IT Welcome to Derry reveals the origin story of Pennywise, explaining why he's a clown and who he's based on.

 

Many of you reading this have likely seen both chapters of the movie IT (though I’d personally recommend the 1990 original for a better experience). Many have also wondered why Pennywise chooses to take the form of a clown. While the films don't explicitly explain it, we generally understand that it assumes this guise to easily approach children and because clowns can represent a deep-seated fear—exactly what Stephen King intended in his novel. However, in the new series IT: Welcome to Derry (2025), the creators have expanded the lore to reveal the true origin of why this entity uses the name "Pennywise" and why it chose the clown as its primary form. Let's find out the answers.

Before diving into the details, let's get to know this nameless entity. The series IT: Welcome to Derry (2025) explains that this creature is an extraterrestrial being that crashed onto Earth millions of years ago. The meteorite that carried it acted like a prison; once it broke apart, the entity was unleashed. It awakens every 27 years, though there is no specific data on how long it stays active—only that once it has fed its fill, it returns to a long slumber for another 27 years. This creature possesses the ability to read its victims' minds to discover their deepest fears and manifest them as terrifying hallucinations

Now, let's look at the origin of this entity's persona. In both the novel and the movies, the creature introduces itself as "Mr. Bob Gray, Pennywise the Dancing Clown." The series reveals that Bob Gray was once an ordinary human and a famous circus clown, part of a renowned duo known as "Pennywise and Periwinkle." However, after his wife and performing partner, Periwinkle, passed away, Bob’s act lost its spark. Eventually, he and his daughter ended up working for a small-time circus, clinging to the hope that one day he could return to being the famous "Pennywise the Dancing Clown" he once was. Sadly, that dream would never come true

One day, the circus arrived in Derry. Bob performed his act as Pennywise as usual, while the entity—disguised as a young boy—watched from a distance with fascination. Eventually, the creature realized that by becoming Pennywise the Clown, it could easily lure in children, as they all adored him. According to the series, the entity didn't just devour Bob Gray like an ordinary victim; it consumed his memories, his identity, and his entire soul. It transformed into a version of Pennywise so perfect that even Bob’s own daughter believed the creature was her father

If you're wondering why Bob Gray's daughter wasn't devoured by the entity, it's because she felt no fear—only passion and love, believing the creature in the Pennywise form was her father. Even after she realized it wasn't him, she still wasn't eaten because the creature was already full at the time. This is what we've learned from the series IT: Welcome to Derry (2025). Whether this aligns perfectly with the novel or how it connects to the movies remains to be seen by those who finish the series. For those interested, you can watch IT: Welcome to Derry on Max to gain a deeper perspective on the IT universe