i don't think all children are frightened of clowns.. (i don't remember being so..)
kids also like scary things (that are safe) adults do too, which is why we read mystery novels, and go to scary movies. (horror scary, or thriller type scary movies.)
clowns act silly and non threatening (even if they look strange and threatening!)
I have this very strange hat. Its made of card stock weight paper, in the pleated style used for those tissue paper orniments (wedding bells, etc) that fold flat, and then open up to be 3 D objects. so its very elastic, but its made of pleated heavy weight paper.
because of the style, the hat (not on) looks sort of like a birds head and neck (narrow neck, wider head) and its its decorated with 'feathers' eyes, and beak.
but you can pull the hat not just onto the crown,(as a strange green hat) but over your face like a mask. so you look sort of parrot like.. the eye of the mask are about where human eyes are, the beak is close to the nose.. (you can see through the pleates when you wear it)
2 years ago, (age 2 years, 3months) my granddaughter was very frightened when i did that.
last month, (age 4 years 3months) she was delighted..
but--she wanted to see me put the mask on, and take it off, and put it on, and take it off.. it frightened her a bit, but it also intrigued her.. eventually she wanted to wear it too. and after a it was off, she didn't want to see it.. so she hid it.. (and i am still looking for it!)
clowns are scary, (and not) and scary (and not) and most of us like that (a bit)
