Selects: How Clowns Work

In this special Christmas Day episode, we get cuddly with one of the all-time great holiday gifts, dolls! Where did they come from? Why are the so cute? Why are they sometimes creepy? Why do they tell us to do things we don’t want to with their minds?See omnystudio.com/listener f ...  Show more

Holly is waxy and super sharp, not exactly the kind of thing you'd want all over your house. Yet it happens every holiday season. Today we dig in to discover why.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 

Slate Plus members get ad-free podcasts and bonus episodes of shows like Dear Prudence and Slow Burn. Sign up now to listen and support our work. Decoder Ring is a podcast about cracking cultural mysteries. Every month host Willa Paskin,Slate’s TV critic, takes on a cultural ques ...  Show more

Are you afraid of clowns? Most clowns when they take off their makeup and costumes they're just normal people. But today's case is about a clown... when he took off his makeup he was something scarier... a serial killer. 

"Do you want to see a magic trick?" - it's ...

Throughout our history, clowning has been a powerful art form, capable of bringing joy and swaying politicians. Come wire walk with us as we look at famous female clowns, past and present.

Clowns are supposed to make you laugh, but often can make you shudder. What is supposed to be a figure of fun is for many the stuff of nightmares. Coulrophobia —the irrational fear of clowns that’s surprisingly common. This has been reinforced by popular culture, and many horror ...  Show more