Kara Cook and her son, Parker, are both huge fans of Target. So, as Parker’s seventh birthday drew near, they came up with a crazy idea: What if they threw him a Target-themed birthday party at their local Target?
Cook told BuzzFeed that Parker has loved Target ever since he was a toddler, and that he currently most enjoys getting an Icee and hitting up the Dollar Spot.
"If I stop at Target without Parker, I make sure to keep it a secret and hide that bag so he doesn't get upset," Cook said.
Of course, since Target doesn’t actually throw parties, they weren’t sure they’d be able to make it happen. So Cook stopped by her local Target to pitch the idea to the manager.
Cook was heartened enough by her chat with the manager that she took the plunge and — gulp! — sent out invitations.
On the big day Cook was nervous, but upon arriving at Target the manager and floor supervisor quickly put her at ease.
"They told us they were excited for the party and that they'd informed their entire staff about it," Cook said.
They also presented Parker with a present — a stuffed Bullseye — and set out crayons and coloring pages for the kids to enjoy.
Soon the guests — who had been asked to come wearing red shirts and khaki shorts — arrived and gathered in the cafe.
There they enjoyed popcorn while decorating name badges...
...and making beaded bracelets.
Parker even got his face painted to look like Bullseye.
Next, it was time for a scavenger hunt!
"We had four groups led by parents who brought the kids around the store," Cook said.
Each group had an envelope filled with five clues that directed them to pictures of Bullseye hidden throughout the store.
Once each group solved all five clues and collected the Bullseyes, they received their prize: Target stickers (courtesy of Target) and Icees.
After that the kids headed over to the Dollar Spot to choose their own party favors.
The staff at Target even reserved a register just for the group so that all of the kids could quickly check out with their items.
Finally, it was time to sing "Happy Birthday" to Parker and to have cake (which was Target-themed, of course).
"The whole party from start to finish was only an hour and a half and it was by far the easiest party I ever planned. There was no clean up at home and the food (except for the cake and cupcakes) was all at the café," Cook said.
"Most importantly, Parker loved every part of the party, and feels extra special that he was the first person to ever have his own Target Birthday," she added.
