Each year, people post about American retailers jumping the gun on holidays. As soon as Halloween is over, the Christmas decor hits the shelves. And it seems as soon as the 4th of July displays came down, Halloween went up.
But now, in August, Target department stores is finding itself needing to apologize for part of their 2026 Halloween line of products.
On August 24, people across social media began sharing a new Target Halloween kids' costume labeled "glows under blacklight circus clown."
Target.com
But people were seeing less blacklight and more blackface due to the styling, choice of model, and pose.
The costume was quickly compared to the clown or fool characters popular in minstrel shows. During the 1800s in the era of slavery, blackface minstrel shows that used racist stereotypes of enslaved Black people became a popular form of entertainment. The practice spread to other parts of the world.
In Britain, the BBC aired a blackface minstrel show as late as 1978.
But as the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture points out:
"Minstrelsy, or comedic performances of 'Blackness' by Whites in exaggerated costumes and make-up, cannot be separated from the racial derision and stereotyping at its core."
The racist shows were so popular, Hollywood included them in films starring major performers like Shirley Temple, Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland. Civic organizations often put on minstrel shows as fundraisers.
The jokes were all centered on belittling Black people's intelligence; they used bastardized forms of Black speech patterns and vocabulary, evoked whitewashed images of slavery, and relied on various racist tropes.
Target pulled the costume listing off their website and issued a formal apology.
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Josh Helfgott/Facebook
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Target saw sales slump under a boycott triggered by the announcement of their decision to eliminate any diversity, equity, or inclusion (DEI) initiatives after pressure from the administration of MAGA Republican President Donald Trump and his White nationalist MAGA movement.
Despite heeding MAGA's "go woke, go broke" warnings and eliminating DEI and any support for the LGBTQ+ community, Target's choice never bumped up their sales.
For many, Target's apology was too little too late.
As was pointed out by many, a listing on a website passes through many hands before making it to the public. That the image was immediately clocked after it was posted online, but wasn't flagged by anyone working for Target before then is an example of why companies need diversity, equity, or inclusion (DEI) programs.
And why Target shouldn't have scrapped theirs.
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For a history of blackface and why it's not the same as the Wayans brothers White Chicks, you can watch this presentation by the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture:
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