What objects do you remember being scared of in childhood?

[wanderings]

Rationally or otherwise? Some of mine were:

Seeing a toilet with the seat up - it looked like an open-mouthed monster, and I remember it being at my eye level too.

Shoes with buckles, especially when someone else was fastening them on to my feet, because I couldn't get them off myself. Velcro ones were OK though.

Lifts, especially the old-fashioned ones with metal gates instead of sliding doors, now quite rare.

Balloons. Even now they bring me out in a cold sweat, because they might burst.

[BertieBotts]

Mr. Noseybonk is scary as shit now! Jesus fuck

[iklboo]

Yep. And that was a KIDS' TV show

[GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER]

A large Toby Jug on a shelf in grandparents' hall. I thought its face looked evil and it always seemed to be watching me when I was coming downstairs.

When early teens, a very old edition of Dracula that had belonged to GM. Even the outside looked creepy, in scary Gothic script, and once I'd seen the first Christopher Lee Dracula, I couldn't sleep with that book even in the room, in case it somehow summoned him.

[Awwlookatmybabyspider]

Who remembers that creepy floating fucker wordy from Dark Towers. He used to terrify me

[Flowersandblack]

Thanks to that cartoon johnny Bravo I was scared shitless of the toilet. I used to flush and leg it.

[BertieBotts]

I was also scared of a tree in our local park which had a face graffitied on it. And the little yard next to the park where they put the old play equipment when they replaced it, for some reason, was terrifying. Anything old or abandoned in general. I was scared of a broken window at ballet and a hole in the wall at nursery.

I think I must have been scared of street lamps because we called the one outside my window "the friendly light". Likewise my grandparents' toilet was a "friendly toilet" (quiet flush) and our shower was a "tickly shower", all other showers and toilets were scary.

I was quite an anxious child.

[UnlawfulBananaPeeler]

Thunderbirds - still can’t watch them

People dressed up, especially huge mascot type costumes. I stil avoid them now but hard with the children, I’d probably faint if one touched me

Bananas in bags. I was convinced there would be a tarantula in there

Bushes because of tigers... obviously

[MyNameIsKarenMyHairIsShiny]

-A picture hanging in my nan's living room. It was a lady and I thought she looked evil, however wearing a plastic basket on my head would protect me
-Fire. I couldn't even hear the word without losing it
-My (now favourite) uncle. He was always super nice and easy going and he's my favourite cousin's dad but he's bald and his bald head scared me so much I used to go to bed at six when they were supposed to arrive at seven
-The Circus, after a knife throwing artist took my dad into the arena and threw knives at him. I started to scream and cry so hard that the people next to us took pity and bought me chips in an attempt to pacify me