10:53.200] A police report quoted the unnamed minor as saying that she needed the knife to protect her and her family from the clowns she'd heard were coming out of the woods and attacking children.
[00:10:53.840 --> 00:10:58.640] By mid-October, the scary clown panic had spread across the country to dozens of states.
[00:10:58.640 --> 00:11:04.960] The creepy clown panic became so serious that it was even addressed in an October 4th White House press briefing.
[00:11:04.960 --> 00:11:11.520] Press Secretary Josh Ernest said, I don't know that the president has been briefed on this particular situation.
[00:11:11.520 --> 00:11:23.280] Obviously, this is a situation that local law enforcement authorities take quite seriously, and they should carefully and thoroughly review perceived threats to the safety of the community, and they should do so prudently, end quote.
[00:11:23.920 --> 00:11:28.160] Aside from the videos, many of the real-life reports were later admitted to be hoaxes.
[00:11:28.160 --> 00:11:35.360] For example, a North Carolina man who falsely claimed that a scary clown had knocked on his window at night was arrested for faking the incident.
[00:11:35.360 --> 00:11:41.040] And a woman from Ohio claimed that a knife-wielding clown attacked her on her way to work and cut her hand.
[00:11:41.040 --> 00:11:46.720] But she later admitted that she made up the story because she was running late for her job at McDonald's.
[00:11:47.360 --> 00:11:50.960] There were also a handful of people dressed as clowns and scaring people.
[00:11:50.960 --> 00:12:02.080] A pair of Canadian teenagers dressed as clowns had fun in a park scaring younger kids, and in Wisconsin, a clown scene at night was revealed to be part of a viral marketing campaign for scary film.
[00:12:02.080 --> 00:12:06.720] A year earlier, a creepy clown was sighted outside a Chicago cemetery.
[00:12:06.720 --> 00:12:12.640] In some cases, both adults and schoolchildren admitted to making up stories of seeing threatening clowns.
[00:12:13.680 --> 00:12:24.320] Any other time, reports of threatening clowns would likely have been ignored or dismissed, but these incidents came at a time when there were very real terroristic threats and school shootings in the news.
[00:12:24.320 --> 00:12:28.720] Parents can take comfort that no clowns were actually trying to abduct or harm kids.
[00:12:28.720 --> 00:12:35.320] Not a single credible report has surfaced of any child being hurt or even touched by a threatening clown.
[00:12:35.640 --> 00:12:42.920] It's a form of the old stranger danger threat and moral panic, focusing on Satanists, immigrants, and the scary other.
[00:12:43.880 --> 00:12:52.360] Social panics and phantom attacker scares recur, and just as the 2016 clown panic was not the first of its kind, it also won't be the last.
[00:12:52.360 --> 00:13:01.160] When the next one happens, and it will, keep in mind that the best defense against these panics is media literacy, skepticism, and critical thinking.
[00:13:02.440 --> 00:13:06.920] We continue with some scenes from the clown panic in the ad-free and extended premium feed.
[00:13:06.920 --> 00:13:12.440] To access it, become a supporter at skeptoid.com, go premium.
[00:13:16.920 --> 00:13:19.240] This has been guest host Benjamin Radford.
[00:13:19.240 --> 00:13:28.600] I'm co-host of Squaring the Strange podcast, author of over a dozen books on critical thinking, skepticism, and folklore, and deputy editor of Skeptic Inquire Science Magazine.
[00:13:28.600 --> 00:13:35.560] You can also find me in several documentary films, including Skeptoid Media's Science Friction and Wrinkles the Clown.
[00:13:35.880 --> 00:13:43.800] A great big skeptoid shout out to our premium listeners, including Persephone, Phil Kernick, Ali Middledon, and the Fourth Corner Gnome.
[00:13:44.120 --> 00:13:52.120] Remember, every Skeptoid episode has a transcript page at skeptoid.com with complete bibliographic references and further reading suggestions.
