Whenever 20-month-old Azai toddles into his favorite Target store in Huntersville, North Carolina, a crowd of adoring guests and team members quickly gathers to say “hi.”
Azai is TikTok’s newest little star, known to fans as the “internet’s favorite nephew.” They’ve fallen in love with the videos his mom, Mia Ariannaa, posts of Azai cruising Target’s aisles greeting everyone he passes with a sweet “hi, how you doing?” or a fist bump. This spring, he even stopped in to pick out his favorite Easter treats while showing off styles from our Cat & Jack kids’ apparel brand.
Every interaction with Azai is pure joy — he loves Target and keeps coming back for more fun. And since delivering joy is what Target does best too, on Azai’s latest visit the Huntersville store team had a few surprises to celebrate him.
Team leader for a day
When Azai arrived through the big sliding doors in his new red-and-khaki uniform, Store Director Tammy M. presented him with his very own name badge: He was being promoted to an honorary team member for the day — specifically, Huntersville Target’s Store Happiness Director. And he got a lot accomplished before naptime: From handing out Bullseye-themed treats at the team huddle, to making an announcement on the walkie-talkie and greeting guests in the aisles and checkout lanes, Azai brought happiness to every moment.
A gift for Azai and his community
The day wrapped up with one more big surprise. Tammy and the team circled round to present Azai and his mom with a $500 Target GiftCard for their family. And to continue spreading joy in his local community, Target made a $10,000 donation in Azai’s name to Classroom Central, a local Charlotte-based organization that distributes free school supplies to thousands of teachers each year. Classroom Central will be one of Target Circle’s featured nonprofits in the Charlotte area later this summer, where local guests can continue to support them by casting votes in the Target Circle app.
Azai can’t wait for his next trip to his favorite Target store, as he told the team excitedly over the walkie-talkie, “I’ll be back!” Check out the video above for the big announcement and all the action that followed. Then follow along for more fun moments from Azai’s perspective.
