Clowncore

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See Juggalo for the dark, rap-inspired subculture. See Fanfare for the circus aesthetic.

Clowncore (also known as Circuscore) surrounds things such as clowns, mimes, and jesters, as well as things associated with them such as carnivals and fanfare in general. It is often based in childhood nostalgia. Content from this aesthetic is usually bright and happy and childish, similar to Kidcore, although some portrayals of clowncore can have horror influences related to creepy/killer clowns. Other related aesthetics similar to clowncore can also have suggestive and adult content (clussy). The modern revival of this aesthetic was primarily fueled by the no longer active expressionist, Chase Rebecca, otherwise known as NewWorldEgo by the aesthetic community.

Visual[]

Clowncore aesthetic visuals include:

Clowns
Soft toys
Rainbows
Stickers
Circus tents
Worm on a string
Birthday cake
Cotton Candy
Balloons
Clown emoji
Gumballs
Ice cream
Pom-poms
Circus animals such as elephants
Confetti
Carnival rides

Fashion[]

Clowncore fashion often includes:

Large, colorful shoes
Childlike motifs such as rainbows, stars and balloons
Brightly dyed hair or wigs
Party or jester hats
Plastic accessories (similar to Decora)
Badges or jewelry with childlike slogans such as "I jump in puddles" or "I got dressed today"
Heavy, clownlike makeup
Rainbow stripes
Primary colors
Overalls or suspenders
Circus tights
Diamonds

There are also Lolita coords based on clowns which can be worn sometimes as part of both aesthetics(especially under Pastel Clowncore).

Activities[]

Making puns
Using sweet yet subtle perfumes (e.g. vanilla, cheesecake)
Eating sugary snacks
Baking cream pies
Going to circuses/carnivals
Face painting
Juggling
Putting stickers everywhere
Working/volunteering as a clown (obviously)
Making balloon animals

Media[]

Film/Television[]

Popee the Performer
Killer Klowns from Outer Space
Karneval
Pennywise
It
The Yoyo and Peanut Show
Jojo's Circus
The Amazing Digital Circus
The Big Comfy Couch
Sentimental Circus
BigTop Burger
Hello Kitty: The Circus Comes to Town

Video Games[]

I Spy Fun House (2007)
Weird Park: Scary Tales (2012)

Music[]

Pooter the Clown - Pooter the Clown (Dark/depressive clown synth)
Star of the Show - GHOST
Clown - Creep-P
Carousel - Mr. Bungle
The Court Jester - thquib
Circus - Lindsay Mendez/Drew Gasparini (A twisted love song about a serial killer)
FNaF Security Breach: Daycare OST
Alice's Magical Happy World - Natsuyama Yotsugi
Resident Evil Director's Cut DualShock OST - Mansion Basement
Clowncore Mix (Spotify "Niche Mix"; personalized to users' individual tastes)
Carousel - Melanie Martinez
Earth - Clown Core
Freak - Sub Urban
NoGod - Arlequin
ΛrlequiΩ - Sekai no owari to yoake mae
dancing around in circles until my little feet come off - spellcasting

Comics[]

Zippy the Pinhead by Bill Griffith
Lucky Cap Scouts by O. Stevens

Subgenres[]

Pastel Clowncore[]

Pastel Clowncore is a more kawaii version of Clowncore that uses pastel colours. While regular Clowncore is associated with Kidcore, Pastel Clowncore may be more associated with Babycore.

Dark Clowncore[]

Dark Clowncore involves creepy, eerie, gory, and sometimes gothic images and fashion relating to clowns and circuses.

This in many ways is more common than Clowncore itself thanks to the popularity of comic book supervillains like The Joker and Harley Quinn. When combined with Pastel Clowncore, this can result in a creepy-cute aesthetic similar to Pastel Goth or even Cutecore or Morute.

Mimecore[]

Mimecore is about looking like a mime by wearing berets, black and white shirts, gloves, and makeup, as well as acting like one by using gestures to communicate instead of talking. It is similar to clowncore as both aesthetics are about looking and acting like the style of a certain type of traditional entertainer. Due to the similarities, mimecore usually falls under clowncore.