PHANTOM CLOWN SCARE

ORIGIN: United States.

The Phantom Clown Scare is an unsettling urban legend that first took place in the early 1980s, in the United States. 

It is centered around disturbing reports of clowns trying to deceive and lure children into vans or wooded areas. 

The first major wave of these sightings occurred in 1981 in Boston, Massachusetts, when several children claimed that men dressed as clowns tried to bribe them with candy and promises of a ride. 

These clowns were said to be driving a black or white van, slowly moving across neighborhoods near schools and playgrounds.

As news of these incidents spread, similar reports began coming up in other cities across the U.S., including Kansas City, Omaha, and Pittsburgh. 

Parents started growing anxious, and schools issued warnings, telling children to always be cautious.

However, despite the widespread panic and the heightened police presence, no clowns were ever caught, and no concrete evidence was found either.

The elusive and secretive nature of these strange clowns earned them the title "phantom clowns."

Sociologists and folklorists believe the phantom clown scare was a form of mass hysteria, increased by a collective fear of strangers and child abductions. 

Regardless of its origins, the legend still lives on, and the image of an scary clown hiding in the shadows continues to drive fear into communities till this day.