The Fear Eater: Embodying Pennywise the Clown

He is eternal. The eater of worlds, the devourer of children. An evil that can only be called "It". When Pennywise the clown hit screens 27 years ago, "It" terrified us, all while at the same time making horror fans everywhere fall in love with this iconic creature. Fast-forward to 2017, Pennywise has been awakened once more just in time for Halloween. He's got so many more fears to feed on now.

This Halloween, morph into "It". Halloween Club carries all essential clown products and accessories (currently 20% off storewide right now). This week there'll be the unveiling of many new Halloween pop-up shops springing up throughout Southern California. Now will be the best time to catch the best deals for all your ghastly needs. There is even a special "It" contest going on right now on Halloween Club's Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter pages to give you a chance to win some ghoulish prizes. Oh, and before I forget to mention, we even have balloons! Don't worry, they will float. They all float down here. Here's our top 5 products to get you started.

1. Makeup is No Funny Business

Makeup is as primordial to clowns as the jokes. One of the most important features about any clown is his white face and red nose, and Pennywise is no exception. In traditional Augustean-style clown fashion, Pennywise was inspired by famous clowns: Bozo, Ronald McDonald, and Howdy Doody's partner, Clarabell^[3]. Did you know the red nose was made popular by Albert Fratellinis' Auguste clown? The legend dates it back to German clown Tom Belling who fell on his face and bloodied his nose^[2].

(Clown Cream Makeup Palette SKU 376628)

You can recreate Pennywise's iconic look with a variety of makeup products that can be found at Halloween Club, like the clown makeup palette.

(Pennywise the Clown Makeup Kit SKU 371108)  

Our official Pennywise Makeup Kit is probably the most helpful. This kit comes with white cream makeup that can be applied all over with the included sponge, makeup crayons of red, black, and blue to create his iconic red lips, black eyes and eyebrows, and blue triangles. There's even a prosthetic red nose that comes with the kit!

2. Hair: The Bigger and Brighter, the Better

Clowns often have big bright hair. The hair was typically red and wild to poke fun of monarchs and royalty during the Medieval era.Street clowns popularized this trend of wearing the brightest colors in hopes of attracting an audience^[5]. However, those big curly wigs were funny enough on their own. Since "It" is a being that has existed for hundreds of years, it's no wonder that he'd emulate some classic fashion in his appearance. His hair is also a nod to famous television clown, Bozo!

(Pennywise the Clown Wig SKU 397188)

For the role of Pennywise, Tim Curry actually dyed his hair the iconic red and had it styled just for the role^[3]. Now if you don't want to fully commit to being a clown, a wig is just as fitting. This Pennywise wig is a dandy accessory that instantly transforms you into a homicidal clown monster. Oh, what fun is that?

3. Ill Mannered and Ill Fitted

With their bright colors and loose clothing, clown costumes can be described as bold and wacky. "It" is capable of transforming into a variety of things, but Pennywise the Clown is his most preferred form because children love clowns, and children are It's favorite meal.

It’s yellow costume is reminiscent to  Ronald McDonald. His stripes an homage to Clarabell. The big Elizabethan collar, white gloves, and pom pom adornments can be attributed to not just standard clown attire, but Bozo the Clown as well^[3]. The green and purple colors fall under the evil colors trope used for villains - such as another famous evil clown known as The Joker^[6].

(Pennywise Deluxe Adult Mens Costume 326200)

4. The Real Monster Underneath

:SPOILER: Pennywise is just one of It's many forms. It's like his personal costume, and if you want to be able to instantly transformed as well without all the hassle of putting together pieces, a mask is what you need. Topped off with red hair and makeup all done for you, a mask makes for a quick and easy costume with all the scares attached.

(Pennywise Overhead Latex Mask SKU 352465)

We've gained some knowledge and backstory to our beloved clownish fiend, now what? Dress up and go see the movie, of course! And after the movie, wait for Halloween, and bring out your Pennywise clown ensemble again!

Halloween Club has everything you need to get you started on developing your own creepy clown costume or prop. We even have a chance for you to see the new movie and win some goodies! Don't let fear get the best of you, become a real member of the Losers Club. We have all sorts of surprises down here. You want it, don't you. Hmmm...of course you do.

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Sources:

1. Lozon, Bill. Types of Clowns. ISCA , International Shrine Clown Association, 2009, shrineclowns.com/info_pages/types.asp.

2. Malach, Maggie. Why Do Clowns Wear Red Noses? Mental Floss, Mental Floss, 19 Aug. 2016, mentalfloss.com/article/83611/why-do-clowns-wear- red-noses.

3. Millican, Joshua. 3 Facts You (Probably) Didn't Know About Pennywise. Horror Freak News, Horror Freak News LLC, 5 June 2016, horrorfreaknews.com/13-facts-probably-didnt-know-pennywise.

4. Newman, Simon. Jesters in the Middle Ages. The Finer Times, The Finer Times, Mar. 2013, thefinertimes.com/Middle-Ages/jesters-in-the-iddle-ages.html.

5. Raymond, Tom. The Whiteface Clown - Clown Types. Famous Clowns, Famous Clowns, 14 Mar. 2017, famousclowns.org/history-of-clowns/the-whiteface-clown-clown-types/.

6. Anonymous. Good Colors, Evil Colors. TV Tropes, TV Tropes, tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/GoodColorsEvilColors.