Target pulls kids' clown costume

Target pulled a kids’ “Blacklight Circus Clown” Halloween costume after critics said the mask, gloves and marketing image evoked blackface and Jim Crow-era minstrel caricatures. The company said it “got this wrong,” deleted the listing, and watched the fight spill across X — from process-and-DEI critiques to claims of outrage overreach.1234

The costume sold under Target’s Hyde & EEK Boutique brand. Target’s Aug. 24 statement called the item offensive and said the company is reviewing how it reached shelves. Target’s stock closed at $163.47 on Aug. 25, down 3.78%. When checked, Target’s X apology post showed about 91.9 million views — a snapshot, not a ranking.

Reporting: AP · Guardian · USA Today · Target statement

The three quoted X posts are an illustrative sample, not a poll. Times shown in the images are UTC.