What Happened To The Target Dog

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The last Bullseye, now retired, also lives on the ranch. The website confirms it is home to the Target dog Nikki. Target would not say whether that is the non-working name of the retiree or of the current terrier.

Target’s Canadian debut was a flop

As much as Americans love Target, Canadians werent feeling it. Target spent $7 billion and two years there, only to see it completely fail. CEO Brian Cornell said, “In my time here at Target, Ive developed a better understanding of just how deeply our entry disappointed Canadian shoppers,” who were reportedly initially excited about the stores, thanks to visiting them in the U.S.

Part of the problem was that Target took over the leases of Zellers, a defunct chain, instead of building the stores from the ground up. Fortune pointed out that “most Zellers stores were dumpy, poorly configured for Targets big-box layout, and were in areas not frequented by the middle class customers Target covets,” saying that “inheriting many awful locations from a dying low-end retailer was at the heart of the damage to Targets cheap-chic allure in Canada.”

In addition, Slate said that because the chain “revved up so quickly, the company never had time to develop a working supply chain in Canada, which left its stores short on merchandise and full of empty shelves.”

​The Target name and logo was one of 200 choices​

George Draper Dayton was a New Yorker who wanted to get into the store business, so he chose Minneapolis, Minn. in 1881 to open the Dayton Dry Goods Company, later becoming the Dayton Company department store chain. In 1961, the company announced that they would open up a discount store offshoot, saying that the new place would “combine the best of the fashion world with the best of the discount world, a quality store with quality merchandise at discount prices, and a discount supermarket… 75 departments in all.”

But they didnt know what to call it. They looked at over 200 possible choices for the name and logo, and decided that a target, complete with a bullseye logo, was the way to go. They explained the choice, saying, “As a marksmans goal is to hit the center bulls-eye, the new store would do much the same in terms of retail goods, services, commitment to the community, price, value and overall experience.”

The first Target opened in 1962, and while there have been a variety of logo styles over the years, the bullseye remains front and center. It is so recognizable that reportedly 93 percent of Americans who shop can identify the brand without the store name — just the logo!

Target has it all. From food and household essentials to clothes and toys, there are seemingly a million things you should be buying at Target. They have become a beloved retail chain even with those mysterious big red spheres outside. Plus, they have the cutest (and furriest) mascot around but dont tell Tony the Tiger or the Pringles man. The Target mascot is easily recognizable as the little white dog with the red rings around its eye, but most people dont know very much about the Target dog, despite how often they frequent Target.

FAQ

Is Bullseye still the Target mascot?

History. The original Target dog who debuted in a 1999 commercial was American Kennel Club Champion Kingsmere Moondoggie, known as “Smudgie”. The current mascot is a descendant from the breeder Skyline Bull Terriers, located in Massachusetts. In 2014 the mascot’s real name was Nikki.

What kind of dog is Target’s mascot?

Bullseye is the official mascot of the Target Corporation and has been used in various marketing campaigns and commercials throughout the years. It’s also important to note that little Bullseye is actually a “she.” Each version of Bullseye has been played by a female dog—there are currently six! But more on that later.