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Trickster revealed as the Howl-O-Scream 2012 icon, beckoning guests to play at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay

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Posted on by Ricky Brigante 2 Comments
A menacing specter with glowing eyes snarls behind metal bars, set against eerie blue lighting that captures the spine-chilling ambiance of Howl-O-Scream 2012 at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay.

Just a few days after teasing a mysterious figure lurking in the Dark Side of the Gardens, Busch Gardens Tampa has unveiled their Howl-O-Scream 2012 icon: Trickster. With cloudy eyes and wearing a creepy clown mask, Trickster quite literally holds the key to the 13th year of the popular Halloween event.

A chilling close-up of the iconic Trickster at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay’s Howl-O-Scream, featuring his decayed clown face illuminated in eerie blue light, with haunting white eyes and rotting teeth—an unforgettable fright for thrill-seekers roaming the haunted shadows.

Busch Gardens insists Trickster is “definitely not a clown,” instead referring to him as a “monster.” And guests visiting the event will “see PLENTY of him.” By looks and name, Trickster has already been compared by some fans to the Joker of “Batman” fame, though it seems this icon will be something more than human.

UPDATE (8/15/12: Trickster can now be seen and heard in the TV commercial for Howl-O-Scream 2012:

The Trickster, a menacing clown with smeared makeup and a wicked smile, grips iron bars under moody blue lighting at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay’s Howl-O-Scream. This chilling character waits in the shadows, embodying the haunted thrills and eerie fun that define the park’s spine-tingling Halloween event.

He holds a key, emblazoned with the number “13,” in honor of the milestone year for Howl-O-Scream. With it comes a rhyme:

“They can’t resist The Golden Key.
That taunts and calls and beckons thee.
I hang it there so they will use it…
To come in and play with me.”

The Trickster from Busch Gardens Tampa Bay’s Howl-O-Scream 2012 presents a mysterious moment: his blue hand displays an ornate gold key dangling by a red ribbon, set against swirling dark smoke.

And though Busch Gardens is insisting Trickster is more than just a clown, his masked face does appear on the logo for Circus of Superstition 3D, a new haunted house for 2012 that will feature evil clowns:

The Circus of Superstition 3D entrance at Howl-O-Scream 2012, featuring a sinister clown lurking behind the glowing marquee, set amidst vibrant red curtains and dazzling lights at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay.

Guests can come face-to-face with the Trickster when Howl-O-Scream 2012 begins its preview weekend on September 21, 2012, continuing on select nights throughout September and October.

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