'It'-Inspired Red Balloons Tied To Ohio Town's Sewer Grates

LAKEWOOD, OH — It appears Pennywise, the demonic, child-eating clown from the horror film "It," has paid a visit to Lakewood. Red balloons were tied to sewer grates near Franklin Avenue, near Lakewood High School, early this morning, the same type of balloons Pennywise uses to lure and taunt his victims.

A resident that lives near the area said the balloons weren't there Monday. That means someone, maybe Pennywise, either stayed up late or got up early to tie the balloons to the sewer grates, probably to celebrate Halloween. It's hard to imagine a terrifying clown creature sipping a cup of coffee at 5 a.m. and heading out to a street corner, but it had to have happened.

The "It"-inspired prank should come as no surprise. Pennywise, and other creepy clown costumes are one of the top-selling outfits for Halloween 2017, according to ABC. Not to mention, Pennywise is just the latest installment in a growing obsession with creepy clowns.

In Sept. 2016, the city of Norwalk went briefly insane over a Facebook photo of two people dressed as clowns that were allegedly terrorizing the town. The whole thing turned out to be an elaborate prank, but it prompted a frantic police search and some vigilante search parties.

Then, about a month later and a little closer to home, a 16-year-old Garfield Heights boy made threats toward some Cuyahoga County schools over Instagram, through a fake account that featured pictures of creepy clowns.

Appearing to capitalize on the strange craze, the horror film "It" was released this year. The movie has become one of the runaway hits of 2017, racking up an incredible $666 million worldwide (an appropriate sum for Halloween) according to Box Office Mojo.

Now the clown craze is coming to Lakewood. Red balloons are tied to sewer grates near Franklin Avenue. Comment below or email Ohio Editor Chris Mosby at chris.mosby@patch.com to tell us if you've seen any other clown-related symbols around town or if you've spotted red balloons like the one below.

Photos from Rick Uldricks, Patch