Overview
- Social media users flagged a marketing photo for a children’s “Kids’ Glows Under Blacklight Circus Clown” costume that showed a Black child in a dark face covering, black gloves and an exaggerated smile, and compared the image to Jim Crow–era blackface caricatures.
- Target removed the listing and issued a public apology saying the costume was offensive, should not have been sold, and is no longer available for purchase.
- The retailer confirmed the item was made by a Target-owned seasonal brand, Hyde & EEK! Boutique, and said it is conducting an internal review of how the product passed approval.
- Some shoppers and community leaders tied the error to Target’s 2025 rollback of diversity, equity and inclusion programs, saying reduced internal representation may have weakened vetting and allowed the design to reach customers.
- Historians note blackface minstrelsy used exaggerated features and props to demean Black people, which explains why the image triggered swift online condemnation and raises risks to Target’s reputation and customer trust going forward.