Clowns have never been meant to appeal to adults, because most of us have experienced the "clown horror/rapist" themes and thus specifically look at them warily and pick up on that often unhappy aura. For kids, clowns are like cartoon characters come to life with their silly, disproportionate clothes and colorful faces. They aren't as keen to subtle body language or mannerisms especially when excited, so clowns typically seem happy to them unless they are extremely poor actors and in that case, why are you buying a cheap clown for your child?
I think you're looking at this backwards. Clowns were originally fine before horror culture picked up on them and twisted them in the minds of everyone forever.
I guess you are right, although the point I meant to make, was the fact that the traits they have tend to be used in horror movies, not necessarily on clowns themselves, but on other horror characters. Ridiculous sized feet and hands, eyes and mouths that take up unnatural portions of their face etc, but I guess cartoons do that as well. However clowns used to make me cry as a child, but I loved cartoons, so I don't know :P
Clowns have never been meant to appeal to adults, because most of us have experienced the "clown horror/rapist" themes and thus specifically look at them warily and pick up on that often unhappy aura. For kids, clowns are like cartoon characters come to life with their silly, disproportionate clothes and colorful faces. They aren't as keen to subtle body language or mannerisms especially when excited, so clowns typically seem happy to them unless they are extremely poor actors and in that case, why are you buying a cheap clown for your child?
I think you're looking at this backwards. Clowns were originally fine before horror culture picked up on them and twisted them in the minds of everyone forever.
I guess you are right, although the point I meant to make, was the fact that the traits they have tend to be used in horror movies, not necessarily on clowns themselves, but on other horror characters. Ridiculous sized feet and hands, eyes and mouths that take up unnatural portions of their face etc, but I guess cartoons do that as well. However clowns used to make me cry as a child, but I loved cartoons, so I don't know :P