shining started it
This pic (by Diane Arbus) is where Kubrick got the idea
I remember seeing a cosply video a long time ago with two women dressed up (dolled up?) exactly like the shining twins, and a young man dressed up as Danny on a tricycle.
As Rene Magritte would have said: Ce n'est pas une paire d'enfants effrayants
And he would have meant that it's a PICTURE of a pair of creepy children.