Target apologizes for children's clown Halloween costume after backlash

MINNEAPOLIS \u2014 Target apologized on Monday and said it had pulled a \u200bHalloween costume from sale depicting a circus clown that critics said evoked Blackface and minstrel shows.The product, sold as the "Kids' Glows Under Blacklight Circus Clown Halloween Costume," \u200cprompted a backlash on social media, with some consumers saying it resembled a racist caricature."As a company, we know we got \u2060this wrong, and we are deeply sorry," \u200bTarget said in a statement. "The costume is \u2060offensive and should never have been part of our assortment. It is no longer available \u200cfor sale."It is the latest \u200coptics headache for the U.S. retailer as it tries to right its ship \u2060after a stretch of poor sales. The company also \u2060faced criticism over its handling of products in its 2023 Pride 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 \u2014 which was sold under the retailer's seasonal Hyde and EEK Boutique brand \u2014 or the process by which it \u200cwas green-lit for sale. In its statement, Target said it \u200bwas "looking closely at how this happened and what needs to change."Some Black shoppers, who felt alienated after Target's 2025 DEI rollbacks, expressed fresh disappointment on Monday. Sheletta Brundidge, a Minneapolis-area business leader, views the costume as an indirect result of the DEI decision. "You rolled back diversity," she said, "so who's in the room, now, to say 'hey, this is wrong?'"Target, which has had back-to-back strong quarters, is beginning to see results from efforts to cut prices and freshen \u200bits merchandise, with new CEO Michael Fiddelke so far earning plaudits from Wall Street.But the company \u2014 which cannot compete \u200cwith Walmart and \u200cCostco on \u2060price \u2014 has little room for error when it comes to managerial or optical missteps, said Brett Husslein, an analyst at Morningstar."As Target begins to gain traction in repairing its brand reputation, this is exactly the kind of stuff they want to avoid," he said, adding that any headwind \u2014 \u200coptical, managerial or macroeconomic \u2014 "could lead \u200bto further market share losses."Target's shares were up 2.7% \u200cin afternoon trading.Contributing: Arriana McLymore