'Wrinkles' the creepy clown scares troublemakers straight

NAPLES, Fla., Nov. 4 (UPI) -- A Florida man is raking in hundreds of dollars by donning the creepy costume of Wrinkles the clown and terrifying misbehaving children.

Wrinkles, who keeps his real name a secret but admits to being a 65-year-old Rhode Island native who moved to Naples about 5 years ago, said he makes a few hundred bucks every time he is hired to appear at a party, prank an unsuspecting target or scare a misbehaving kid straight.

The clown told The Washington Post about a recent visit he made to a 12-year-old boy whose mother was at her wit's end.

"He was scared of clowns and I showed up across the street from him at the bus stop and he just started crying in front of his friends and ran home," Wrinkles told The Post. "His mother called back a few days later and said 'Thank you!' Now when he acts bad, she just has to ask him: 'Do you want Wrinkles to come back?'"

The Palm Beach Post said Wrinkles sightings date back to 2013, with the most recent sighting being reported on a Google+ page dedicated to the clown Monday.

"I'm just a good old-fashioned clown," he said. "When I was a kid, it was okay to scare kids and now they're all whiny and scared."

"I want to bring scary back," he said.

Wrinkles said he doesn't accept all of the job offers that come his way -- he has no interest in dumping bodies or engaging in lurid behaviors.

"I've got women calling me all the time," he said. "Young ones, too, like weird goths with chains and stuff. I've had enough psycho women in my life already. That's why I'm divorced."

The clown said the passing of Halloween hasn't dimmed his business prospects -- he's currently booked through January.

"I just want to have a good time," he told WBBH-TV. "Make a little extra money on the side, have a little fun before I die."