09/14/2023
*Found this old theory a while ago, but I thought I'd share for those of you who missed out.*
Mary Poppins and Pennywise are creatures of the same species.
Each returns every 20-something years (Pennywise 27, Mary Poppins 25) to regenerate energy from a new group of children, but also have a tendency to return to those they met on their last visit (Pennywise returns to the Losers, Mary Poppins returns to the Bankses.)
Mary Poppins manages to maintain energy for 25 years despite interacting with less children than Pennywise requires for 27 years as she relies on children’s joy, unlike Pennywise who relies on their fear, and as proven in Monsters Inc children’s laughter is worth more than their fear.
Upon each of their returns, they draw a child named Georgie away from their siblings with a paper toy, then appear alongside that toy to return it to Georgie (Mary Poppins returns Georgie's kite, Pennywise acts as though he’s returning Georgie’s boat.)
Each has the same set of powers, in which they can take advantage of what lies in the children’s minds (Mary Poppins uses their imagination, Pennywise uses their fear.)
Mary Poppins famously has a living reflection that can function separately from her, and Pennywise is shown to share this ability in Chapter Two.
In each of these stories, the parents are oblivious to the fantastical situations being experienced by the children.
The Losers club forget their experiences as children until Pennywise returns, and although the Banks children do not forget Mary Poppins, they do forget that the magical experiences actually happened, and they remember Mary Poppins as just a nanny.
Each has a love for singing and dancing, which should be obvious for Mary Poppins, but becomes clearer for Pennywise when you remember that he refers to himself as Pennywise the Dancing Clown, dances for Beverly in Chapter One, and sings for Richie in Chapter Two.
Pennywise is heavily associated with the song Oranges and Lemons, which is a song about old London, where Mary Poppins lives, showing that Pennywise has an awareness that another member of his species is out there, and he knows exactly where they are.
At the end of Mary Poppins returns, the characters all grab balloons and float into the air, and balloons and floating are both highly associated with Pennywise.
I now formally demand that Stephen King and Disney collaborate on a shared-universe project, in which the Practically Perfect Nanny throws down with the Dancing Clown under Derry.
