Target Halloween Costume: Target removed the children’s clown costume and apologized after backlash
The target halloween costume at the center of the controversy was a children’s circus clown outfit that critics said resembled racist blackface and minstrel-show caricatures. Target removed the item from sale and apologized; available reporting does not establish exactly when the listing was taken down.
Target removed the children’s clown costume and apologized after backlash
The costume was marketed under names including “Kids’ Glows Under Blacklight Circus Clown Halloween Costume Bodysuit” and “Circus Glow Clown Halloween Costume.” It was listed in Target’s Hyde & EEK! Boutique collection and priced at $25, according to WWD and Snopes.
Images showed a child wearing an orange-and-black clown outfit, black gloves and a dark face covering with a large, exaggerated smile. The outfit also included a small hat, and the child was shown in a running pose. Critics on social media said the costume’s design and imagery evoked racist caricatures associated with blackface and minstrel performances, according to The Guardian and Snopes.
Target said the costume “is offensive and should never have been part of our assortment” and that it was “no longer available for sale.” The company also apologized to its Black guests, team members and partners, saying that removing the item was an important first step and that it was looking closely at how the incident happened and what needed to change to prevent a recurrence. The Guardian published the statement, which was also reported by WWD.
What happened to the listing
Reports described the costume as appearing online before images and complaints circulated across social media. Yahoo News reported that consumers criticized the item in reviews and shared screenshots after it launched, while Snopes confirmed that the claim of its removal was true after contacting a Target spokesperson on Aug. 24.
The listing was later deleted from Target’s website. Snopes said the page had described the item as a “Circus Glow Clown Halloween Costume,” but also reported that Target had not answered its question about when the product was removed. That leaves the precise timing unresolved, even though the retailer’s current position is that the costume is no longer for sale.
WWD reported that the costume was manufactured by a Target-owned brand rather than by a third-party seller or outside vendor. The supplied reporting does not identify the brand by name or explain which individuals or process were responsible for the product’s inclusion.
Why critics objected to the design
The criticism focused on the combination of the dark face covering, oversized smiling mouth, black gloves and pose, rather than only on the fact that the item was labeled a clown costume. Critics compared those elements with imagery historically associated with blackface and minstrel performances, The Guardian reported.
Snopes cited the National Museum of African American History and Culture’s description of blackface minstrelsy as performances that used exaggerated costumes and makeup to portray racist stereotypes of Black people. That historical association explains the objection reported by critics, while Target’s apology confirms that the retailer accepted the costume should not have been sold.
As of Aug. 24, the confirmed status is that Target has removed the children’s clown costume and apologized. The exact removal time and any further company action beyond its stated review of what happened and what needs to change were not established in the available reporting.