Target says it's sorry for selling an 'offensive' Halloween clown costume
Target has pulled an "offensive" kids' Halloween costume off the shelves.
Kevin Carter/Getty Images Target has apologized for selling what it said was an "offensive Halloween costume." The company was responding to backlash on social media over a clown costume for kids.
Target says the product has been pulled and is no longer for sale.
Target has apologized to its customers for a Halloween clown costume that sparked backlash on social media — and says it won't be selling the item.
"An apology from us: We pulled an offensive Halloween costume that should never have been part of our assortment.
It is no longer for sale," the company wrote in a statement on X on Monday.
Business Insider viewed dozens of posts on social media, in which people posted screenshots of a Target product listed under the name "Kids' Glows Under Blacklight Circus Clown Halloween Costume." The product image showed a Black child dressed in a colorful orange and black top, paired with solid black gloves and a large mask depicting a broad smile.
Several social media users on X, Threads, and Instagram likened the product to racist depictions of Black people, saying it evoked Jim Crow-era caricatures and blackface minstrel imagery.
The product was not listed on Target's online store at press time.
"As a company, we got this wrong, and we are deeply sorry.
We know this is especially hurtful for our Black guests, team members and partners," Target said in its statement.
The company said that it is also looking into how the product ended up in stores, and will examine "what needs to change to ensure this won't happen again." The Halloween costume controversy comes nearly a year after Target rolled back its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
This also isn't the first time Target has faced criticism over a Halloween product.
In 2009, the retailer removed an "Illegal Alien" Halloween costume from its website after complaints from immigrant-rights advocates.
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