That’s it, friends: Clowns are over as a Halloween costume. It doesn’t matter if you think they’re scary, believe that there are “killer clowns” on the loose, or have spent the last month denouncing the clown sightings as hoaxes. We, the American public, have spoken and it is no longer okay to dress as a clown come October 31st. Not even if you love clowns. Not even if you wanted to be one just because it’s an easy and (sometimes) fun costume.
Last week, McDonald’s released a statement saying that Ronald McDonald (very creepy, never good) was going into hiding until this whole clown panic died down and now Target has followed suit, removing a variety of clown costumes from their store shelves in order to make sure that everyone has a safe Halloween that doesn’t end in bloodshed and possible police involvement.
According to Mashable, Target has confirmed that they’re removing some of the more scary clown items from shelves and their online store due to “the current environment.” The idea there, Mashable reports, is that if people really are running around in clown costumes trying to scare others, then limiting their access to masks and other clown accessories (clown accessories) is just a smart way to make sure that Target isn’t contributing to the panic.
Of course, children, who have proven time and again that they are terrified of clowns and want nothing to do with them, are still free to dress as such as they wish. Clown costumes for kids are still available. And if you’re an adult who must dress as a clown for Halloween, there are still plenty of places you can buy them. It’s not like clown suits have suddenly gone black market only. Still, Target’s reluctance to sell costumes is another sign that we need to stop with this clown panic business before it becomes an actual thing we have to put in our history books.
