Social Experiment: How clowns went from beloved to feared

PHILADELPHIA (WTXF) - Creepy clown sightings have been reported all across the country and now the concern has hit our area. A scary clown threat spread on social media involving schools in the Radnor Township District. One of the posts threatens to either kidnap students or kill teachers. However, police say the posts are a hoax. The threat has also forced officials in Toms River and Boyertown to issue warnings.

The clown sightings and social media threats are obviously nothing to joke about. But we wanted to know how did clowns go from being a figure beloved by children to the face of fear and horror?

See what FOX 29's Hank Flynn learned when he conducted a little social experiment in the video above.