Icp’s Dark Carnival

To the casual onlooker (those who aren’t Juggalos), the Insane Clown Posse seems like a musical funhouse with scary clowns. Such an interpretation makes sense at first glance, but when one looks a little deeper into ICP’s dark carnival and subsequent Joker’s cards, they see just how artful and complex the group can be.

In short, ICP’s Dark Carnival is the mythology on which all ICP albums (concept albums) are written. Every time a new album is released, its matching Joker’s card is placed in the Dark Carnival myth, each with its own moral lesson. These lessons form some of the most powerful connections between ICP and its Juggalo fan base.

For instance, the first Joker’s card in ICP’s Dark Carnival, the carnival of carnage, illustrates brutality being released upon those who ignore lower income classes’ cries for help. In turn, Juggalos interpret this as a lesson to treat everyone with respect, even those with a lesser societal status than yourself.

But that’s not all, there are 5 more Joker’s cards in the first set of ICP’s Dark Carnival, all with similar moral lessons to teach Juggalos or anyone else who’s willing to listen.

Most Joker’s cards past the first Joker’s card are less specific in the moral they teach, but all have a final judgment element involved, like judging the morality of a man and where he is to reside in the after life or teaching against hedonism and general greed.

The imagery involved in the detailed descriptions of these Joker’s cards is nothing short of intense, and might even scare Juggalos away from temptation.

Some standout cards from this first deck of Joker’s cards in ICP’s Dark Carnival are two of the later editions, The Amazing Jeckel Brothers Joker’s card and The Wraith Joker’s card. The Amazing Jeckel Brothers Joker’s card is perhaps most complex on the surface for Juggaos, as the most imagery and the most developed story of all ICP Dark Carnival Joker’s cards.

The Wraith stands out for the opposite reason: simplicity. Meaning simply “death,” The Wraith exposes the two options of Shangri-La (heaven) or Hell’s Pit, and was the card that exposed ICP’s hidden agenda of following God to Juggalos.

The second deck of Joker’s cards in ICP’s Dark Carnival began with Bang! Boom! Pow!, the band’s album that was released for Juggalos to enjoy in 2009. This card, acts a continuous explosion used to clear carnival grounds of evil souls once it becomes too crowded. The second card in this deck will be the upcoming Mighty Death Pop! ICP album due out for Juggalo listening on May 29th, 2012.

But aside from any practical usages the Joker’s cards bring to ICP’s Dark Carnival and Juggalos around the world, the cards are often considered just another novelty item for fans to connect with.

By: Jack Burden

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Joker’s cards are one of the most unique things ICP offers as an artistic group. To learn more about ICP’s Dark Carnival Joker’s cards and what they mean to Juggalos, please visit insaneclownposse.com”>insaneclownposse.com.