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Prompt 2: Key Takeaways
Now please extract the key takeaways from the transcript content I provided.
Extract the most important key takeaways from this part of the conversation. Use a single sentence statement (the key takeaway) rather than milquetoast descriptions like "the hosts discuss...".
Limit the key takeaways to a maximum of 3. The key takeaways should be insightful and knowledge-additive.
IMPORTANT: Return ONLY valid JSON, no explanations or markdown. Ensure:
- All strings are properly quoted and escaped
- No trailing commas
- All braces and brackets are balanced
Format: {"key_takeaways": ["takeaway 1", "takeaway 2"]}
Prompt 3: Segments
Now identify 2-4 distinct topical segments from this part of the conversation.
For each segment, identify:
- Descriptive title (3-6 words)
- START timestamp when this topic begins (HH:MM:SS format)
- Double check that the timestamp is accurate - a timestamp will NEVER be greater than the total length of the audio
- Most important Key takeaway from that segment. Key takeaway must be specific and knowledge-additive.
- Brief summary of the discussion
IMPORTANT: The timestamp should mark when the topic/segment STARTS, not a range. Look for topic transitions and conversation shifts.
Return ONLY valid JSON. Ensure all strings are properly quoted, no trailing commas:
{
"segments": [
{
"segment_title": "Topic Discussion",
"timestamp": "01:15:30",
"key_takeaway": "main point from this segment",
"segment_summary": "brief description of what was discussed"
}
]
}
Timestamp format: HH:MM:SS (e.g., 00:05:30, 01:22:45) marking the START of each segment.
Prompt 4: Media Mentions
Now scan the transcript content I provided for ACTUAL mentions of specific media titles:
Find explicit mentions of:
- Books (with specific titles)
- Movies (with specific titles)
- TV Shows (with specific titles)
- Music/Songs (with specific titles)
DO NOT include:
- Websites, URLs, or web services
- Other podcasts or podcast names
IMPORTANT:
- Only include items explicitly mentioned by name. Do not invent titles.
- Valid categories are: "Book", "Movie", "TV Show", "Music"
- Include the exact phrase where each item was mentioned
- Find the nearest proximate timestamp where it appears in the conversation
- THE TIMESTAMP OF THE MEDIA MENTION IS IMPORTANT - DO NOT INVENT TIMESTAMPS AND DO NOT MISATTRIBUTE TIMESTAMPS
- Double check that the timestamp is accurate - a timestamp will NEVER be greater than the total length of the audio
- Timestamps are given as ranges, e.g. 01:13:42.520 --> 01:13:46.720. Use the EARLIER of the 2 timestamps in the range.
Return ONLY valid JSON. Ensure all strings are properly quoted and escaped, no trailing commas:
{
"media_mentions": [
{
"title": "Exact Title as Mentioned",
"category": "Book",
"author_artist": "N/A",
"context": "Brief context of why it was mentioned",
"context_phrase": "The exact sentence or phrase where it was mentioned",
"timestamp": "estimated time like 01:15:30"
}
]
}
If no media is mentioned, return: {"media_mentions": []}
Full Transcript
[00:00:03.440 --> 00:00:08.240] Shortly before Halloween 2016, there was a widespread panic about scary clowns.
[00:00:08.240 --> 00:00:12.640] They'd happened before, dating back at least to the early 1980s in America.
[00:00:12.640 --> 00:00:14.480] But this time it was different.
[00:00:14.480 --> 00:00:27.680] Fueled by rumors, social media, and latent concerns about clowns, the sightings and reports of evil, stalking, and threatening clowns spread across the country and eventually around the world, resulting in fear, violence, and even school lockdowns.
[00:00:27.680 --> 00:00:33.040] Today on Skeptoid, we'll dig into the curious cases of the clown panic of 2016.
[00:00:39.440 --> 00:00:44.240] Join us for an exclusive three-day exploration of historic Death Valley.
