US retail giant Target has apologised and withdrawn a children's Halloween costume from sale after shoppers accused the retailer of designing an outfit that resembles racist blackface caricatures from America's Jim Crow era.
The 'Kids' Glows under Blacklight Circus Clown' costume went viral at the weekend as Halloween items began hitting stores ahead of the 2026 spooky season. The outfit consists of a loose-fitting black and orange clown bodysuit, paired with a black mesh face mask with an oversized, toothy grin across its bottom half.
Social Media Backlash
Controversy spread quickly across Threads, TikTok, X and other social media platforms, with some accusing Target of being insensitive to Black Americans and racist depictions of them throughout history. Many were quick to point out the costume's similarities to Jim Crow-era minstrel caricatures. To add insult to injury, the child chosen to model the costume was a young Black boy.
One person questioned Target directly, writing: "Hey y'all, What's the first thing you think of when you see this outfit?" They then tagged Target in the post, adding: "W*F is this?"
A second person added: "This is why Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) matters. Have people in the room with sufficiently different cultural knowledge and lived experience [so] that somebody recognises an obvious problem before you manufacture it, photograph it, advertise it, and sell it."
Removal and Apology
Another on X expressed doubt that Target would have found themselves in this mess if there were more opportunities for Black people in business. They wrote: "Doubt Target would have made the disastrous decision to market a Halloween costume that looks like it's straight out of the Jim Crow era if Black folks had a seat at the table."
Another user suggested the design may have been "an honest mistake", adding that the outfit and photoshoot would have been "perfectly fine if it was a white child", thus proving the point already being made. Others shared side-by-side comparisons of the costume and strikingly similar racist images from throughout history.
By Sunday, the item's product page was no longer available on the Target website and was replaced with a message stating the page was "currently unavailable." Target confirmed it had been withdrawn from sale on Monday alongside an apology to its customers and the Black community.
A Target spokesperson said: "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."
The statement continued: "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."
