Target has been sued for allegedly breaching its contract with the company that supplied its iconic dog mascot, Bullseye.
“Target seeks brand loyalty from customers. It has shown that it is anything but loyal to those responsible for bringing its brand to life,” read Worldwide Movie Animals’ suit, which was filed Wednesday in the Central District Court of California. The legal document states the department store ended its business relationship with the company and then failed fulfill a payment agreement. WWMA provides animals for films, television, commercials and live events.
“After 22 years of providing Target’s Bullseye dog Mascot, Target inexplicably canceled its agreement with Plaintiff Worldwide Movie Animals, LLC. Target then refused to honor its clear obligation to make payments due under the agreement’s auto-renewal provision, which required cancellation in advance of auto-renewal in order to avoid further payment obligations. This action seeks damages resulting from Target’s breach of its contract with WWMA,” the lawsuit, which was obtained and reviewed by TheWrap, read.
As it detailed the years-long relationship with Target, WWMA pointed out examples of how it supported Target’s needs, despite the store allegedly failing to live up to its promises.
“WWMA owner David McMillan personally provided Bullseye for most events. Throughout most of the relationship with Target, WWMA’s standard, which applied only to one particular event at a time, was used. Sometimes, no contract at all was used, and Target would simply call WWMA and arrange for the dog to be provided.”
WWMA concluded with a prayer for relief that includes payment for damages in the amount of $739,314.01, prejudgement interest, costs of suit to the extent permitted by law and any other relief the court deems “just and proper.” The legal document requests a jury by trial.
Bullseye has become synonymous with the Target brand ever since the bull terrier landed his first gig with the hypermarket back in 1999 with his first appearance in the company’s “Sign of the Times” advertising campaign. Through the years he’s shown up in several of forms of advertisement for Target, including billboards, red carpet events, commercials and publication-placed ads.
Pamela Chelin contributed to this reporting.
