It is a truth universally acknowledged that scary clowns exist to scare kids no matter what decade it is. Well, thanks to some super sleuthing, one fan theory suggests that the world of scary clowns extends from Stephen King's It to Netflix's Stranger Things.
According to Bustle, a fan account zeroed in on Bob and his standout clown story from season 2. From there, the Twitter account @UpsideDownFacts drew some parallels between his harrowing tale and Pennywise's kid-capturing M.O.
Teen Vogue points out that @UpsideDownFacts recalls the fact that Bob Newby's parents are from Maine and that when he was a kid, he was fearful of an evil clown. That may be a pretty common fear, but then he goes on to explain that the clown, Mr. Baldo, offered up a balloon to entice him. Sounds just like a certain killer clown, right?
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
It gets a little spotty from there. Bustle adds that the Bob and his family would have been in Maine during the '50s. Stephen King's It was published in 1985, so the timelines don't line up exactly, since Stranger Things' second season takes place in 1984. But fans aren't going to let their theories fade so easily. They add that Bob's run-in with Mr. Baldo happens in his dreams and that in It, the Losers' Club all seem to mysteriously forget about their encounters with Pennywise. It could also be why Bob is weirdly against horror films in general, which came up during movie night.
Bob’s parents are from Maine, and he was haunted by an evil clown when he was a kid which would’ve been in the late 50’s #StrangerThings pic.twitter.com/G1SfJiCHRd
— Stranger Facts (@UpsideDownFacts) October 29, 2017
Fans were quick to point out other similarities. Again, there's plenty of wiggle room there, too, since the other side was also poking holes in the theory.
he also:
— ˗ˏˋ m ˎˊ˗ (@bIuecoupe) October 30, 2017
1. wasn’t that shook with everything weird going on
2. very waterway savvy. rivers, lakes....sewers ?
He also found victory over the clown when he stopped showing fear. #Parallels
— Hunter R?desi (@hradesi14) October 30, 2017
I've been saying for a year now that 'The Duffer Brothers' is just another pseudonym used by Stephen King to conceal his identity, again.
— Mouad Elhmaidi (@MouadElhmaidi) October 30, 2017
Y'all are gonna tell me none of u noticed that Mike's dad has really similar glasses to Finn's character in IT...
— vic (@risemusic_) November 1, 2017
Okay but Georgie goes missing in 1957 and IT goes after multiple kids. So it's just saying he could have gone after Bob. 'Twas a fun theory.
— Ashton ?? (@ashtonkcarr17) November 2, 2017
Of course, the Duffer brothers offered some insight into the connection. In an interview with Vulture, Matt Duffer explained that It, King's work in general, and Pennywise were somewhat responsible for his and the show's development. "We saw the It mini-series and Tim Curry's performance as Pennywise really messed me up. Like, it scarred me in a major way," Duffer said. "It was one of the first true horror things I had seen, and I had not experienced Stephen King before. That was my first experience with Stephen King, so that was a really huge point in my life. It was two weeks, at least, of no sleep because of that. So yeah, I think [Bob's clown story] was really me describing something that just freaked me out."
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
For anyone unconcerned with a little detail like time, it could mean that Bob's even more badass than anyone thought. After what he did in the show's second season and surviving an encounter with a certain spooky clown, it's no surprise that a certain Hawkins mom can't resist his charms.
Read These Stories Next:
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT