Target apologised and removed a children’s Halloween costume from sale on Monday, 24 August, after social media criticism that its clown design resembled racist caricatures associated with Blackface and minstrel shows.

The product, sold as the “Kids’ Glows Under Blacklight Circus Clown Halloween Costume”, showed a Black child wearing a bright orange and black top, solid black gloves and a mask with a wide, toothy smile. Target said, “The costume is offensive and should never have been part of our assortment,” adding that it was “no longer available for sale”.

Target said the costume was particularly hurtful to its Black customers, employees and partners, and that removing it was an “important first step”. The retailer said it was “looking closely at how this happened and what needs to change to ensure this won’t happen again”.

The costume was sold under Target’s seasonal Hyde and EEK Boutique brand, but the retailer declined to identify its designer or explain the internal approval process, according to Reuters. Products from the Target-owned brand have also been resold through retailers including Walmart and Amazon and marketplace Etsy, although Reuters did not find the costume listed on those sites.

Sheletta Brundidge, a Minneapolis-area business leader, told Reuters that the controversy reflected concerns about Target’s decision to roll back diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in 2025. “You rolled back diversity,” she said, “so who’s in the room, now, to say ‘hey, this is wrong?’”

The incident comes as Target attempts to recover from a prolonged period of weak sales and criticism over its approach to diversity initiatives and its 2023 Pride Collection. The retailer reported its second consecutive quarter of comparable sales growth last week, with efforts to reduce prices and refresh its merchandise contributing to the improvement.

Target shares were up 2.7 per cent in afternoon trading on Monday, despite the controversy. The retailer is led by new chief executive Michael Fiddelke, who has received positive reactions from Wall Street as the company seeks to strengthen its performance.

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