2016 clown sightings
Rash of random appearances of malevolent clowns / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2016 clown sightings was a case of mass hysteria fuelled by reports of people disguised as evil clowns in incongruous settings, such as near forests and schools. The incidents were reported in the United States, Canada, Australia, England, Scotland and subsequently in other countries and territories starting during August 2016.[1][2][3][4][5] The sightings were first reported in Green Bay, Wisconsin, in what turned out to be a marketing stunt for a horror film.[6] The phenomenon later spread to many other cities in the U.S. By mid-October 2016, clown sightings and attacks had been reported in nearly all U.S. states, nine out of 13 provinces and territories of Canada, and 18 other countries.
Prior to the spate of incidents in 2016, numerous sightings of people dressed as clowns in odd or incongruous settings have occurred throughout the world since 2013. The proliferation of videos and images of these precursor sightings spread through social media posts and viral sharing of the content.