What was the most random thing you were scared of as a child?

[ClassicStripe]

Me and DP are watching Mr McMahon on Netflix and it reminded me that when I was a child me and my sister were really scared of Hulk Hogan. We didn't have a clue about wrestling he was just on a poster at our cousin's house.

Nuclear war
Test card
Watch out there's a Humphrey about
Pylons
1970 warning adverts - see pylons
Hartley Hare
Spontaneous combustion

I spent most of my childhood terrified

The tv commercial in the 70s for milk that went 'watch out watch out there's a humphrey about' and red and white striped straws would pop out of random places like keyholes. Had me hiding behind the couch that did.

@ColinRobinsonsFart omg I've literally just posted about the watch out there's a humphrey about. Petrified me that did!

The original Incredible Hulk. Especially in the opening sequence when he changes and his clothes rip off. Shuddering at the thought.

My mum wearing a face mask. I was around 3 and I can remember the utter terror.
They even tried sitting me in my dad’s lap to watch her put it on but that didn’t help because it didn’t solve the problem. I knew it was her underneath- that wasn’t the issue, it was how she looked once it was on. Like mum but not enough like her. I did grow out of it!

Completely agree with the suit of armour scene from Bedknobs and Broomsticks. Likewise quicksand (used to lie awake at night), tornados and crocodiles (lived in East Anglia).

Big Bird, Emu and the bookend bird from Bagpuss.

It was something about the beaks......

Boy George 😂 I saw him on top of the pops when aged about 4, was sobbing with fear!

Indians in westerns , as in cowboys and Indians , this was 70’s and regular Sunday films for my dad, really scared me

Darleks
jaws
and captain birdseye

Last one - the scene in bond film live and let die with the voodoo shit and rising out of the ground , hated it

Our Victorian grandfather clock. There was a picture of a lion above the dial. The lion's eyes moved - they were connected to the pendulum.

As a child, cattle grids and stairs that have gaps in them. I was terrified I would fall or get caught in the gap.

Even now, clowns give me the shivers. Can't explain it but I just get really uncomfortable.

The man under the bed 🙄
My beds all have drawers now. 😀

The thought of my rabbit dying. As in, wide awake at night dread.

An imaginary mummy I used to think was following me round softplay.

All fish (despite wanting to be a mermaid 🤔).

The black and white tiles at the bottom of the swimming pool used to think there was a killer whale in the pool. 😂

The theme tune to Crimewatch

Omg, yes cattle grids - we were always told you could get your feet stuck in them. In a similar vein, escalators, though I'm not sure that's random.

Lots of kids tv in the 70s was quite scary, as a pp said, the witch from Chorton and the Wheelies.

As a small child I was terrified of worm casts on the beach.

www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/rag-worm-casts-on-beach-penzance-2622853

Electric pylons
ponds
electric substations
( all due to 1980’s government info scary adverts )
Also : toilets and bath plug holes ( in case Jaws swam up them )

E.T

Clowns

The sound of church bells. If our local bells started while I happened to be upstairs at home, I'd scream and run down to my parents for safety. No idea what that was all about

Interesting to see so many people saying quicksand, thought it was just me. Think I got that from The Princess Bride! Also found the wig reveal in The Witches terrifying too.

Other than that, clowns were a big fear for me, as was the idea of getting lost in space, funnily enough. The unlikeliness of that scenario ever coming to pass didn't seem to be enough to put my mind at ease.

I think those videos they used to show at school made you think the likelihood or encountering quicksand or being tempted to climb electricity pylons was a lot higher than it was in reality.