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The scary clown craze is now affecting big businesses like Target, which is removing clown masks from its shelves just weeks before Halloween. [Snip] This decision was made out of "sensitivity to the issue at hand," the rep said.

Clowns have barely been out of the news in recent weeks, with seemingly ever-more horrifying incidents involving people dressed as them each day. In Sweden, a teenager was stabbed by a violent jester in the middle of the street, and Childline has reported a massive surge in calls from kids who’ve been left frightened by the phenomenon. Not everyone is so scared though, as this new tattoo craze shows. People have been paying homage to the killer clown trend with spooky inkings etched on their skin. The trend seems to be for tattoos of creepy clowns, with black-and-white and just...

The latest societal epidemic seems to be one of creepy vagabond clowns who seemingly get their jollies by walking around and terrifying people. Luckily for the county of Cumbria, they have their very own Dark Knight who's ready to defend them. The BBC Cumbria Facebook page recently posted a few photos of their newest defender, who is part of the Cumbria Superheroes. Recent clown sightings had started to frighten the local children, and so the group enlisted Batman's help to keep the peace (via Joe.co.uk).The post includes a photo of the costumed vigalante running down a clown, as well as...

Ronald McDonald, the iconic clown mascot of McDonald’s, is laying low until the clown craze in the country dies down, the fast-food giant said Tuesday. McDonald’s said Americans will see less of the recognizable red-haired jester in the yellow suit as the company remains “thoughtful in respect to Ronald McDonald’s participation in community events” as a result of the “current climate around clown sightings in communities,” according to the Associated Press. Sightings of creepy clowns have been on the rise and have spread to more than two dozen states since late August when reports surfaced that clowns were trying to...

A UK woman who was eight months pregnant prematurely gave birth after she was startled by a ‘killer clown’. The woman is said to be doing well after a 17-year-old frightened her as part of the bizarre craze. The latest victim of the clown craze was reported on Facebook by a friend of the woman, who described the incident saying a “stupid 17-year-old kid” jumped on the mother-to-be dressed as a clown in Whitwick, Leicestershire. “It's a nonsense craze that needs stopping,” she added. Comments on the post show anger at the growing craze, which has left many petrified and...

Police in Scotland have warned that action may be taken against people who take part in the so-called "killer clown" craze. ... Police Scotland said it had received a "few sporadic reports of individuals dressed as clowns" in some areas in Scotland. ... The craze appears to have been inspired by clown-related pranks in the US and has seen a string of copycat incidents across the UK recently.

<p>One US man got a massive beating after dressing up as a creepy clown and trying to scare a group of friends in a car.</p> <p>Footage of the incident shows the clown, holding some balloons, walk close to a car where a number of men were hanging out.</p>

The Vidor Police Department received 5 calls for service in reference to clown sightings between 10:19pm Wednesday night and 5:23 am Thursday morning. The officers actually found one individual at the time and he only had on a clown wig at the time of his encounter, he was relieved of his wig and was given counseling. All other sightings were unconfirmed by police as the officers were not able to locate any at the other locations around town. We will continue to investigate any reports called into the police. If possible please let the officers attempt to locate the subjects....

An epidemic of clown sightings is spreading across America – and no one is laughing any morehe first person to spot a clown, the patient zero in the current epidemic of threatening clowns sightings spreading across the US, was a little boy at a low-income apartment complex in Greenville, South Carolina. He ran to his mother, Donna Arnold, and told her what he had seen: two clowns in the woods, both brightly dressed and made up. One with a red fright wig and the other with a black star painted on his face. They whispered something to the boy. “They...

Professional clowns are getting fed up with the recent reports of frightening incidents across the U.S. that has put many communities on high alert and tarnished the image of the performers. The clown community in Tucson, Arizona organized a “Clown Lives Matter” march Wednesday that’s set to take place Oct. 15 in reaction to the reports of “killer clowns” terrorizing communities and the rumors on social media fanning the fears of clown attacks, according to KGUN9-TV. The station reported that attendees are invited to participate in full clown makeup or masks. “This is a peaceful way to show clowns are...

