When it comes to hospital decor, clowns are a big no-no, with even older children seeing them as "scary", according to the Space to Care study by the University of Sheffield.
News providers all over the world jumped on the story with glee while picture editors rushed off to track down frightening clown snaps. The BBC's online news magazine spoke to anxiety disorder expert Professor Paul Salkovskis, who explained children are unlikely to be afraid of clowns per se but are unsettled by the unusual. "My three-year-old was terrified by Peter Rabbit at B&Q," he says. "Peter Rabbit is six inches high, not seven feet high."
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