Target wanted to set themselves apart from their competitors, while also capturing shoppers’ interest (and wallet share, of course). Enter the Japanese animated monster Domo. Already lovable, we dressed him up in Halloween costumes, and his appeal went off the charts. He became the mascot of the season, showing up throughout the store (everywhere from the candy and costume aisles to home décor and pet products), and proving to customers that Target was the one-stop shop for Halloween goods. The results? Well, they were scary good. The furry brown monster became an internet sensation, and stores couldn’t keep exclusive Domo products on the shelves, with most selling out within a week. Which all helped Target enjoy one of the best Halloween seasons in a decade.

How a Furry Brown Monster from Japan Came to Target

Fifteen months prior to the Halloween campaign launching, I came across Domo at a licensing show. I knew immediately that his perfect blend of scary and cute was just the ticket for Target. My vision was to dress him in various Halloween costumes, knowing his iconic open mouth would always give away his identity. The next day, I sketched the idea on paper (see below) so I could get Target as excited about the idea as I was. Two days later, we hacked together this Photoshop line-up (see below sketches) of how Domo would come to life. Fingers crossed that Domo’s creator, Tsuneo Goda, would love it too. He did (huge sigh of relief!), and Domo at Target was hatched.

Creative Director: Bruce Edwards. Writer: Julie Feyerer. Designers: David Bennett, Eric Weiss. Work performed while Bruce Edwards was the Chief Creative Officer at Fame.