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The &34;It&34; film franchise's iconic killer clown was dispatched to five continents to scare up some &34;Welcome to Derry&34; horror series viewers. Pennywise

The "It" film franchise's iconic killer clown was dispatched to five continents to scare up some "Welcome to Derry" horror series viewers.

Pennywise pops up in cities worldwide to scare the crap out of everyone — and it's not for Halloween

The "It" film franchise's iconic killer clown was dispatched to five continents to scare up some "Welcome to Derry" horror series viewers.

By Ryan Coleman

Ryan Coleman

Ryan Coleman is a news writer for with previous work in MUBI Notebook, Slant, and the LA Review of Books.

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October 22, 2025 11:43 p.m. ET

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Pennywise in New York City in 2025. Credit:

You can't run, you can't hide, but you can take a selfie!

Pennywise — the iconic, malevolent shapeshifting entity that often takes the form of a dancing clown and was first introduced in Stephen King's 1986 novel *It — *suddenly and mysteriously appeared on five different continents on Tuesday.

Fans of the fearsome force of evil in cities worldwide were treated to glimpses of Pennywise — in clown form and otherwise — on Tuesday and Wednesday, as part of a "Red Balloon Takeover" to promote HBO's *It: Welcome to Derry*, the latest chapter in the Penny-verse.

Pennywise in New York City, for 'It: Welcome to Derry'.

From bus stops to the steps of museums, to the Eiffel Tower and an extravagant hot air balloon, Pennywise and his enchanted minions central to *Welcome to Derry *were dispatched by HBO Max in an extravagant PR blitz for the series, which premieres Oct. 26.

Pennywise in a hot air balloon in Cappadocia, Turkey.

"Eerie solo red balloons, daunting large red balloons, and other series-themed Easter eggs began appearing in cities and countries across the globe including New York, Los Angeles, Mexico City, São Paulo & Rio de Janeiro, Madrid, Paris, Singapore, Manila, Sydney, Cappadocia, Warsaw, Santiago de Chile, Thailand, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Dubai," a Wednesday press release noted. "The red balloons were just the beginning, as Pennywise began to make terrifying appearances throughout various cities, including New York and Los Angeles."**

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'Welcome to Derry': On set of the 'It' prequel tracing Pennywise's origins (exclusive)

'It: Welcome to Derry' star Stephen Rider initially lost out on Mike Hanlon movie role

Pennywise has now been portrayed in a miniseries, two films, and now series, but only by two actors. Tim Curry of *Rocky Horror Picture Show *fame memorably gave the dancing clown its first breath in a 1990 miniseries co-written and directed by Tommy Lee Wallace. Divided into two parts, the first rendition of *It *was a major hit for ABC, scoring two Emmy nominations and pulling in a combined 30 million viewers.

Though Curry's more realistic rendition of Pennywise has proven to have enduring cultural staying power, Bill Skarsgård has made the role his own over the past decade.**

HBO's 'Red Balloon Takeover' in Los Angeles, 2025.

First appearing in 2017's *It *and then in the blockbuster success's 2019 follow-up, *It: Chapter Two*, Skarsgård's baroque, surreal, and at times silly take on the most notorious villain from Stephen King's rogues' gallery is the version that floated into cities around the world like a red balloon this week.

Skarsgård is set to reprise his role in *Welcome to Derry*, which serves as a prequel to the films by Andy Muschietti. Set in the 1960s in the titular and fictional Maine small town, the series started with a simple question, Muschietti recently told **: "What if we explore the origin of Pennywise?"

Pennywise on a yacht in New York City in 2025.

But Muschietti's co-producer and co-developer, Jason Fuchs, noted that the series is as much about Derry as it is the alien clown that wreaks havoc there.

"Derry *is* the entity in many ways," he said. "Obviously, there's a town that is separate, but to me, the stories are totally intertwined. If you think about the mythology in the book, It actually predates Derry. It has been there for millennia. Derry is a more recent innovation. So is there a Derry without It?"******

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