As Halloween approaches, a lot of our childhood fears can resurface. Clowns, ghosts, and monsters under the bed are common things that scare children. However, members of the Weekly Talon had some unique fears when they were younger, ranging from cartoon monsters to a McDonald’s mascot. 

Abominable Snow Monster from “Rudolph”

The movie Rudolph (1964) was a part of many childhoods. It’s still shown in elementary school classes today. According to Reddit, this fear was universal for some. People say that the claymation alone scares them. There’s one character in particular that people find the scariest, The Abominable Snow Monster. English teacher Matthew Barker went into detail about his childhood fear that continued into adulthood. 

“I knew the Abominable was coming,” Barker said. “And I just felt so anxious the whole time. Even if I knew the Abominable was gonna be good by the end, it was still scary.”

His fear began when he was three years old, after being exposed to what he called the “Rankin-Bass claymation extravaganza.” Specifically, the most frightening piece for him was “that dang squeal growl sound it makes” This noise the monster made while climbing over the trees struck fear into Barker.

Flying Bugs

Many people are scared of large, flying bugs. The common bugs to be scared of are bees, horseflies, and hornets. While those are uniquely terrifying, senior Emma Waddell’s childhood fear was butterflies. Fright can trigger a fight-or-flight response. For Waddell, she chose to fight. 

“I was scared of everything that flew at me,” Waddell said. “I would scream, cry, and run away. A butterfly landed on me in the pool one day. I picked it up and drowned it.” 

Violence cannot solve every fear, but it certainly saved Waddell from a vicious butterfly attack.

Clowns

Clowns have been scaring people for years. Thinking back to 2016, when it was rumored that people were dressing as clowns and hurting young kids, this fear is completely understandable. For Carden Stroud, her fear of clowns began at six years old.

“When I was in kindergarten, someone told me that there was a clown hiding in the woods behind the playground at our elementary school,” Stroud said, “I was terrified he would come and try to get us during recess.”

Children’s fears in early childhood can often be extreme. Stroud has since gotten over this fear, but when she was in kindergarten, the thought of seeing a clown controlled many aspects of her everyday life. 

“Looking back, this makes no sense, but six-year-old me was scared to go outside for months,” Stroud said.

Bloody Mary

The game Bloody Mary was popular in most elementary schools, at least for Gen-Z. It was created in the early 20th century and is based on a Japanese urban legend. An individual would chant “Bloody Mary” towards a mirror three times in a dimly lit or candle-lit bathroom. Then, it is rumored that the spirit is summoned to appear in your mirror. This game is a common fear for young children, but Hayden Smith took her fright to the next level.

“My friends told me the story of Bloody Mary, and every time I passed a mirror, I started singing the ‘Jesus Loves Me’ song to protect myself from Bloody Mary,” Smith said.

Ghosts

Whether ghosts are real or not has been an ongoing debate in the media. People have attempted to prove and disprove the existence of ghosts many times over the years. For Callie Wisecarver, her fear of ghosts began at a young age and continues today. 

“I was like 7,” Wisecarver said, “My brother was like, ‘You know the people that owned the house before us, the old lady that lived there, she died in my room. She put carpet over the wood floor so you couldn’t see the death spots.’”

Understandably, this terrified Wisecarver for years to come. She has heard and seen proof of the spirits’ existence. 

“I’ll randomly hear the door slowly open then slam back shut,” Wisecarver said. “It scares the crap outta me.”

Another Weekly Talon member also had a fear of ghosts during her childhood. Kate Price’s ghost encounter differed from Wisecarver’s, though hers was intentional. Having a love for anything supernatural as a child can have its pros and cons. 

 “I watched a YouTube video on how to summon a ghost,” Price said. “So naturally, I headed to my parent’s room to summon one, because I didn’t want one in my room. I had trouble sleeping for months because I was scared the ghost would attack me in my sleep.”

Most people would not be intrigued by spirits after knowing that one could possibly be living with you. Price was definitely on the fence about ghosts after this, but they didn’t frighten her as much as they did Wisecarver. 

“I wasn’t exactly scared of them,” Price said. “I liked them during the day but not at night.”

The Hamburglar

The Hamburglar is a McDonald’s crew character created in March 1971. He appeared in many commercials alongside Grimace, Ronald McDonald, Mayor McCheese, and others. Ronald McDonald is a common McDonald’s crew character for people to fear. But Grace Carroll’s childhood fear was one with ginger hair and a stereotypical criminal outfit.

“I hated him,” Carroll said. “I have nightmares about him. He’s a ginger; that freaks me out, too. Capital F freaks me out.” 

Specifically, the sinister noise he makes in a popular McDonald’s commercial strikes fear into her.  

“I still think he’s a little freak,” Carroll said. “He’s worse than the filet-o-fish.”

There are so many other people, characters, and objects that scare people than just the traditional ghosts and goblins. The Weekly Talon staff proved it. Thankfully, most have gotten over their fears, but not all. 

What childhood haunts scare you still?