[00:00:44.240 --> 00:00:51.520] From October 21st to 24th, we'll take you from Las Vegas deep into the heart of this rugged, otherworldly landscape.
[00:00:51.520 --> 00:00:55.440] All transportation, lodging, and meals are included.
[00:00:55.440 --> 00:00:58.080] Your guides will be Skeptoid's Brian Dunning.
[00:00:58.080 --> 00:00:59.600] Hey, I know that guy, he's me.
[00:00:59.920 --> 00:01:03.200] And Death Valley expert, geologist Andrew Dunning.
[00:01:03.200 --> 00:01:12.000] Together, they'll lead you to world-famous sites like Badwater Basin and the Artist's Palette, plus hidden gems that you won't find in any guidebook.
[00:01:12.000 --> 00:01:16.560] This year's trip features all new destinations with minimal overlap from last year.
[00:01:16.560 --> 00:01:21.760] And here's a bonus: Skepticamp Las Vegas begins the same evening we return to Las Vegas.
[00:01:21.760 --> 00:01:26.960] Make it a two-for-one trip and stick around to hear me talk about my visit to Area 51.
[00:01:26.960 --> 00:01:30.400] Details at skeptoid.com/slash events.
[00:01:30.400 --> 00:01:32.240] Spots are very limited.
[00:01:32.240 --> 00:01:33.680] Secure yours today.
[00:01:33.680 --> 00:01:41.440] Email help at skeptoid.com with questions and join the conversation with fellow adventurers at skeptoid.com/slash discord.
[00:01:41.760 --> 00:01:43.760] Death Valley is calling.
[00:01:43.760 --> 00:01:46.480] Are you ready to answer?
[00:01:50.320 --> 00:01:51.920] You're listening to Skeptoid.
[00:01:51.920 --> 00:01:56.560] I'm Ben Radford, guest hosting for Brian Dunning from Skeptoid.com.
[00:01:56.560 --> 00:01:58.960] The Phantom Clown Panic.
[00:01:59.280 --> 00:02:09.640] Welcome to the show that separates fact from fiction, science from pseudoscience, real history from fake history, and helps us all make better life decisions by knowing what's real and what's not.
[00:02:09.640 --> 00:02:14.520] The clown panic of 2016 can be traced back to a bizarre incident in August of that year.
[00:02:14.520 --> 00:02:21.080] Creepy clowns were reported in Greenville, South Carolina, allegedly luring children into the woods behind a block of apartments.
[00:02:21.080 --> 00:02:24.440] It was scary and alarming, whether real or rumor.
[00:02:25.080 --> 00:02:27.480] Most of the handful of reports were from children.
[00:02:27.480 --> 00:02:34.680] No one was actually harmed by the menacing clowns, who children claimed lived in a house located in a pond at the end of a trail in the woods.
[00:02:34.680 --> 00:02:42.920] Police who investigated this sinister Hansel and Gretel-like tale found no signs of suspicious activity nor anyone dressed as a clown.
[00:02:43.560 --> 00:02:56.200] According to an ABC News story at the time, one resident said she was in front of her apartment one evening when one of her sons approached her and stated that he had seen clowns in the woods whispering and making strange noises.
[00:02:56.200 --> 00:03:05.080] The resident added that she went over to the area that her son had mentioned and observed several clowns in the woods flashing green laser lights before seeing them run off.
[00:03:06.040 --> 00:03:16.520] If this report is be credited, it suggests that the pranksters were afoot, perhaps teenagers with store-bought clown masks and laser pointers having fun in the months leading up to Halloween.
[00:03:16.520 --> 00:03:20.280] Either way, it was only the latest in a series of creepy clown reports.
[00:03:20.280 --> 00:03:25.400] In fact, there have been several earlier sightings across the country, but none of that profile.
[00:03:26.040 --> 00:03:31.480] Most evil clowns are fictional, though a few, such as serial killer John Wayne Gacy, are real.
