Please don't call the U.S. election a 'circus' - Ringling Bros.

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey wants you to stop calling the U.S. election as a 'circus'.

(RINGLING BROS.) -  The people behind the circus have a unique request. Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey would like people to stop referring to the U.S. presidential election as a 'circus' and its candidates as 'clowns'.Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey has launched "The Circus Wants The Circus Back" campaign.

The campaign is a video, a social media hashtag #TakeBackTheCircus and part of a promotion for its current circus tour.

"It's very tongue and cheek. It's very fun. It's light-hearted, but at the same time, it's also serious because we are the real circus. The political campaign is not, the 2016 election is not," said Taylor Albin, boss clown with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Presents Circus XTREME.

Albin said comparing the U.S. presidential candidates to clowns is insulting.

"I'm a professional clown. I have worked my whole life. This is a dream of mine to be a clown with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus. I have gone to school. I have had training. And I would never associate the president of the United States of America as a clown. I would never do that. And I think in this election, doing that is kind of an insult. It's an insult to me."

Albin reiterated that the 146-year-old circus is 'The Greatest Show On Earth' and is not political.

"We are comparing the circus with the election! Like come on!"

Also in the U.S., sightings of creepy clowns with red lips and fixed smiles have become anything but a laughing matter and have cast a menacing tone as Halloween approaches.

Since late August, the trend of trying to scare unsuspecting people has grown with scary-looking clowns lurking in woods, appearing on dark roads or driving in cars, some brandishing knives.

Reports of clown sightings and threats by clowns have been a headache for police and resulted in some arrests.

Albin says the creepy clown trend and the election comparisons are the result of a misunderstanding of clown culture.

"I think people are a little unsure of the unknown. And I think for clowns, people think, 'Oh they wear makeup. Oh they are hiding.' First of all I think it's important to understand what a clown is. A clown is a person that is a reflection on society. And it's also makeup that is an extension of who we are. It's not there to hide behind. It's something that's fun, light-hearted, a reflection of ourselves. And I think with all of this hype about the creepy clown thing and being compared within the election itself, it's all about getting back to what the circus is."

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey would like people to get to the real circus and tour dates and tickets are available online.