Artifact No.52 - Crackers the Clown

More clowns? We’re not sure what it is, but everyone seems to love a creepy clown!

This clown is handmade. We know that because Google showed us that it was made using a
vintage Butterick sewing pattern from the 1980s titled “Crackers the Clown”. Crackers is dressed in typical clown attire, including neck ruffles. His jumpsuit is light blue and dark blue, and it's adorned with hearts and flowers. He has red hair, and his face is embroidered on. Someone put a lot of care into making this clown, and it shows.

Other than that, we don’t have much information on the origins of Crackers. We found him at a thrift store, and something about him just feels unsettling….although that could be because a lot of people find clowns unsettling. Honestly, the most unsettling part is his face. There was a brown stain on his mouth, and although Chris and I said we would leave our items in the state in which we found them, it seemed a bit too weird not to try to clean the stain on the left side of his mouth. The stain didn’t 100% go away. It almost seemed to spread a bit.

In Japan, people have been known to use dolls as spirit vessels, and if the spirit is neglected, it may become vengeful and dangerous. To avoid neglecting the spirit in the doll, people will speak to the doll, bring it offerings, or even feed the doll.

Now we can’t say for sure this is what was going on, but also, why else would there be a stain on Crackers’ mouth if someone wasn’t trying to feed him?

Even if you don’t believe Crackers was fed to appease any spirits, he is definitely handmade, and a lot of energy was put into making him. Because of that, this clown is one-of-a-kind! No one else in the world will have a Crackers just like this one, and that makes him special and unique. But it also makes him a little bit more creepy, too!