Can't Sleep, Clown'll Eat Me
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"Can't sleep, clown'll eat me" is a stock phrase used by Bart Simpson in Lisa's First Word, a Simpsons episode. It comes shortly after Bart is made a clown bed by his father, Homer, sparking coulrophobia. This has been adapted by Chuckie Finster in Rugrats, due to HIS fear of clowns, but his fear was noticed before this phrase.
Origins
Inspired by an event in The Simpsons writer Mike Reiss' childhood,[1] young Bart does not want to give up sleeping in the crib to make way for his newborn sister. Noticing Bart's affection for Krusty the Clown but unable to afford a professionally built Krusty-themed bed, Homer decides to build a bed with Krusty's likeness to please his son. However, because of Homer's poor handicraft skills, the bed takes on an unacceptable appearance and frightens Bart, especially in the darkened room. In his first night in the new bed, far from "laughing himself to sleep", Bart imagines that the face on the headboard of the bed comes to life, intoning with evil glee, "if you should die before you wake...", before collapsing into evil cackling.
The next morning, Bart is curled up into the fetal position on the floor next to the sofa downstairs, repeatedly uttering the phrase "can't sleep, clown will eat me..." The catchphrase inspired the Alice Cooper song "Can't Sleep, Clowns Will Eat Me" from the 2001 album Dragontown.[2] The phrase has since found its way into popular use.[3]
