Halloween is supposed to be about spooky ghosts, scary monsters, and people pretending they can walk around all night in shoes that hurt.
It is probably not supposed to start a national argument about racial imagery.
But that is exactly what happened after Target pulled a Halloween costume from its shelves following online backlash. Critics said the design and imagery resembled racially offensive imagery. The retailer eventually removed the product and apologized.
Apparently someone at Target needed a reminder that the internet has eyes.
The costume, called “Kids’ Glows Under Blacklight Circus Clown Halloween Costume Bodysuit,” featured a young Black child model and quickly drew criticism — with many online comparing the look to racist caricatures of Black people … questioning how the product made it through Target’s review process.
Target has now removed the costume from its assortment and issued an apology, acknowledging it should never have been sold … saying, “We removed an offensive Halloween costume that should never have been part of our assortment.”
Target confirmed the product is no longer for sale, adding “As a company, we got this wrong, and we are deeply sorry.”
That is usually the point where a company discovers that a five-minute design review can save several days of apologies.
Target specifically acknowledged the impact the controversy could have on Black customers and employees — saying, “We know this is especially hurtful for our Black guests, team members and partners.”
Target emphasizes the importance of removing the costume being the first step, and adds they are reviewing how the costume made it into their assortment and what changes are needed to prevent something like this from happening again.
A company can spend months developing a product, designing packaging and preparing it for thousands of stores. Then one questionable detail can turn the whole thing into a viral disaster.
The lesson is simple: before putting something on a Halloween shelf, maybe ask a few more people what they think, because if the internet is the first focus group, you may already be in trouble.
