i'm scared, aren't you?

So they're having a promotion for some "Save the Kids" walk or something today at work. While walking from building to building I rounded a corner into common cafeteria area and I came face-to-face to what appeared to be a strung-out, balloon tying, circus clown. I'm pretty sure they hired him from some third rate temporary work services company. Frankly it scared the living shit out of me.

Coulrophobia is the fear of clowns. In discussions of causes of coulrophobia, sufferers seem to agree that the most fear-inducing aspect of clowns is the heavy makeup, often accompanied by the bulbous nose and weird color of hair, that conceals the wearer's identity.

Sufferers sometimes acquire a fear of clowns after having a bad experience with one personally, or seeing a sinister portrayal of one in the media.