Target reacts to U.S. creepy clown sightings

Discount retailer Target has taken steps to tamp down hysteria stemming from a recent spate of creepy clown sightings in the run-up to Halloween at the end of this month.

Target decided last week to winnow down its assortment of clown masks and costumes available for sale in U.S. stores and online "given the current environment," company spokesman Joshua Thomas said on Monday.

Although Target received some isolated consumer comments about scary clown accessories, the decision to pull some masks from inventories stemmed from "a conversation internally about how we can respond to the situation at hand," Thomas told Reuters.

The clown-mask culling, limited to one in-store product item and about 10 different selections online, affected a "very tiny" portion of Target's overall Halloween merchandise, Thomas added.

Target declined to specify exactly which products were pulled but said those kept in stock reflected a more traditional, less threatening image of happy, cheerful clowns.

Clowns have been reported spotted lurking near wooded areas or on dark roads, and even driving in cars, some brandishing knives or waving wads of money at children. The phenomenon has created a stir on social media, with the hashtag #IfISeeAClown and @ClownSightings generating a large following on Twitter.