[00:03:31.480 --> 00:03:40.280] But there are other bad clowns reported to roam the streets and parks looking for innocent children to abduct, yet seem to vanish just before police can apprehend them.
[00:03:40.600 --> 00:03:44.360] Some say they're real, while others claim they're just figments of imagination.
[00:03:44.360 --> 00:03:50.800] They are known as phantom clowns, a phrase coined by author Lauren Coleman in his book Mysterious America.
[00:03:52.080 --> 00:03:54.560] Phantom Clowns.
[00:03:54.560 --> 00:04:07.920] As discussed in my book Bad Clowns, one of the earliest reports of phantom clowns occurred in May 1981 when several children in Brookline, Massachusetts reported that clowns had tried to lure them into a van with promises of candy.
[00:04:07.920 --> 00:04:10.560] Police searched the area but found nothing.
[00:04:10.560 --> 00:04:18.880] The following day, Boston parents and police grew worried when children there claimed that adult clowns had been bothering children on their way to school.
[00:04:18.880 --> 00:04:23.120] Other reports surfaced in other cities and in later years with the same pattern.
[00:04:23.120 --> 00:04:31.920] Parents were fearful, children were warned, and police were vigilant, but despite searches and police checkpoints, no evidence was ever found of their existence.
[00:04:32.560 --> 00:04:38.960] Though the public and police didn't know what to make of the panic, folklorists and sociologists had been studying them for years.
[00:04:39.280 --> 00:04:53.440] Folklorists Sandy Hobbs and David Cornwell, writing in their book Supernatural Enemies, researched the phantom clown panics and concluded that parents, police, and the mass media all played a role in spreading and legitimizing the rumors.
[00:04:53.440 --> 00:04:58.560] Quote, one student reports that older children told the stories to frighten younger ones.
[00:04:58.560 --> 00:05:05.440] Others appear to assume that the story derives from an actual incident, even though it may have become exaggerated in the telling, end quote.
[00:05:05.440 --> 00:05:12.480] When teachers, police, parents, and the news media share warnings about the threat, that further legitimizes the reports.
[00:05:13.120 --> 00:05:21.920] In their 2024 book, Social Panics and Phantom Attackers, Robert Bartholomew and Paul Weatherhead examined the Phantom Attacker Panics.
[00:05:22.240 --> 00:05:34.520] These cases typically begin with outbreaks of sensational claims of attacks by elusive, mysterious figures who frighten the public and then seem to vanish without a trace, leaving few, if any, serious injuries, but many questions.
[00:05:35.480 --> 00:05:47.960] Some of the most recognizable events include the panics surrounding the War of the Worlds hoax, the Monkey Man, Havana Syndrome, Satanists during the Satanic Ritual Abuse Scare, the Mad Gasser of Matoon, and many others.
[00:05:48.280 --> 00:05:51.480] The Phantom Clown panics fit neatly into this category.
[00:05:51.480 --> 00:05:54.520] Were the evil clown sightings phantom attackers?
[00:05:54.520 --> 00:05:56.760] Well, yes and no.
[00:05:57.080 --> 00:06:06.920] Though there were no actual clowns trying to abduct or harm strangers, there were, of course, copycats, lots of them, who were definitely trying to scare people for fun, clicks, or both.
[00:06:07.560 --> 00:06:14.040] Throughout the Phantom Clown Panic, no hard evidence was ever found, and more importantly, no children were actually abducted.
[00:06:14.040 --> 00:06:18.520] This suggests that some form of social delusion or mass hysteria was at play.
[00:06:18.520 --> 00:06:22.200] If the clowns are real, why were they so invariably incompetent?
[00:06:22.200 --> 00:06:25.480] Surely at least one of the bad clowns could have succeeded.
[00:06:25.480 --> 00:06:31.800] Any real clown could easily abduct a child at a birthday party and spirit the victim off into a waiting van.
[00:06:31.800 --> 00:06:39.240] Dressing as a clown is guaranteed to draw attention, which is exactly the opposite of what real-life child abductors want to do.
