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Would you ever hire a clown to spook your own kids into behaving? Wrinkles the clown is a US urban legend. In 2014 a YouTube channel posted security camera footage of a child sleeping in their room before a clown silently comes out from under the bed and destroys the footage. The clip, which is likely staged, has been viewed more than 1.1 million times, and Wrinkles’ popularity has only grown as more and more “sightings” of him have been posted to social media. The clown can typically be seen wearing a red and white polka dot suit with black gloves and a white mask with black eye holes and receding white hair. The legend claims that some parents pay Wrinkles a few hundred dollars to make appearances and scare their kids straight, or even just freak out their neighbors. The story goes that Wrinkles is a divorcee and veteran from Rhode Island who moved to Florida after retiring. Instead of taking up golf, he decided to buy a creepy clown mask, and buy some business cards. Some time after that he got hundreds of prank calls from teens and pranksters, and even some calls from parents wanting his services. But—is he just an urban legend? Wrinkles has also done an interview with the Washington Post, telling the paper about a time a mother hired him to scare her child. He added, “I just want to have fun and have a good time, make a little extra money on the side, you know? Have a little fun before I die.”
Really?