Clowns pose a disconnect

People may also feel uncomfortable with clowns because the painted-on and exaggerated face pose a false expression, and that breeds distrust.

Sigmund Freud called this disconnect "uncanny". This "uncanny valley" is something computer animators and robot creators have difficulty with.

When some people think of clowns, they picture brightly coloured hair, big smiles, and lots of laughs.

Others find clowns creepy with evil intentions hiding behind a cheerful, gruesome mask. The intense fear of clowns is called coulrophobia.