EventMay 1981

1981 Boston-Area Phantom Clown Panic

The first well-documented phantom clown wave, spreading through Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and eventually Kansas City in May 1981 following reports of costumed clowns approaching schoolchildren, with essentially no confirmed suspects.

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People

Loren Coleman
1981 Boston-Area Phantom Clown Panic was investigated by Loren Coleman — Coleman tracked the panic's spread across Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Kansas City in real time.

Places

United States
1981 Boston-Area Phantom Clown Panic occurred in United States.

Creatures & Figures

Phantom Clown Sightings
1981 Boston-Area Phantom Clown Panic is an instance of Phantom Clown Sightings.

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What Caused the Phantom Clown Panics of 1981 and 2016?

What caused the 1981 Boston-area and 2016 US 'phantom clown' scares: how rumours of costumed strangers spread nationwide with almost no confirmed sightings.