[00:06:40.200 --> 00:06:44.360] Digging a little deeper into the original Greenville sightings, we find an odd detail.
[00:06:44.360 --> 00:06:58.840] An August 21st report from the Greenville County Sheriff's Office noted that several children of the community stated that several clowns have been appearing in the woods behind Building D and tried to persuade them into the woods further by displaying large amounts of money.
[00:06:59.480 --> 00:07:02.760] This is a curious and suspicious detail.
[00:07:02.760 --> 00:07:09.000] Malicious clowns might be expected to lure children with candy or ice cream, but a big stack of Benjamins?
[00:07:09.000 --> 00:07:14.040] Flashing wads of cash can draw a crowd anywhere, and no clown costume is needed.
[00:07:14.040 --> 00:07:28.320] It seems like an example of urban legend folklore in the making, perhaps fueled in part by creepy clown sightings in the news and the recent release of publicity photos for the Stephen King killer clown Pennywise from the then upcoming remake of It.
[00:07:29.280 --> 00:07:39.760] The Greenville clown reports were likely either pranksters, mistakes, for example, assuming that a bang on a door must have been caused by an unseen clown, legend, or a combination of all three.
[00:07:39.760 --> 00:07:45.760] The chances that one or more people dressed as clowns are actually trying to abduct children is vanishingly remote.
[00:07:45.760 --> 00:07:54.080] Many people likely recognize this, but parents and police understandably err on the side of caution, deciding that it's better to be safe than sorry.
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[00:08:39.280 --> 00:08:42.480] But it didn't go away, and soon the panic spread.
[00:08:42.480 --> 00:08:51.120] Viral videos and threats, many of them originating or shared on social media, resulted in increased police patrols and, in some cases, full lockdowns.
[00:08:51.120 --> 00:08:59.520] In September 2016, police in Flomington, Alabama investigated what were deemed credible threats to students at Flomington High School, shared via social media.
[00:08:59.720 --> 00:09:08.680] The so-called Flomo Clowns had a Facebook page where they said, I kill people for a living, and displayed several gun emojis.
[00:09:08.680 --> 00:09:12.360] One post stated, quote, it's going down tonight.
[00:09:12.680 --> 00:09:27.880] About 700 students at Flomington High School and nearby Flomenton Elementary School were told to shelter in place while the schools, following protocol, were placed on lockdown for much of the day, while dozens of police and law enforcement officers searched the grounds for threats.
[00:09:27.880 --> 00:09:32.040] The digital trail led FBI investigators to one adult in two teens.
[00:09:32.040 --> 00:09:38.520] 22-year-old Michaela Smith of Flomington was arrested for making a terroristic threat while posting as an evil clown.
[00:09:38.840 --> 00:09:43.720] She pled guilty and in 2018 received a sentence of five years of probation.
[00:09:44.360 --> 00:09:49.960] This string of other incidents left parents and teachers wondering if the clown lockdown were the new normal.
[00:09:49.960 --> 00:10:00.120] In another Alabama school threat, two people dressed as clowns appeared in a Facebook video brandishing a knife and ranting for several minutes about coming for you in Troy, Alabama.
[00:10:00.120 --> 00:10:08.200] Police identified the two in the video, which had been seen more than 50,000 times, as juveniles who attended the Charles Henderson High School in Troy.
[00:10:08.200 --> 00:10:13.400] Police did not charge either of the two boys but warned that copycats would not be tolerated.
[00:10:14.040 --> 00:10:17.160] The rumors can, of course, have serious consequences.
[00:10:17.160 --> 00:10:22.200] Though children have little to fear from stalking clowns, the urban legend may pose a real danger.
[00:10:22.200 --> 00:10:29.080] In the Greenville reports, alarm citizens fired weapons into the wooded area, hoping to kill any clowns lurking there.
[00:10:29.080 --> 00:10:33.000] Fortunately, no one was hurt, but the situation could have turned deadly.
