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

Target has removed its Kids Glows Under Blacklight Circus Clown Halloween Costume Bodysuit from its website and shelves. The $25 product faced intense social media criticism for resembling Jim Crow-era blackface minstrelsy caricatures. Specifically, the costume's exaggerated smile and the marketing photograph featuring a Black child were cited as evoking segregation-era imagery. Following the backlash, Target issued a public apology for the design, adding this incident to a growing list of controversies for the retailer.