A listener note,

note, this episode contains adult content and is not suitable for everyone.

Please be advised. Clowns in one form or another have been around for thousands of years.

Clowns in one form or another have been around for thousands of years.

Ancient clowns were called from stereotypes and in some

cultures were part of a royal entourage. Before the 20th century, Clown Acts

focused mostly on sex, food, and making fun of the monarchy,

which was always a delicate line.

And the fate of the clown sometimes depended on the mood of the king or queen that day.

In 1801, English entertainer Joseph Grimaldi became the father of modern clowning.

While he too was irreverent, he relied on the physical humor

that is prevalent in the profession today.

Grimaldi was also the first to make popular the white face paint with red patches on his cheeks and garish clothes.

As the character of the clown transitioned from the theater to the circus, its popularity among children's sword. Almost 200 years after Grimaldi first painted his face, the character of Bozo the Clown became

one of the most popular TV shows for children in the world and even the fast food giant McDonald's branded themselves with Ronald McDonald.

However, the clown was not always a fun light character. The 1892 Opera Pagliachi was the story of a clown that killed his unfaithful wife and circus clowns were often likened to inmates in an insane asylum.

But it was in the 1970s that the alter ego of a clown named Pogo

became the inspiration for what is known today

as the killer clown.

Because real life Pogo, John Wayne Gacy,

was not part of a circus or vaudeville troop.

He was a murderer, a serial killer, hiding behind makeup, and transforming a beloved children's

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