Target pulled a children’s Halloween costume from its website on August 24, 2026, after social media users criticized the outfit and its promotional imagery for resembling racist minstrel and blackface caricatures. The retail giant issued an apology, calling the product offensive and hurtful.
Target removed a seasonal children’s product from its Hyde & EEK! The outfit, listed as the Kids’ Glows Under Blacklight Circus Clown Halloween Costume Bodysuit and featured orange-and-black striped pants, a matching shirt, black gloves, and a hood bearing a wide, toothy smile, as detailed by Snopes. Online critics quickly pointed out that the promotional photographs—which featured a young Black child in a running pose—alongside the dark face covering and exaggerated features, closely mirrored 19th-century minstrel show imagery and the historic Jim Crow caricature. Social media users questioned how the product passed internal review standards, while some commenters called for boycotts against the Minneapolis-based retailer.
Target Issues Apology and Pledges Internal Review
Company representatives responded to the controversy by acknowledging the failure in their product assortment process.
“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. 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.”
Target corporate statement
The retail corporation confirmed that the item was completely pulled from its inventory and website. Snopes also received a reply from a company spokesperson via email regarding the listing and removal from the website. By Sunday, the product page was no longer available, and Target’s website displayed a message stating that the page was currently unavailable.
Metadata from the website showed the product was published this summer.
Political Tensions and Corporate Reputational Fallout
The Halloween costume controversy arrives during a delicate period for Minneapolis-based retailer Target, marking the latest in a series of reputational blows that have undercut sales. Previous challenges included the company’s handling of its Pride Collection in 2023, which sparked activist calls for a boycott due to its decision to walk back DEI initiatives, and subsequent adjustments to its diversity, equity, and inclusion policies after President Donald Trump returned to the White House.
Target joined a broad corporate retreat after Trump issued a series of executive orders aimed at eliminating “illegal DEI,backtracking on efforts to boost representation of Black employees and support Black-owned suppliers, saying it needed to stay in step with
the evolving external landscape.” The policy U-turn was widely viewed as a betrayal by Black Americans who had embraced the retail giant and fueled its fortunes, with Trump taking credit for the DEI rollback.
Adding to the external pressures facing leadership, the American Federation of Teachers, a teachers’ union, called on Target’s CEO, Michael Fiddelke, last week to call for an end to Operation Metro Surge, Trump’s National Guard push in Minneapolis earlier this year. Meanwhile, the company reported its second straight quarter of comparable sales gains on Wednesday, noting that a merchandising overhaul under its new CEO is boosting sales throughout its stores.
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