Target apologized Monday and said it had removed from sale a Halloween costume depicting a circus clown that critics said evoked minstrel shows and blackface. The product, sold as “Children’s Circus Clown Halloween Costume that Glows Under Black Light,” sparked a backlash on social media, with some consumers saying it looked like a racist caricature. “As a company, we know we were wrong and we are deeply sorry,” Target said in a statement. “The costume is offensive and should never have been part of our assortment. It is no longer available for sale.” The company also faced criticism for its handling of products in its Pride 2023 Collection and for changes to its diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in the wake of President Donald Trump’s return to the White House. Target declined to comment on who designed the product, which was sold under the retailer’s seasonal Hyde and EEK Boutique brand, or the process by which it was given the green light for sale. In its statement, Target said it was “watching closely how this happened and what needs to change.” Some Black shoppers, who felt alienated after Target’s DEI rollbacks in 2025, expressed fresh disappointment Monday. Sheletta Brundidge, a Minneapolis-area business leader, sees the costume as an indirect result of the DEI decision. “You rolled back diversity,” he said, “so who’s in the room now to say ‘hey, this is wrong?’” Target acknowledged in its statement that the costume was “especially harmful to our Black guests, team members and partners.” Although Hyde and EEK are brands owned by Target, their products have been resold on the websites of retailers such as Walmart WMT.O and Amazon AMZN.O, as well as on the Etsy marketplace ETSY.N. Reuters did not see the article in question on those sites. A Walmart spokeswoman said she was not aware of the item being sold. Amazon and Etsy did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Target, which has had back-to-back strong quarters, is starting to see results from efforts to cut prices and modernize its products, and new CEO Michael Fiddelke has so far earned plaudits from Wall Street. But the company, which can’t compete with Walmart and Costco on price, has little room for error when it comes to administrative or optical errors, said Morningstar analyst Brett Husslein. “As Target Starts Gaining” Target shares rose 2.7% in afternoon trading.