[00:10:33.320 --> 00:10:39.080] Amid the rumors and scares, an 11-year-old girl in Georgia took a knife to her middle school to fight off clowns.
[00:10:39.080 --> 00:10:43.720] The girl was arrested September 16th at Bernie Harris Lyons Middle School in Athens.
[00:10:43.720 --> 00:10:53.200] A police report quoted the unnamed minor as saying that she needed the knife to protect her and her family from the clowns she'd heard were coming out of the woods and attacking children.
[00:10:53.840 --> 00:10:58.640] By mid-October, the scary clown panic had spread across the country to dozens of states.
[00:10:58.640 --> 00:11:04.960] The creepy clown panic became so serious that it was even addressed in an October 4th White House press briefing.
[00:11:04.960 --> 00:11:11.520] Press Secretary Josh Ernest said, I don't know that the president has been briefed on this particular situation.
[00:11:11.520 --> 00:11:23.280] Obviously, this is a situation that local law enforcement authorities take quite seriously, and they should carefully and thoroughly review perceived threats to the safety of the community, and they should do so prudently, end quote.
[00:11:23.920 --> 00:11:28.160] Aside from the videos, many of the real-life reports were later admitted to be hoaxes.
[00:11:28.160 --> 00:11:35.360] For example, a North Carolina man who falsely claimed that a scary clown had knocked on his window at night was arrested for faking the incident.
[00:11:35.360 --> 00:11:41.040] And a woman from Ohio claimed that a knife-wielding clown attacked her on her way to work and cut her hand.
[00:11:41.040 --> 00:11:46.720] But she later admitted that she made up the story because she was running late for her job at McDonald's.
[00:11:47.360 --> 00:11:50.960] There were also a handful of people dressed as clowns and scaring people.
[00:11:50.960 --> 00:12:02.080] A pair of Canadian teenagers dressed as clowns had fun in a park scaring younger kids, and in Wisconsin, a clown scene at night was revealed to be part of a viral marketing campaign for scary film.
[00:12:02.080 --> 00:12:06.720] A year earlier, a creepy clown was sighted outside a Chicago cemetery.
[00:12:06.720 --> 00:12:12.640] In some cases, both adults and schoolchildren admitted to making up stories of seeing threatening clowns.
[00:12:13.680 --> 00:12:24.320] Any other time, reports of threatening clowns would likely have been ignored or dismissed, but these incidents came at a time when there were very real terroristic threats and school shootings in the news.
[00:12:24.320 --> 00:12:28.720] Parents can take comfort that no clowns were actually trying to abduct or harm kids.
[00:12:28.720 --> 00:12:35.320] Not a single credible report has surfaced of any child being hurt or even touched by a threatening clown.
[00:12:35.640 --> 00:12:42.920] It's a form of the old stranger danger threat and moral panic, focusing on Satanists, immigrants, and the scary other.
[00:12:43.880 --> 00:12:52.360] Social panics and phantom attacker scares recur, and just as the 2016 clown panic was not the first of its kind, it also won't be the last.
[00:12:52.360 --> 00:13:01.160] When the next one happens, and it will, keep in mind that the best defense against these panics is media literacy, skepticism, and critical thinking.
[00:13:02.440 --> 00:13:06.920] We continue with some scenes from the clown panic in the ad-free and extended premium feed.
[00:13:06.920 --> 00:13:12.440] To access it, become a supporter at skeptoid.com, go premium.
[00:13:16.920 --> 00:13:19.240] This has been guest host Benjamin Radford.
[00:13:19.240 --> 00:13:28.600] I'm co-host of Squaring the Strange podcast, author of over a dozen books on critical thinking, skepticism, and folklore, and deputy editor of Skeptic Inquire Science Magazine.
[00:13:28.600 --> 00:13:35.560] You can also find me in several documentary films, including Skeptoid Media's Science Friction and Wrinkles the Clown.
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