• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, September 10, 2024

Target, known for making headlines with human collaborators like Michael Graves and Lilly Pulitzer, is going to the dogs -- and cats.

The Minneapolis-based retailer just launched the Cuddle Collab, a partnership inspired by six social media partners, featuring 180 items for pets and their owners.

The “fur-fluencers” include Ellie and Emma, a pair of golden retrievers/therapy dogs with 2.7 million followers on Instagram, and Baloo and Pan, a dog-and-cat team with 2.3 million followers. Popeye, a rescue pup turned SoCal foodie, is also part of the crew, as are Ghost and Wren, two incredibly fashionable Italian greyhounds, and Zelda, Titus and Brave, a trio of modern cool cats.

Together, they amass more than six million followers on Instagram alone. Target says it aimed to inject their stories and personalities into the capsule collections, from stuffed toys that look like sardine cans to welcome mats.

Besides a national ad campaign, Target plans to hype the collection in stores with events and giveaways. And with "The Pets of Tarjay" it also lets cats and dogs speak for themselves in its first reality-style social series.

"We know shoppers turn to Target to help them care for their families, and for millions of people — including 70% of Target guests — pets are family," says Jill Sando, Target’s executive vice president and chief merchandising officer of apparel and accessories, home and hardlines, in the company’s announcement. "The Cuddle Collab is all about celebrating our pets, and it's a fun way to extend our design expertise to the entire family — pets and the people who love them."

Items start as low as $3, with most priced at $20. A few splurges will be available when the items drop later this month, including a $100 cat tree, a $50 canopy cot, and a modern pet crate priced at $150 for the big dogs.

Plenty of the items are sized for humans, too, so they can dress like their pets, including faux fur trapper hats and “Fav child” bandanas.

And there’s plenty of bling: Collar tags bear messages like “Boop,” “So Fetch,” and “Wiggle Butt,” which pair nicely with keychain charms like “Good human.”  

Human apparel sends pet messages, too, like “I’m more of a dog person” and “I only travel in packs.” Of course, there’s plenty of pet apparel, like pompom snoods and -- ahem --  houndstooth sweaters.