20 of the Funniest Incidents People Had With Target’s Big Red Balls

Though it may surprise you to read that “incidents” have happened with the big red balls outside of Target, please remember that humanity is strange and beautiful. We can turn anything into a bizarre spectacle — the existence of Rule 34 is undeniable proof of that. 

Redditors have recalled the times they’ve experienced wide-eyed wonder outside of the retailer, including a story about a grandmother who crashed into one of the big red balls and caused it to roll down the hill of the parking lot and into a movie theater as the manager of Target attempted to chase it down. 

There truly are cathedrals everywhere for those with the eyes to see

20

fattymcgigglepants 5y ago Not at Target, but way back in the day at UCF, the same size balls were in front of the CFE Arena and by a parking garage. I shit you not, a car DROVE ON TOP OF one of those bastards. The dude was literally standing outside of his car scratching his head. 3 Share ...

19

PM_A_Song_You_Like . 5y ago Former target employee, one morning we were coming in around 4-ish in the morning to unload the truck and a random pickup drove into one of the balls and then just drove off.

18

[deleted] e 5y ago I worked there during the holidays once, but this happened a year after I left; saw an elderly man run into one and punch it angrily, like he hated it before doing this and wanted to exact revenge. Share 3 ...

17

esassafras 5y ago Current team member here! We were repainting the balls one day and WHILE the guy was painting them, a kid proceeded to jump over it and got red paint all over his butt. For some reason, the parent was pissed off at US even though we had wet paint signs everywhere. We ended up requisitioning several pairs of kids jeans that day. Its never a dull day at Target. 2 Share ...

16

owenbicker . 5y ago This is the opposite of what you asked for, but when PoGo was released my local store painted them like Pokeballs. 1.3K Share ...

15

PimpRonald . 5y ago Previous employee! Allegedly, my hometown said the giant red balls were too garish for their high-end neighborhood, so they said they had to be painted beige.

14

GTsTentacleChow 5y ago Oh, one that actually applies to me! About a month ago we had to call an ambulance to our store because a guest had a seizure and cracked his skull open on the ball. 359 Share ...

13

Bulkanic 5y ago Former employee at Target Grandville, MI. A tornado hit and sent one of our balls an entire block over. Had Facebook friends taking pictures and posting about it all over social media. Wild times. 305 Share ...

12

Akozta E 5y ago I worked there during the summer, and someone thought it was a parking space between them and then complained to me (guy who pushes the carts) that they didn't make the balls far enough to park between... 110 Share ...

11

Moresbar 5y ago Past employee: So when target first open in Canada it was the biggest thing. Cool right. So I had a guest come in to the guest service and asking me if they can buy the giant red balls. I said no sorry you can't they aren't for sell. They raised their voice at me to talk to the manger and so I called the front store manager and my manager said the same thing - the balls aren't for sale. The guest was so angry because we wouldn't sell them the giant red balls. 15K Share ...

10

DiscountSupport . 5y ago Not a target employee, but I saw a father and his two children (I'm assuming relations, but you get the point), a boy and a girl. They were crawling up on them, and I guess he thought it would make a nice picture, the two of them getting along, so he steps back, turns around, only to see the boy push the girl off the ball. 7.1K Share ...

9

Uhh_Bren 5y ago . Edited 5y ago Not really worst incident but where else would I have the opportunity to talk about Target balls, and I currently (actually) am an employee. On my orientation day the head HR guy was giving us a tour when we got to the red balls. Не told us our store has a designated ball cleaner. To this day, way later, I'm not sure if he was joking or not because I haven't seen one but they're always pristine looking. Share 21K ...

8

Indie516 5y ago Not a Target employee, but I once saw a teenage boy, attempting to show off in front of the girl he was with, try to jump over one. Не landed on it with his legs wide open and fell off clutching his crotch. Everyone around the store entrance saw it. 5.5K Share ...

7

Oluja 0 5y ago My mom is completely oblivious. She wasn't paying attention and just walked right into one. She just flipped right over it and face planted onto the cement. 17K Share ...

6

pauljohn408 5y ago We used to put clothes over them in the summer so they would look a little like beach balls. A little kid ran full force & kicked one as hard as he could. Не broke his foot. Target doesn't do that anymore 2K Share ...

5

-spookyxghost- 0 5y ago I watched some kid try to do a skateboard trick on one and he broke his board in half. 10K Share ...

4

izquierderecho 5y ago I think when the Nintendo switch came out they put these covers on them, one with Mario's face and the other with Luigi. I saw a young boy, no older than 8-9, kissing it for a little too long on Mario's nose. 8K Share ...

3

fishyhead11 . 5y ago As a Ex employee some random dude took a dump one of the red balls before the store opened, was like 6am-7am. It was odd 1.8K Share ...

2

Luckykuma 5y ago A elderly woman crashed her car right into it and the thing rolled all the way down to the movie theater while one of the managers was chasing it. This happened in a Kentucky store and I watched the entire thing happen. 177 Share ...

1

RealSteele . 5y ago Somebody crocheted a sock to cover one of the balls at my local Target. You could probably find a picture via Google. Many people posted pictures on Facebook. 4 Share ...