This Anne Frank costume was pulled from some online stores. But is it still available?
As Halloween approaches, people often find and call out really questionable costume ideas.
For instance, the Anne Frank costume for children that was widely available on HalloweenCostumes.com, until this weekend. The costume, which featured a green beret, blue overcoat, brown satchel and a name tag, was listed as “Anne Frank costume for girls.”
A quick web search brings up several stores where the costume is still available. That includes Walmart, which is “looking into the costume” after being alerted to it on social media. It is currently listed as a “Child World War II Evacuee Girl Costume,” on the company’s website.
The costume is also listed on ziggosparty.com, without mention of Anne Frank. It is currently out of stock.
Jerod MacDonald-Evoy tweeted a screen shot of the costume and description on HalloweenCostumes.com, which called Frank an “unexpected hero.”
“We can all learn from something like that,” the description read.
Yeah this seems super uncool. You seen this @carlosgeADL ? pic.twitter.com/uhKS3g9b2J
— Jerod MacDonald-Evoy (@JerodMacEvoy) October 15, 2017
The costume was taken off the site after the company was blasted on social media for “trivializing” the Holocaust, according to the Daily Mail.
“There are better ways to commemorate Anne Frank. This is not one. We should not trivialize her memory as a costume,” tweeted Carlo Sage, who is with the Anti-Defamation League.
Ross Walker Smith, a public relations specialist with Fun.com, which owns HalloweenCostumes.com, issued a statement on Twitter apologizing for the costume and saying it had been removed from the website.
“We sell costumes not only for Halloween, but for many uses outside of the Halloween season, such as school projects and plays,” he said, replying to a question about the costume on Twitter. “We have passed along the feedback regarding this costume.”
Most people who saw the costumes online were shocked. Others just rolled their eyes.
When they pull an Anne Frank costume from @costumhalloween because it "offended" someone pic.twitter.com/YOm7XAn1HK
— Goulish DraClara (@ClarKetchum) October 16, 2017
It's not even an Anne Frank costume. pic.twitter.com/BVFjzaf0bM
— The Fox (@Ceiberfox) October 16, 2017
This story was originally published October 16, 2017 at 2:31 PM with the headline "This Anne Frank costume was pulled from some online stores. But is it still available?."