Dozens of students sparked mass panic as they descended on a university campus to hunt CLOWNS. Rumours spread online that the bizarre creepy clown phenomenon sweeping the US had hit Penn State University Hundreds of rioting students ran through the streets, chanting as they hunted for the circus characters. Students armed with tennis rackets, lacrosse sticks, baseball bats and hockey sticks scoured the area hoping to spot the creepy clown, OnwardState.com reported. A 'Penn State Clown' Twitter account even popped up during the riots posting spoof updates on the fugitive funnyman. Northumbria Police Inspector Stephen Wykes said: "The people carrying...

TULSA, Oklahoma - Police say a man reported being attacked by a suspect wearing clown makeup early Thursday. Officers said the attack happened in the 5100 block of East 77th Street at around 12:30 a.m. when the victim was out walking his dog. Police say the victim described the suspect as wearing a "painted clown face" and having orange hair. The victim told police he punched the suspect after he was hit on the head with an unknown object. The victim then ran off. Police had their helicopter up over the scene as well as officers on the ground looking...

. . . and here come the bans Because you didn’t think anything freakier than the presidential election was possible this year, I’ve got good news! Apparently people can go absolutely ape-s*** insane over weirdos dressed up in grease paint and wigs just as much as when they walk into a primary voting booth. Brain-teaser: Which is easier? To manipulate the news media in this country? Or to be manipulated by the media? I don’t know who made the brilliant decision to start covering the sightings of random creepy clowns as if it was serious news, and but I do...

Penn State students have been known to rally for anything related to football. But alleged clown sightings? That’s never been a reason to run up and down College and Beaver avenues, start chants and gather at Old Main for hours on end — until Monday night.

We have reached the stage of the Great Clown Panic when real clowns have started to worry about profiling. In Johnstown, Pennsylvania, the Cumberland Times-News reports, "members of the Classic Clowns Club have been alarmed by news reports in which police have asked anyone who sees a clown to call 911. The troupe members often travel in costume, and worry that, if someone notices a van full of clowns and calls the police, they could end up in legal trouble."

Bad news: just as the Zombie Apocalypse is beginning to wind downLike zombies, only no use for brainswe are besieged with an impending clown apocalypse which could be even worse.Funny, it seems like only yesterday that America was facing a clown shortage: What kind of a cruel joke is this? Just as we need circuses more than ever to distract the plebes, we have a clown shortage? Membership at the country’s largest trade organizations for the jokesters has plunged over the past decade as declining interest, old age and higher standards among employers align against Krusty, Bozo and their crimson-nosed...

Sightings of so-called "creepy clowns" have been reported across the country, and have been widely shared on social media. Now, it seems, the epidemic has made its way to Upstate New York. Two police reports regarding creepy clowns in the Capital Region region have been filed, and several unreported accounts have turned up on social media, WTEN-TV reported. ..."He was just standing there in the middle of the street

Reports of “killer clowns” have emerged in three new states, as Virginia, Florida and Colorado struggle with Internet rumors and reported sightings that have left several towns shaken. Residents and authorities in Palm Bay, Fla., have been on high alert since a resident reported seeing two “creepy clowns” staring at her from across a road as she walked her dog. And in Marion County, Fla., deputies are concerned after it emerged that a Facebook viral video, depicting a clown standing silently on the side of the road in the dark, had been filmed along a main thoroughfare in the area....

A string of frightening encounters involving children and clowns has officials warning people to be on the lookout for these characters this Halloween season. The Tennessee Highway Patrol says this October, if you see something, say something.

Kentucky police have arrested a 20-year-old man dressed as a clown amid reports of dozens of menacing clowns spotted in at least six US states. Jonathan Martin was charged with wearing a mask in a public place and disorderly conduct in Middlesboro. Recent reports of clowns trying to lure children into wooded areas and harassing people have incited panic. Police have warned individuals against dressing up in clown costumes, adding it could lead to criminal charges. "Dressing as a clown and driving, walking or standing in public can create a dangerous situation for you and others," police in nearby Barbourville,...