It (character)

Cosplay of the 2017 version of the character

It, also known as Pennywise the Dancing Clown or Bob Gray, is the title character and main antagonist of Stephen King's 1986 horror novel It. The character is a demonic and scary supernatural entity that murders and eats the local children of the fictional town of Derry, Maine about every twenty-seven years, using many powers that include the ability to shapeshift, manipulate, and go unnoticed by adults.

King came up with the idea for Pennywise after asking himself what scared children "more than anything else in the world", which he felt was clowns. The character has been described as one of the scariest clowns in popular culture and is a global icon.

The character was portrayed by Tim Curry in the 1990 television adaptation of the same name; and by Bill Skarsgård in the 2017 and 2019 movie adaptation.