{"id":657438,"date":"2026-08-25T11:56:44","date_gmt":"2026-08-25T11:56:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/?p=657438"},"modified":"2026-08-25T11:56:44","modified_gmt":"2026-08-25T11:56:44","slug":"target-spooked-by-backlash-to-blackface-kids-halloween-clown-costume-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/?p=657438","title":{"rendered":"Target spooked by backlash to \u2018blackface\u2019 kids\u2019 Halloween clown costume"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/div>\n

Target has issued a groveling apology after backlash over a child\u2019s Halloween clown costume that drew criticism because it was perceived to be racist by some.<\/p>\n

The retail giant was badly spooked after some likened the costume to blackface and old time minstrel shows, yanking the item off of shelves faster than you can say \u201ctrick or treat\u201d and putting out a panicky statement begging for forgiveness.<\/p>\n

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Target has removed a children\u2019s Halloween costume from its website after critics said the design evoked racist minstrel and blackface imagery. The company issued an apology, calling the product \u201coffensive\u201d: https:\/\/t.co\/b5SNTDS3By<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/jNSxY5dKi9<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 snopes.com (@snopes) August 24, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cAs a company, we know we got this wrong, and we are deeply sorry. The costume is offensive and should never have been part of our assortment. It is no longer available for sale,\u201d Target said in a Monday statement<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know this is especially hurtful for our Black guests, team members and partners,\u201d the statement continued. \u201cRemoving the costume is an important first step, and the company is looking closely at how this happened and what needs to change to ensure this won\u2019t happen again.\u201d<\/p>\n

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An apology from us: We pulled an offensive Halloween costume that should never have been part of our assortment. It is no longer for sale. As a company, we got this wrong, and we are deeply sorry. We know this is especially hurtful for our Black guests, team members and partners.\u2026<\/p>\n

\u2014 Target News (@TargetNews) August 24, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Black critics pounced to link the lack of proper screening of its products to Target\u2019s rollback of its discriminatory Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs after the Trump administration took office last year.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2019You rolled back diversity,\u2019 she said, \u2018so who\u2019s in the room, now, to say \u2018hey, this is wrong?\u2019\u2019\u201d Minneapolis-area business leader Sheletta Brundidge was quoted<\/a> by CNN.<\/p>\n

The situation is so sensitive that Target did a Hillary Clinton and turned off replies to its statement on X. But the decision is going to haunt the big box chain for a long time with the ghouls of the racism industrial complex swarming like sharks.<\/p>\n

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You sided with the Trump administration\u2019s scare tactics over DEI, lost a loyal Black customer base as well as Black voices that were formerly in the room. That\u2019s HOW it happened and why we will continue to boycott you until you put some REAL CHANGE in motion. https:\/\/t.co\/XXWkQDrz5v<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Michelle_BYoung (@michelle_byoung) August 24, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Comments turned off. Racists usually are cowards, so it tracks. https:\/\/t.co\/fAyGtn7j6A<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Drew Dixon (@deardrewdixon) August 24, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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How many times they gotta keep spitting in your face https:\/\/t.co\/jgHtijnfTT<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/7XicD9BJjz<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Ichigo Niggasake (@SomaKazima2) August 25, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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if only they had staff that could\u2019ve prevented this https:\/\/t.co\/gsIoqkyIlm<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/g0LcM0Z8AO<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 gar (@g4rnish) August 25, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Target keeps getting it wrong because they refuse to include Black people in leadership positions. Told you guys, anti-DEI is racism. https:\/\/t.co\/GPaWlXbzaz<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Dr. Allison Wiltz (@queenie4rmnola) August 25, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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genuinely nothing could\u2019ve prepared me for how racist that shit was like other people said I thought it would be some kind of unfortunate resemblance to a hate symbol or something but NO that is very direct https:\/\/t.co\/4XbqFLW8Rz<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 elf \"\ud83e\uddda\" (@Machin3_Elf) August 25, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

A hysterical outrage campaign over a Halloween costume is the last thing that the Minneapolis-based company needs with sales already likely to take a hit after American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Randi Weingarten urged<\/a> teachers and families to buy their school supplies elsewhere because Target\u2019s CEO has declined to condemn Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs Target begins to gain traction in repairing its brand reputation, this is exactly the kind of stuff they want to avoid,\u201d said Morningstar analyst Brett Husslein, according to CNN, adding that the situation \u201ccould lead to further market share losses.\u201d<\/p>\n

There is nothing quite like the threat of a boycott to put the fear into Target which hasn\u2019t forgotten the cost of promoting its transgender merchandise to kids a few years back and the costly public backlash that hit the company where it hurts.<\/p>\n

<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Target has issued a groveling apology after backlash over a child\u2019s Halloween clown costume that drew criticism because it was perceived to be racist by some. The retail giant was badly spooked after some likened the costume to blackface and old time minstrel shows, yanking the item off of shelves faster than you can say… Continue reading Target spooked by backlash to \u2018blackface\u2019 kids\u2019 Halloween clown costume<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":657429,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[18,19,10,21,12,11,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-657438","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cancel-culture","category-censorship","category-civil-liberties","category-election-integrity","category-equal-justice","category-free-speech","category-religious-freedom","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/657438","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=657438"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/657438\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/657429"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=657438"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=657438"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=657438"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}