{"id":2649305,"date":"2026-08-25T12:07:02","date_gmt":"2026-08-25T16:07:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/target-yanks-controversial-halloween-costume-after-backlash\/"},"modified":"2026-08-25T12:14:11","modified_gmt":"2026-08-25T16:14:11","slug":"target-yanks-controversial-halloween-costume-after-backlash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/target-yanks-controversial-halloween-costume-after-backlash\/","title":{"rendered":"Target yanks controversial Halloween costume after backlash"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">14<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftarget-yanks-controversial-halloween-costume-after-backlash%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2649305&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Target apologized after pulling a Halloween costume from its stores that was criticized for evoking racist blackface and minstrel imagery. The costume, sold under target\u2019s Hyde and eek boutique brand and named &#8220;Kids\u2019 Glows Under Blacklight Circus Clown Halloween Costume,&#8221; depicted a Black child in a clown or jester outfit with exaggerated features, leading to accusations of racism. Target stated it know they got it wrong and expressed deep regret, acknowledging the impact on Black guests, employees, and partners. The <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >incident occurred amid ongoing scrutiny<\/a> of Target&#8217;s efforts around diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), especially after the company scaled back these initiatives in January 2025, which sparked protests and a boycott led by Black activists. Despite previous commitments to support Black-owned businesses, including a pledge to invest $2 billion, the retailer faced criticism for its DEI rollback, although some advocates like actress Tabitha Brown urged followers not to boycott as it might harm Black-owned businesses that rely on target. Target committed to reviewing its approval processes to prevent similar issues in the future.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Target <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/corporate.target.com\/press\/statement\/2026\/08\/target-statement-on-offensive-halloween-costume\">apologized<\/a> after pulling a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/halloween\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"3752\">Halloween<\/a> costume from its stores that critics said evoked <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/racism\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"1199\">racist<\/a> blackface and minstrel imagery.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAs a company, we know we got this wrong, and we are deeply sorry,\u201d Target said in a statement on Monday. \u201cThe costume is offensive and should never have been part of our assortment.\u201d<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/business\/4699337\/target-controversial-halloween-costume-backlash\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Target yanks controversial Halloween costume after backlash<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4699067\/gas-prices-31-states-with-average-prices-over-4-per-gallon\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Gas prices: 31 states with average prices over $4 per gallon<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/business\/4695074\/arizona-gop-hearing-paramount-merger\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Arizona GOP leader seeks hearing on taxpayer risk in Paramount merger case<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The costume, sold under <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/target\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"222\">Target\u2019s<\/a> Hyde and Eek Boutique brand, was the \u201cKids\u2019 Glows Under \u200cBlacklight Circus Clown Halloween Costume.\u201d Advertising for the since-deleted costume featured a black child dressed in an orange-and-black clown or jester-like suit, complete with a huge grin and hat sewn in. The costume drew backlash online as imitating blackface and a 19th-century minstrel.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Target continued its statement by saying it knows the incident is \u201cespecially hurtful for our Black guests, team members and partners,\u201d and said it is reviewing how the costume got through its approval process.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">This is the costume, by the way.<\/p>\n<p>It had to go through several people for approval, and nobody thought there was anything wrong with it. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/vr6FDTyWbU\">https:\/\/t.co\/vr6FDTyWbU<\/a> <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/FvaSrh9HZI\">pic.twitter.com\/FvaSrh9HZI<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Mukhtar (@I_amMukhtar) <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/I_amMukhtar\/status\/2092146329002602812?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 25, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The controversy comes as the Minneapolis-based <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/retail\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"224\">retailer<\/a> continues to face scrutiny from black shoppers following its rollback of <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/dei\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"3088\">diversity, equity, and inclusion<\/a> initiatives.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Target announced in January 2025 that it was scaling back on several DEI efforts, including programs designed to increase opportunities for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/insurance-companies-reaping-benefits-from-protests-get-in-line-with-black-lives-matter\/\" title=\"Insurance Companies, Reaping Benefits from Protests, Get in Line with Black Lives Matter\">black-owned businesses<\/a> and suppliers. The move sparked a national boycott led by black activists, including Pastor Jamal Bryant and Jaylani Hussein, which began with a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/business\/3303183\/black-owned-companies-unite-reject-target-boycott-dei\/\">40-day \u201cTarget Fast\u201d campaign<\/a>. The boycott continued for about a year before organizers announced in March 2026 that it was ending.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The retailer had previously positioned itself as a major supporter of black-owned brands. Target pledged in 2021 to invest <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/corporate.target.com\/press\/release\/2022\/05\/target-provides-update-on-commitment-to-spend-2-bi\">$2 billion in black-owned businesses<\/a> by the end of 2025, and had programs aimed at expanding the number of black-owned brands on its shelves.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4699324\/canada-retaliates-trump-tariffs\/\">CANADA RETALIATES AGAINST TRUMP TARIFFS: \u2018DOLLAR FOR DOLLAR, RATE FOR RATE\u2019<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Among the entrepreneurs who had built prominent partnerships with Target is actress and entrepreneur Tabitha Brown, whose products include food, home decor, apparel, and hair care. Brown urged her followers not to boycott Target after the DEI rollback, warning that a boycott could ultimately <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reels\/DFRH4fFSR-z\/\">hurt black-owned businesses<\/a> that depend on Target\u2019s retail platform.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Target said removing the costume was \u201can important first step,\u201d and that it is examining what needs to change to prevent a similar incident in the future.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Target apologizes for racist Halloween costume removal<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3970,"featured_media":2649306,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP26225732286149.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[4265,50410,13380,16159,4650],"class_list":["post-2649305","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-backlash","tag-controversy-2","tag-costume","tag-halloween","tag-target"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP26225732286149.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2649305","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3970"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2649305"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2649305\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2649314,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2649305\/revisions\/2649314"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2649306"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2649305"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2649305"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2649305"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}