A Target Halloween costume was pulled for resembling blackface and racist minstrel show imagery. ‘We got this wrong,’ the Corporation said
"What year is it?!"
Target has removed a Halloween costume after facing criticism that it resembled blackface and racist minstrel show imagery. According to People, the company also issued a public apology. “An apology from us: We removed an offensive Halloween costume that should never have been part of our assortment,” Target wrote in a statement shared on social media. “It is no longer for sale. As a company, we got this wrong, and we are deeply sorry.”
The costume, sold as “Kids’ Glows under Blacklight Circus Clown,” was modeled by a young Black boy in a black-and-orange printed bodysuit and hood with an exaggerated smile and mini top hat. The model’s pose, with one leg and arm raised in a wave, was tied to Jim Crow-era depictions of Black people, as reported by The Cut.
Comedian LaTrez Anderson called it “a new low” in a now-deleted Instagram Reel about the costume, per that outlet. “The amount of people this costume had to go through to get approved says a lot. What year is it?!” one Instagram user wrote on Target’s apology post.
Here’s what the pose was actually referencing
Blackface is defined as dark makeup worn to mimic a Black person’s appearance, often to mock or ridicule Black people, according to Merriam-Webster. The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture traces its use in the US to minstrel shows, where white performers wore blackface to mock Black people through negative stereotypes.
The character named Jim Crow, created in the 1830s by performer Thomas Dartmouth Rice, became one of the most widely repeated of these caricatures, depicting Black people as lazy, ignorant, and dependent on white slaveholders, a stereotype used to help justify slavery itself. Retailers have faced real legal consequences over blackface-linked merchandise before.
According to NBC News, Prada reached a 2020 settlement with New York City’s Commission on Human Rights after a 2018 store display featured figurines with blackface imagery, in what the city called the first case holding a fashion brand legally responsible for its own product imagery. The agreement required Prada to provide recurring racial equity training to its US and Milan staff, appoint a dedicated diversity officer, and fund a scholarship program for underrepresented designers, all enforceable for six years.
The controversy comes about a year after Target scaled back its diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. CEO Brian Cornell stepped down soon after, ending an 11-year run with the company, the outlet reported in August 2025. Target has faced consumer boycotts tied to the DEI rollback since early last year.
Anne and Lucy Dayton, daughters of one of Target’s co-founders, called the company’s actions “a betrayal” at the time.
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