Several NSW schools have banned students from wearing "creepy clown" outfits for Halloween celebrations in the wake of the phenomenon sweeping the United States and copy-cat pranksters appearing closer to home.
People dressed as creepy clowns have been seen lurking around a school, running into cars and stalking parks in NSW since September, spawning Facebook clown hunting groups and police warnings to would-be clowns that they are putting the public in danger.
"There's the potential for retaliation or people could be seriously hurt or could die by trying to get away," Campbelltown Police Inspector Tara Norton said.
Now the phenomenon has reached the increasingly popular Halloween celebration in NSW schools, with principals asking students to leave the scary mask at home.
It follows similar bans in the US where entire school counties in New Jersey, Connecticut and Denver have banned the so-called evil mask over safety concerns.
The wave of negative publicity has hurt the business prospects of professional clowns like Rodney "Stretch" Meyers, who is concerned that illicit clown activity is moving towards a peak on Halloween.
"We were hoping it was just going to be a phase like planking," said Mr Meyers.
The "happy" clown veteran said he often used to drive to work and go shopping fully kitted out in his clown outfit.
"Now if I go through McDonald's drive-through the girls just scream and freak out," he said.
At least seven public schools across NSW, including five in Sydney, are holding Halloween fetes and discos this year, as the US tradition surges in popularity. It has become among the biggest school event of the year at Toongabbie West and Nicholson Street Public in Balmain.
Albert Park Public and Barkers Vale Public have banned students from wearing the masks to this years celebrations, reported Lismore's Northern Daily Star while an employee at Cabramatta Public said there would be "absolutely no clowns allowed", at their school's Halloween festivities given the "current clown situation in Sydney".
A spokeswoman for Waverley College said that while the school does not recognise Halloween the college is aware of the scary clown phenomenon. "Anything of that nature would be considered unacceptable behaviour and a breach of student conduct," she said.
The NSW Department of Education confirmed no students would be able to wear masks at Casino High in the state's north, but that costumes were not prescribed at Halloween events at Nicholson Street Public School, Haberfield Public School and South Coogee Public School.
