Target has apologized for a circus clown Halloween costume that critics accused of evoking Blackface and 19th-century minstrel shows following online backlash.
The costume was sold as the “Kids’ Glows Under Blacklight Circus Clown Halloween Costume,” according to the since-deleted listing. The costume was sold as part of the retailer’s seasonal Hyde and EEK Boutique brand.
Target removed the “offensive” costume and said that it should never have been featured in its stores.
“As a company, we know we got this wrong, and we are deeply sorry. The costume is offensive and should never have been part of our assortment. It is no longer available for sale,” company spokesperson Brian Harper-Tibaldo said in a statement to FOX Business.
“We know this is especially hurtful for our Black guests, team members and partners. Removing the costume is an important first step, and the company is looking closely at how this happened and what needs to change to ensure this won’t happen again,” he continued.
The move to pull the costume comes after social media backlash in which critics accused the Minneapolis-based retailer of selling racist merchandise.
“You really don’t have anyone left in Minneapolis to say, ‘Hey, that’s racist’? Y’all cut DEI and now you’ve got a minstrel clown costume for kids on your website,” one user said on Threads.
This comes on the heels of several reputational hits for the retailer that have hurt sales in recent years, including Target’s handling of its Pride Collection in 2023 and its rollback of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives after President Donald Trump returned to the White House.
Target joined a broad corporate effort to scale back diversity initiatives after Trump issued a series of executive orders aimed at rooting out DEI.
The retailer scaled back initiatives aimed at increasing representation of Black employees and supporting Black-owned businesses and suppliers, saying it needed to stay in step with “the evolving external landscape.”
The reversal drew backlash from some Black consumers and business owners who had supported or benefited from Target’s diversity efforts.