Target is pulling all of its clown masks in stores nationwide and on its online site "out of sensitivity for the issue at hand," a spokesman said Sunday.
The "issue at hand" is the "crazy clown craze," including threats of violence made on social media.
Joshua Thomas, a Target spokesman, said all clown masks have been pulled from stores and the company is in the process of pulling the masks from its online site. As of Sunday afternoon, there were still five clown masks available at target.com.
In early October, Hopkins police arrested a 15-year-old girl from Bloomington who had posted a Kroacky Klown threat on Facebook aimed at residents in Bloomington, Richfield, Minneapolis, Brooklyn Park, St. Paul, Rochester, Apple Valley, Plymouth and Hopkins.
"Should I come to Hopkins and kill?" the post said, according to police. "If you live in the following Minnesota cities, you are in danger."
The girl used her younger sister's cellphone to create the fictitious Facebook account, police said. She told authorities that her intent was to scare her boyfriend, but the situation got out of control and went viral.
Two days later, Bloomington police arrested a 13-year-old boy after a clown-related post "implying violence" against Valley View Middle School.
Last week, it was announced that a St. Francis volunteer soccer coach was fired after he wore a clown mask in a photo at the team's final practice.
