Not Tropeworthy: Robot Clown

Courtesy link to the original TLP draft.

The problem: Robot Clown is a trope about robots who happen to be clowns. The description tries to explain ways this could be tropeworthy, ranging from making the robots seem scarier (in cases of a Monster Clown), and this description of how the two contrast:

However, most of the description is just an explanation of the history of the relationship between clowns and robots, and certain parts of the description seem to imply that this trope is literally just "robot + clown", such as this part:

I raised these concerns a while back in the TRS meta thread, and was told both that this concept seemed like just "robot + clown" and might be redundant/mergable with Funny Robot (per MacronNotes). I decided to do a wick check to see if there was a problem.

Wick check: Link here, but here's the quick results:

• 9/50 wicks had tropeworthy context behind "robot + clown", or 18%,
• 28/50 wicks were just a robot who is a clown, or 56%,
• 0/50 wicks overlapped with Funny Robot, or 0%
• 6/50 wicks were zero context, unclear, or other, or 12%, and
• 7/50 wicks were unclassifiable, or 14%.

Totaled together, that's

• 9/50 tropeworthy wicks, or 18%, and
• 34/50 non-tropeworthy, zero-context, or other wicks, or 68%

Analysis: Alright, so there were several wicks that actually tried to use the robot clown dynamic in a meaningful, tropeworthy way. However, the majority of examples were either a robot who happens to be a clown, or lacked context or were unclear. Many were furthermore just references to characters who were robot clowns. Interestingly, however, no examples (that I could see) overlapped with Funny Robot.

Possible solutions: Since "robot + clown" isn't really tropeworthy, I recommend either disambiguating with any relevant tropes, merging with Funny Robot (which I was told was still possible in spite of the wick check), or just cut outright (with any tropeworthy ideas yarded).

What does everyone else think? Any other ideas or suggestions?

1. Music.Poets Of The Fall: In the video for "Carnival of Rust," Zoltar the Fortuneteller is an automaton clown trapped in a glass case, albeit an exceptionally sad, decrepit one, with monochrome, flaking makeup and faded, tatty clothes. Playing the role of a Pierrot gone to seed, he attempts to free himself from the Carnival by futilely begging for his latest customer's love via an Obsession Song. Robot + clown combo played for drama—"trapped in a glass case".
2. Anime.Mobile Fighter G Gundam: The Jester Gundam is a clown-themed mech. Aside from its white face and colorful armor, its most powerful attack is "Top Mode", where it transforms into a giant spinning top to create illusions and confuse enemies. Robot + clown combo factors into attacks.
3. VideoGame.Wario Land Shake It: The boss Chortlebot is a flying robot clown head. Its Gag Nose turns into a spikeball, which Chortlebot launches at Wario. It has Creepy Circus Music as its boss theme, and a distinct, high-pitched cackle. Robot + clown combo factors into attacks.
4. Characters.RPC Authority Cosmic Embers: GRP-239 was built to specifically resemble a clown so that it would look more appealing to humans. Robot + clown combo exists due to the design being seen as appealing—thus further context.
5. Recap.Doctor Who50th AS The Day Of The Doctor: Eleven finds one and repairs it with River. Their purpose is to act as therapists to children and edit their unpleasant memories. Robot clowns specifically serve a purpose here—altering children's memories.
6. WesternAnimation.League Of Super Evil: Chuckles the Clown is a robot created by Dr. Frogg when he was a kid, to get back at kids who didn't invite him to their birthday parties. Chuckles appears to be a Non-Ironic Clown at first, but when he is wound up, he reveals his cruel nature, playing painful pranks on the team. Robot clown created specifically to torment kids.
7. Trivia.Poets Of The Fall: Enforced Method Acting: In the video for "Carnival of Rust" Robot Clown Zoltar's misery and desperation to escape his fortuneteller's case reflects singer Marko Saaresto's suffering through sweltering heat and migraine-inducing oxygen deprivation while inside. Life further imitated art, as the crackled-paint makeup was severely drying out his skin for real during the overlong shoot, resulting in the loss of his eyebrows and necessitating heavy use of moisturizer to counteract the damage. Pothole references additional relevant context to a robot clown.
8. Futurama.Tropes O To S: On the episode "Bendin' in the Wind", an injured Bender is treated by a robot version of Patch Adams in a clown outfit. Robot clown is used as a Patch Adams reference.
9. VideoGame.Mega Man 8: Clown Man is a clown robot who likes to play with trapezes with his extendable arms, and is the boss of a toy-themed amusement park. "Clown robot" theming used heavily in attacks and land.

