Kristen Wiig's 'Target Lady' From SNL Hypes the Stores for Real

No one loves working and shopping at Target as much as the “Target Lady.” So, it makes perfect sense that the overly enthusiastic cashier stars in a national campaign on TV, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest and Target Finds.

In fact, it’s about time.

Kristen Wiig, who created the lovable weirdo when she was on Saturday Night Live, portrays the character in work promoting the Target Circle Week of membership deals that runs April 7-13. 

Tom Kuntz of MJZ directed the spots, collaborating with Wiig and former SNL writer James Anderson to create a series of funny scenarios.

“Big Morning” finds the Target Lady at home getting ready for a day at work, accompanied by Prince and The Revolution’s anthemic “Baby I’m a Star.”

In “Dream,” she is lost in her thoughts about all the great deals at Target.

In “Little Birdie,” the Target Lady picks up some Target scoop from an in-the-know pigeon, and she shares her recipe for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with a customer in “Peanut Butter.”

I spoke to Wiig about the inspiration behind the Target Lady during an interview when she was on SNL. She told me the character was born after an encounter with a cashier at Target.

“I asked for directions somewhere, and she said the street name, ‘Empire,’ but she said it like, ‘Ee-em-pie-yer,'” Wiig said, exaggerating each syllable. “The wheels in my brain started turning, and I was like, ‘I’ve got to write a character based on this lady.'”