There was a human Pennywise the Dancing Clown, but IT just takes his form. In the movie canon, Pennywise the Dancing Clown was a real person whose image IT decided was a terrifying enough basis for his child-scaring campaign.

What was Pennywise's backstory?

In the novel, It's origins are nebulous. He took the form of a clown most frequently, Mr. Bob Gray or Pennywise, but his true form is an ancient eldritch entity from another universe who landed in the town that would become Derry by way of an asteroid and first awoke in 1715.

Is Pennywise a human or a monster?

In the novel, It is a shapeshifting monster who usually takes the form of Pennywise the Dancing Clown, originating in a void containing and surrounding the Universe—a place referred to in the novel as the "Macroverse".

How did Pennywise become evil?

Pennywise was always evil - or, more accurately, he never really existed. He was just a creation of IT to lure in children so they could be terrified and then eaten. Or so that IT could create chaos, incite riots and spread fear.

Why did Pennywise turn into a baby?

And if his victim believes him to be powerless, he will become powerless. And so the group figures out that their best bet is, essentially, to bully the bully: They mock Pennywise, telling him he isn't scary. Humiliated, Pennywise begins to shrink, transforming into an almost Benjamin Button–like, melted clown-baby.

It Chapter 2: Pennywise’s Origin Explained

Why does Pennywise eat children?

According to It, when humans got scared, "all the chemicals of fear flooded the body and salted the meat". This is why he prefers to feast on children -- their fears are simple, pure, and powerful compared to the complex, pathological fears of adults. Basically, children are delicious.

What is Pennywise afraid of?

Stephen King's IT introduced readers to a one-of-a-kind creature that can take any form, the most common one being Pennywise the Dancing Clown, and as menacing as it is, this creature has one big enemy it's truly scared of: Maturin, the turtle.

Why does Pennywise scare before killing?

Pennywise does not need to scare his victims in order to kill them, he simply prefers to. The reason he does this is because it supppsedly tastes better. He says it's like "salting the meat." Pennywise feeds off the fear as much as he does the consumption of Children.

Why does Pennywise appear every 27 years?

IT arrived on Earth through an event similar to an asteroid impact, landing in what would later become Derry, Maine. Once there, IT adopted its usual pattern of hibernation that lasted between 27 and 30 years, awakening to kill and eat and then going back to sleep.

Who was the first person Pennywise killed?

Georgie's death was unique in It. While Pennywise's later victims were composed exclusively of high school students, Georgie was only six when he died. The added horror of killing someone so young and innocent immediately established Pennywise as a terrifying villain.

What type of God is Pennywise?

If you want to get technical, It is an alien, but It's origin goes well beyond that. It is actually an ancient cosmic deity. A god of destruction, not just of our world, but of multiple worlds and even multiple universes.

Was that really Pennywise's daughter?

Kersh is the daughter of Bob Gray, whose evil clown Pennywise is an incarnation of the shapeshifting creature referred to as "It." Muschietti whispered commands (Freeze! Smile! Laugh!) to Gregson during her close-ups.

What is Pennywise weakness?

However, It must surrender the the laws of whatever shape It takes. Pennywise's strength is also his weakness. For example, if he were to take the shape of a werewolf (as he does in the novel), silver bullets would harm him.

How did Pennywise lose to kids?

The spider-clown shrinks as the Losers hurl taunts at It, until it's tiny and weak enough that they pluck out its heart and squash it into nothingness. In the end, they defeat Pennywise by, uh, making him feel really bad about himself. It author Stephen King.

Who was Pennywise before he died?

In the novel, however, the entity IT/Pennywise has a real name — Bob Gray.

Did Pennywise get pregnant?

Regardless, she's one nasty beast and not alone due to the egg sack she's carrying. Unfortunately, King's imagination ran a little wilder than alluded to in the movies or earlier in the books, and the consequence of that is a pregnant Pennywise.

Why do adults not see Pennywise?

They reach the conclusion that Pennywise has all of the adults under some sort of spell that prohibits them from seeing him. The adults of Derry are shown to be villainous in their own right as well. The adults of Derry are shown to be true villains of the story in the same way as Pennywise.

Why does Pennywise only target kids?

A Tumblr user offers an explanation on why Pennywise's preferred target are children, and it's not so much because their fears are less complex than those of adults, but because IT is all about child abuse.

Is Pennywise based on a true story?

Almost certainly the most well-known evil clown (save for Batman¹s archnemesis, the Joker; more on him later), Pennywise is modeled after real-life serial killer John Wayne Gacy, aka Pogo the Clown, a.k.a. "The Clown Killer." Gacy was convicted of sexually assaulting and killing 33 boys in 1980; he posed as a clown ...

Why does Pennywise terrorize kids?

Pennywise/It

Described as a mysterious, eldritch, demonic entity of evil, It is a monster of unknown origin that preys on Derry's children and humans every twenty-seven years. IT finds striking fear in children akin to seasoning or "salt(ing) the meat", "You all taste so much better when you are afraid".

Does Pennywise eat a baby in the book?

However, despite all that, there's one thing IT doesn't feature, and that's Pennywise devouring a baby. King doesn't go quite that far, although babies aren't safe from violence in the book completely, thanks to Patrick Hockstetter.

What happened to Pennywise when he died?

Now, when the Losers crushed IT's heart while in its spider form, they killed IT's physical form and severed its connection to Derry, thus why the town was destroyed, but the true entity still lives in another plane of existence.

What can destroy Pennywise?

The rest of the group realizes they can defeat it by shrinking it and therefore weakening it, which they achieve by standing up to it. They take out IT's heart and proceed to crush it, finally killing it. Eddie dies and his body is left behind.

Why is Pennywise afraid of a turtle?

The turtle is a force of benevolence and is guided by compassion, whereas IT represents chaos, evil, and fear. They are diametrically opposed. Because they are both interdimensional entities with equal powers, the turtle could kill IT if it wanted to, therefore it's understandable that IT is terrified of it.

What kills Pennywise?

This proves to be its undoing; Eddie nearly chokes it when it takes the form of a leper and is small enough for him to do that. When sufficiently weakened, the Losers kill It by crushing the heart it must have in the form of Pennywise the Dancing Clown.