1. Characters.Helluva Boss Others: As an animatronic modelled after the real Fizzarolli who's a demonic jester, Robo Fizz is a robotic jester. Just a robot who is modeled after a clown.
2. WesternAnimation.The Adventures Of Figaro Pho: Rivet, whose red nose and lips, along with his perky, playful behavior, make him very clownlike. Just a robot who is a clown.
3. VideoGame.Dark Chronicle: The Repulsive Ringmaster Flotsam rides around on a huge, clown-faced Spider Tank called Halloween. Later on, Flotsam himself is given a cyborg body after his near-death, but still retains his clownish facepaint and colorful suit. Just a robot who is a clown.
4. VideoGame.Machine Hunter: The Type-3 Entertainer robots are based on clowns. Just robots who are clowns.
5. HellIsThatNoise.Western Animation: "YOU CAN CALL ME MR. FRIEND! YOU'LL NEVER EVER BE BORED AGAIN! LA LA LA LA LA LA LA..." References a robot that happens to be a clown.
6. Characters.Five Nights At Freddys Fifth Generation: All of the animatronics are dressed like clowns. Even Ennard, who is a combination of all of them, still puts on a mask and button to get in on this trope. Robots who happen to be clowns.
7. VideoGame.Bomberman Hero: One of the enemies you can find in Clown Valley is a knife-throwing clown on a rolling ball. As most of the characters in Bomberman are robots, these enemies fit the bill, and are all the more creepy for it. Just robots who are clowns.
8. Series.Mirrorman: An episode set in an amusement park have a clown - actually a robot planted by the Invaders - sent to activate a monster called Kinder to be unleashed on humanity. Just a clown who is a robot.
9. WebAnimation.Kandyland: All of the animatronics. They're brightly colored, with white face-plates that evoke face-paint and are advanced enough to entertain and care for children on their own. Suzy and Mr. Smiles play this trope the straightest since they're actual robot clowns, not just robot animals with some clown-like features. As written, just robots who are clowns.
10. WesternAnimation.Batman The Animated Series: In The Last Luagh, the Joker introduces a new minion called Captain Clown. Batman is visibly confused by this new minion's superhuman strength, until he breaks the minion's face, revealing that he is actually a robot. This gives Batman the realization that killing the minion will not break his strict Thou Shalt Not Kill rule, and so the minion meets his doom in a trash compactor. Just a clown who is a robot.
11. Recap.Whats New Scooby Doo S 3 E 8 A Terrifying Round With A Menacing Metallic Clown: As the title indicates, the villain is a giant robotic clown. It starts used as an obstacle on a mini-golf course, then comes to life to terrorize golfers. It turns out to be controlled by Mayor Snipper, who specifically built it to scare people away from the golf course because he believes that golf ruined his son's life. Just a robot who is a clown.
12. Series.K9: Are common place in the future.
    • In "Dream-Eaters", Darius has a nightmare of being trapped in his car with three robotic clowns and the human Mr. Floppy Fun Pants.
    • "Robot Gladiators", has Chuckles and Boris, a pair of clowns (invokedwith the same cosutmes from "Dream-Eaters") forced to fight as gladiators who befriend K9. They return to the circus once the K9 Unit crash the business. Just robot clowns.
13. Crappy Carnival: Helluva Boss has "Loo Loo Land," a theme park made by Mammon that rips off Lucifer's far more popular "Lu Lu World." As appropriate for a carnival set in Hell, the place is falling apart, the merchandise is overpriced, the games are rigged, there is zero security and the mascots are terrifying. And that's not even getting to the robot Fizzarolli that takes center stage at its live shows. Just a reference to a robot clown.
14. MagicTheGathering.Planes: A common sight among the park's entertainers, many of them hand-crafted by Pietra or mass-produced by the Clown Extruder. Just robot clowns.
15. Rugrats.Tropes R To Z: One episode involved the babies fighting an army of malfunctioning clown robots, Stu's "Mr. Friend." Just robot clowns.
