Jump to content

Bullseye (mascot)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bullseye at the 2009 ceremonial start of the Iditarod.

Bullseye is a Bull Terrier and the official mascot of Target Corporation. The dog is featured in Target's commercial campaigns and in store sale signage and is used in various marketing campaigns, often portrayed as a male.

There are three dogs who play Bullseye taking turns during different promotional campaigns.[1] Each Bullseye has a pure white coat, and has Target Corporation's bullseye logo painted around their left eye, which is the origin of the mascot's name. The makeup used on Bullseye is all-natural and non-toxic.[2] Target also offers the dog as a stuffed toy for special events or employee recognition.[citation needed]

History

[edit]

The original Target dog who debuted in a 1999 commercial[3] was American Kennel Club Champion Kingsmere Moondoggie, known as "Smudgie".[4] The current mascot is a descendant from the breeder Skyline Bull Terriers, located in Massachusetts.[citation needed] In 2014 the mascot's real name was Nikki.[2]

Bullseye dogs live on a ranch just north of Los Angeles trained by David McMillan, operator of Worldwide Movie Animals.[1] In 2004, American artist Amy Brazil was commissioned to paint an 8-foot by 8-foot portrait of Bullseye, which now hangs at Target corporate headquarters.[5]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Tabuchi, Hiroko (2015-12-22). "Target's Dog Mascot Learns New Tricks in Marketing Blitz". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
  2. ^ a b Keenan, Marney Rich. "Keenan: Bullseye hits the Target, ranks first class". The Detroit News. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
  3. ^ "At Target Field, a bullseye view of the game". Star Tribune. 31 March 2012. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
  4. ^ Target through time. Retrieved 23 Mar 2012 from Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ "Running with the big dogs". Retrieved 5 May 2017.