đ This fact may be outdated
This service did exist, operated by performance artist Dominic Deville in Lucerne around 2010. However, multiple sources indicate it only ran for one summer in 2010 and is no longer operating. Additionally, some sources claim the service only accepted adult victims over 18, not children.
In Lucerne, Switzerland, you can hire an evil clown to stalk your child for a week before their birthday, and on that day, he will smash a cake into your childâs face.
Switzerland's Evil Birthday Clown Was Real (But Short-Lived)
Yes, this actually happened. For one surreal summer in 2010, the Swiss city of Lucerne became home to one of the world's strangest birthday services: you could hire a performance artist named Dominic Deville to terrorize someone as an 'evil clown' for seven days straight, culminating in a surprise cake attack.
Inspired by horror films, Deville launched his venture through the event agency Clockworx, charging 666 Swiss francs (about $600) for the experience. The service worked like psychological warfare disguised as entertainment.
How the Week of Terror Worked
Once hired, Deville would begin stalking his victim from a distance. The target would receive creepy text messages warning they were being watched. Late-night phone calls. Ominous notes. For seven days, the birthday person lived with the knowledge that somewhere out there, an evil clown was tracking their every move.
The clown's singular mission: smash a cake into the victim's face when they least expected it. If Deville failed to deliver the cake-smash within the week, the victim got to keep the cake as a birthday present. A consolation prize for successfully evading a stalker clown.
The Controversial Reality
Here's where the story gets murky. While Deville marketed the service for children's birthdays and media reports ran with that angle, at least one source claims he only accepted clients who were over 18. The service allegedly targeted adults, not kids, despite the birthday party framing.
Deville himself claimed 'most kids absolutely love being scared senseless,' but he also promised to stop immediately if parents became concerned or children showed genuine fear. The ethics of terrorizing children for entertainment sparked obvious concerns.
A Brief Experiment in Fear
The evil clown service appears to have been a short-lived cultural oddity. According to available records, only about 10 people hired Deville during that summer of 2010. By all accounts, the service didn't continue beyond that initial experiment.
No evidence suggests the evil clown stalking service operates today. Deville's Clockworx venture seems to have moved on, and the internet's trail goes cold after 2015. What remains is a bizarre footnote in the history of extreme entertainment: the summer Switzerland let you hire your nightmares.
Was it art? Performance theater? Questionable parenting? Maybe all three. Either way, if you're planning a trip to Lucerne hoping to hire an evil clown today, you're about 15 years too late.