16. Happy Harlequin Hat: Helluva Boss: Fizzarolli and his robotic replicas wear these, naturally. Just a reference to a robot clown.
17. Characters.Kirby Enemies: If the name wasn't already a giveaway, they're robot clowns. Just clowns who are robots.
18. VideoGame.Machine Hunter: The Type-3 Entertainer robots are based on clowns. Just robots who are clowns.
19. VideoGame.Nier Automata: The Amusement Park machine life forms are dressed up as clowns and jesters. Just robot clowns.
20. Franchise.Super Mario Bros: The Koopa Clown Car has been Bowser's personal weaponized helicopter since Super Mario World. It has a clown face which changes its expression depending on its status. Several variations exist such as the Junior Clown Car for his son and the Koopalings and the "Fire" version starting in Super Mario Maker, but all of them bear the clown face. Just a robot clown car as written.
21. ComicBook.The Avengers: The very first issue of the very first series offers an extremely weird example of this trope, with the Hulk disguising himself as a robot in clown makeup. Just "robot clown" makeup.
22. Walking Swimsuit Scene: Shizuka, rather unintentionally in the Doraemon OVA, The Genius Nobita's Airship Amusement Park. When the villain Jester and his Robot Clown army takes over the titular park and captures everyone, it so happens that Shizuka - being Shizuka - was abducted in the indoor swimming pool. She spends a big chunk of the escape scene wearing a two-piece bathing suit, in comparison to the boys (and new character Connie) who's fully clothed. Just a reference to a robot clown.
23. Anime.Metropolis 2001: Despite not doing anything harmful unlike the other robots in Metropolis that went berserk during the test of the Ziggurat's solar spots weapon, the Marduk mercilessly gun down a malfunctioning robot clown that was carrying balloons. Just mentions a robot clown.
24. VideoGame.Dynamite Headdy: The Puppeteer boss is a clown puppet. While all the characters are puppets, this character looks particularly robotic because he has a propeller where his waist and legs should be. Just a clown robot.
25. VideoGame.Dinosaurs For Hire: A giant mecha clown serves as a Mini-Boss in the toy factory level. Just a clown robot.
26. VideoGame.Cyborg Kuro Chan: One of the recurring robot enemies, complete with a red clown nose. Just a robot clown.
27. VideoGame.Kirby Triple Deluxe: One enemy called Clown Acrobot is implied to be a robot, not just because of his name, but also because he's an emotionless Perpetual Smiler clown with a metallic-looking face. Just a robot clown.
28. VideoGame.Super Mario 3 D World: Downplayed. Motley Bossblob is — as the name says — more of a Blob Monster Clown, however his Chrome Champion look really gives him a robotic vibe. Just a vaguely robotic clown.

1. WebOriginal.Otherside OCT: Robot Clown Trope name-only ZCE.
2. Characters.GWAR: More like cyborg clown, but it still counts. ZCE.
3. NightmareFuel.Helluva Boss: Robo Fizz in general. He's a manic, wildly-moving mechanical Monster Clown with extendable Rubber-Hose Limbs and a killer Slasher Smile (especially when taunting Blitz by asking if anyone loves him). It's no wonder he's an in-universe example to poor Octavia, who as a little owlet was driven to tears on likely many occasions because of the robot's terrifying performance, who noticeably doesn't care at all. Unsure if this is enough further context to count.
4. Recap.Lexx S 02 E 05: Farty. ZCE.
5. Characters.Doraemon Nobita And The Tin Labyrinth: The robot clown porter is a rather straightforward example. No context.
6. Characters.Mega Man Classic Robot Masters Post NES: The only clown-themed Robot Master in the original series. ZCE.

1. Clown Tropes Index.
2. QuoteSource.Internet Index.
3. Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot Subtrope listing.
4. Laconic.Robot Clown Laconic.
5. Clown Species "See also" link.
6. Robot Athlete "See also" link.
7. Pantheon.Five Nights At Freddys Pantheon.