In a move many parents are applauding, Target has yanked “scary clown masks” from its shelves in advance of October 31 in the interest of public safety. But for some reason, many Halloween retailers -- like market leader Party City -- aren’t following suit.
As you may have heard -- there have been a rash of reported clown attacks -- both real and imagined -- that have led to chaos, including school lockdowns and arrests. It began when Greenville County residents in South Carolina reported someone dressed like a clown trying to “lure children into the woods.”
Since then, numerous “clown sightings” have stacked up across the country. Many have been hoaxes, but many have been real threats: a Rhode Island woman was just attacked yesterday by three men in clown masks. Target did the responsible thing and stopped selling the masks. It’s an easy fix, and one Party City, as the largest party retailer in the North America, should definitely embrace.
Tell Party City to follow Target’s lead and send out the clowns.
It might seem a bit silly, but for whatever reason, the nationwide clown craze is causing serious harm. An Orlando elementary school was placed on lockdown after three students were spotted in scary clown masks trying to download a “gun sound” app onto their phones. Another high school in Washington State was shut down after someone was spotted with a clown mask and a knife and others received texts with death threats.
Target clearly decided that whatever profits they made off selling these masks is not worth the bad publicity and public harm. They should be celebrated for this decision that could easily earn them ridicule -- they certainly shouldn’t simply lose market share to Party City who only sees profit on what will be the biggest Halloween sales weekend of the year.
Let’s keep our kids safe this Oct 31 and tell Party City to yank its clown masks off the shelves.
More information
Everything You Need to Know About the ‘Clown Attack’ Craze
Time. 4 October 2016.
Time. 4 October 2016.
Target stops selling clown masks amid frenzy over 'creepy clown' sightings
LA Times. 27 October 2016.
LA Times. 27 October 2016.