In the early 1990s, there was a clown that made millions of Americans laugh, it wasn't Bozo, it was Homey The Clown.

Coincidentally, when the character was making adults laugh during In Living Color another clown with that name was doing the opposite, allegedly.

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I was shocked to learn this was a real situation if you will. The talk of a "Homey the Clown" spread all over the Chicago area, so much that newspapers like Chicago Tribune began running stories.

Reports of sightings have come from Oak Park and various parts of Chicago of an African-American male who is dressing up as the sock-wielding, child-taunting, militant character made famous by comedian Damon Wayans on Fox-TV`s ''In Living Color'' comedy-variety program. -

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The stories of the supposed clown terrorizing children in Chicago did not bode well for actual performing clowns in the area. One person who grew up where "Homey" sightings to take described to Chicago Reader what other kids were saying about the clown.

But the Homey we feared was a man dressed as a clown who’d supposedly been roaming the neighborhood and luring children into his white van–or maybe just snatching them and throwing them inside.

Police Had No Choice

With all the talk amongst children and the number of concerned parents growing, local police had no choice to be put all clowns on notice. A Chicago Police officer issued a direct warning through the Chicago Tribune.

''If you`re a clown going to work, you`re gonna get stopped,'' warned an officer in the first deputy superintendent`s office.

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Despite all the stories all the "eyewitness acounts" of this clown said to be luring children to kidnapping them to toss into a van, police found it all to be unfounded.

Did a horrifying version of Homey the Clown exist in Illinois or is it an urban legend?

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