From colourful children's entertainers and fast-food mascots to terrifying horror villains, clowns have had a surprisingly big influence on popular culture. Some make us laugh, some make us nostalgic — and some have made an entire generation afraid of balloons.

Here are six of the most famous clowns in popular culture, from Bozo to Pennywise.

1. Bozo the Clown 🎪

Bozo the Clown is one of the most famous children's clowns of all time, particularly in the United States.

Bozo was created in 1946 by Alan W. Livingston for a children's storytelling record and book set. The character was later turned into a television star, with different performers playing Bozo in local TV shows across America. The franchise eventually became a huge part of American children's television. (Bozo the Clown -)

With his bright red hair, white face paint, red nose and enormous smile, Bozo became almost a visual shorthand for what a traditional TV clown looked like.

Interestingly, there wasn't just one Bozo. Different television stations had their own performers playing the character, which helped make Bozo a nationwide phenomenon.

Fun fact: Bozo's popularity was so enormous that his name became almost synonymous with the word "clown" in American popular culture.

Learn more about Bozo the Clown

2. Ronald McDonald 🍔

You can't make a list of famous clowns without Ronald McDonald.

The red-haired clown first appeared in McDonald's advertising in the 1960s, becoming the fast-food chain's instantly recognisable mascot. His familiar look — yellow jumpsuit, red-and-white stripes, red hair, white face and giant shoes — turned him into one of the world's most recognisable advertising characters.

There is actually a connection between Ronald and another clown on this list. Michael Polakovs, the son of famous British clown Nicolai Poliakoff, performed as Coco the Clown and was hired to help develop Ronald McDonald's now-famous appearance in the 1960s. 

Ronald is also an interesting example of how the traditional circus clown moved into commercial culture and advertising.

McDonald's UK history

3. Pennywise 🎈

Then there is the clown who made clowns considerably less fun.

Pennywise the Dancing Clown is the terrifying form taken by the supernatural creature known simply as IT in Stephen King's 1986 horror novel.

The character became particularly famous through the 1990 TV miniseries, where Pennywise was played by Tim Curry, and then reached a whole new generation through the 2017 film IT, starring Bill Skarsgård. Stephen King's official site describes Pennywise as the monster who takes the form of a clown and terrorises the children of Derry, Maine. (Stephen King)

Pennywise is a great example of how popular culture transformed the traditional image of the friendly clown into something genuinely sinister.

The combination of the red balloon, white face, red hair and creepy grin has become one of the most recognisable images in modern horror.

Stephen King's official IT page

4. Krusty the Clown 📺

Krusty the Clown is probably one of the most recognisable cartoon clowns ever created.

A character from The Simpsons, Krusty is the cynical, chain-smoking, permanently exhausted children's TV entertainer who is adored by Bart and Lisa Simpson.

Unlike the relentlessly cheerful Bozo or Ronald McDonald, Krusty is deliberately flawed. He's greedy, grumpy, occasionally dishonest and frequently more interested in making money than entertaining children.

That is precisely what makes him funny.

Krusty first appeared in The Simpsons in 1989 and has remained one of the show's recurring characters ever since. He's voiced by Dan Castellaneta, who also voices Homer Simpson. (Wikipedia)

Krusty is essentially a parody of the classic children's TV clown — taking the cheerful, wholesome clown persona and asking, what if the person underneath really didn't enjoy being a children's entertainer?

5. The Joker 🃏

Technically, The Joker isn't actually a clown — but he is so closely associated with clown imagery that he absolutely deserves a place on this list.

Batman’s greatest enemy first appeared in Batman #1 in 1940. With his chalk-white skin, green hair, red lips and permanent grin, he has become one of the most recognisable villains in popular culture. DC itself refers to him as the "Clown Prince of Crime." (DC)

The Joker has appeared in comics, television, animation and numerous films, with different actors putting their own spin on the character.

What makes him particularly interesting in the history of clowns is that he takes the traditional idea of the funny, mischievous clown and turns it into something threatening and chaotic.

The Joker – official DC character page

6. Coco the Clown 🎪

Before Ronald McDonald and Pennywise, there was Coco the Clown.

Coco was the stage name of Nicolai Poliakoff, a Russian-born circus performer who became one of Britain's most famous clowns during the 20th century.

Poliakoff came to Britain with his family and became associated with the Bertram Mills Circus, eventually becoming hugely popular with British audiences. He was so well known that he became something of a household name, particularly during the golden age of British circus. 

Coco's look — painted face, large red nose, wild hair and colourful costume — represents the classic idea of the traditional circus clown.

And there's a lovely connection between Coco and Ronald McDonald: Michael Polakovs, Nicolai's son, also performed as Coco the Clown in America and was involved in developing Ronald McDonald's appearance. 

So, in a slightly roundabout way, Coco helped influence the look of one of the world's most famous modern clowns.

---

From circus performers to pop-culture icons

What's interesting about these six clowns is how much the idea of a clown has changed over the years.

Coco represents the traditional circus clown. Bozo brought the clown into children's television, while Ronald McDonald transformed the character into a global advertising mascot. Krusty turned the children's TV clown into comedy, while Pennywise and the Joker took familiar clown imagery and made it sinister.

In fact, the changing image of the clown has been quite dramatic. Historians have noted that television helped establish the idea of the happy, friendly clown in American popular culture during the 1950s and 1960s, before later media helped create the modern association between clowns and horror. 

So whether you find clowns funny, nostalgic, creepy or downright terrifying, there's no denying that they've had a huge influence on popular culture.

Goodordering clowns

I just love clowns, as you can tell, here are some of my items for sale right now that nod to my obsession with clowns. 

Check out my other blog post on CLOWNCORE, the fashion and interiors trend

Hama bead clown keyring available now - LINK

🤡 30 More Famous Clowns in Popular Culture

1. Art the Clown – Terrifier – One of the biggest modern horror clowns.
2. The Killer Klowns – Killer Klowns from Outer Space – Alien clowns who invade Earth and turn people into cotton candy.
3. Captain Spaulding – House of 1000 Corpses – Rob Zombie's foul-mouthed, murderous clown.
4. Twisty the Clown – American Horror Story: Freak Show – A disturbing, disfigured killer clown.
5. Stitches – Stitches – A dead children's party clown who comes back for revenge.
6. Clown (Terrifier) – Art's appearance and character are inspired by the traditional silent clown archetype.
7. The Clown – Spawn – A grotesque supernatural villain who serves the demon Malebolgia.
8. Clown Doll – Poltergeist – The creepy clown toy under the bed from the 1982 horror classic.
9. Killer Klown Shorty – Killer Klowns from Outer Space – The short, tough member of the alien clown gang.
10. The Joker – Batman – The "Clown Prince of Crime" and probably the most famous clown-inspired villain ever.