Target removes clown masks following creepy clown epidemic

Thanks to a rash of creepy clowns terrorizing random civilians, Target has stopped selling clown masks for the time being.

Two weeks before Halloween, the company quietly decided to take generic clown masks off their website, according to the Orlando Sentinel. However, other favorite clown-y villains like The Joker still pop up in a site search.

For some mysterious (or perhaps marketing-related?) reason, people across the country have been seeing creepy clowns lurking in wooded areas. Even Central Florida has had its fair share of clowns popping up in both Marion and Volusia counties.

Over the last year, clown mask sales have spiked over 300 percent on the online costume retail store Halloween Express, according to The Wrap.

Pennywise could not be reached for comment.

This article appears in Oct 12-18, 2016.