Target pulls Halloween costume that drew comparisons to blackface caricatures, apologizes

Target has removed a children’s Halloween costume from its website after social media users pointed out that it closely resembled imagery from Jim Crow-era blackface minstrelsy. The $25 costume—listed as “Kids’ Glows Under Blacklight Circus Clown Halloween Costume Bodysuit”—featured a black-and-orange harlequin pattern alongside a mask featuring an oversize, exaggerated smile. The product’s marketing photograph showcased a Black child wearing the costume while holding a pose that people said evokes segregation-era caricatures of Black people, which were performed by white people in blackface. Target’s photographer (or whoever it was) definitely knew what was going on. They literally had that child mimicking the exact same poses. There’s no way that’s a “clown” costume. Disgusting. pic.twitter.com/CDHjzHWI2I— King Roy (@RoyIsThaTruth) August 23, 2026 After posts on Threads, TikTok, and X quickly gained visibility on August 23, Target removed the costume—part of its “Hyde and Eek! Boutique” collection—from its website. According to Newsweek, metadata from the original listing indicates that the product had been available since earlier this summer. “As a company, we know we got this …