A mysterious clown has been making appearances in the British town of Northampton, England, according to FOX News. Northampton is an industrial town about 67 miles outside of London, and historically known for its shoemakers and churches.
The clown is dressed in white face paint with a curly red wig and a ruffled collar to look like Pennywise, the creepy clown from the 1990 film "Stephen King's It."
The clown first appeared on Friday, September 13, otherwise known as Friday the 13th. It has made several additional appearances since then, standing on empty streets and holding balloons and a teddy bear.
Local residents have no idea why the clown is there. The appearances, however, have gained an international following on social media, with the hashtag #northamptonclown created on Twitter.
While some people think the clown may be part of an elaborate publicity stunt, others are very concerned. There is also speculation that there may be more than one clown
Police have received three phone calls related to people being dressed as clowns, according to a spokesman for the Northamptonshire Police, who spoke to the Northampton Chronicle.
Police issued a warning after a resident reported seeing two teenagers who looked like they were dressed as clowns and acting suspiciously. However, according to the police department Twitter page, there haven't been any arrests.
"I haven't been knocking on houses and asking to paint windowsills," wrote a person on a Facebook page called Spot Northampton Clown on Monday. "If what I am doing does get too much for people, I will have to stop."
The person also disputed speculation that they were part of a publicity stunt for a local haunted house.
The clown has also inspired a clown catching superhero. The local citizen has dressed as Superman to protect Northampton from the creepy clown.
Coverage of the Northampton Clown.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
