Needless to say, it’s lucrative to hitch your company’s name to a remarkable athlete.
That’s what Minneapolis-based Target Corp. did when they formed a partnership seven years ago with now two-time gold medalist Shaun White.
And it was that same department-store giant which also contacted Carl and Linda Muggli of Ray for their totem-carving expertise. Growing a reputation that precedes them, the Mugglis have carved totem poles which have gone all over the world. Among hundreds that dot the globe, Muggli totems can be found in London honoring Princess Diana; in Brockton, Mass., where a VA hospital commemorates Native American military veterans; on the Seattle set of TV show “Grey’s Anatomy;” and at a chalet in the French Alps.
But it was the Target Chalet in Aspen, Colo., that recently connected the Minnesota company with these northern crafters.
Aspen’s Buttermilk Mountain was the competition site of the 2010 Winter X-Games, held at the end of January. The Winter X Games are billed as the premier winter-action sports event in the world.
In addition to Olympian record-breaking snow and skate boarder, White, Target Corp. also sponsors athletes Nate Adams, Mat Hoffman and Kevin Robinson. The Target Chalet was provided as respite for them during the X Games events.
The chalet is a private mansion in one of Aspen’s upper-crust neighborhoods. In the midst of X Games chaos, the getaway setting is intended to help these competitors keep a critical focus on their sports.
Adding Native American totem poles to the chalet was Target’s way of providing equanimity by merging symbols of strength, tranquility and wisdom into the atmosphere. To carve them, they chose the local Mugglis — a couple who has increasingly garnered an expert reputation among totem-making ranks.
“Target used the totem theme throughout the entire house,” Carl Muggli told The Journal, adding that he and Linda carved them all. Target’s art team created the totem designs, including its trademark target-eyed bull dog.
Then, with their own trademark way of “raising spirits,” the Mugglis found just the right log characters on which to begin the cuts that would evolve into spiritual symbols inhabiting the spaces of the Target Chalet.
Not only were Muggli totems featured both inside and outside the Aspen chalet, the poles were also placed in combined settings with framed photographs of the couple’s craft. The images were staged by a Target team at the Muggli’s workshop in Ray, sent to capture the totems in the natural snow-laced countryside where they were crafted.
Following the photo shoot, the Mugglis shipped the totems to Aspen.
The multi-million dollar Target Chalet also features such amenities as a dungeon/wine cellar, a Fender/Guitar Hero jam room and a private chef. The Muggli’s totems are generally highlighted in glows of crimson lighting, inside and outside the chalet.
Muggli said that following the Winter X games, the chalet reportedly sold for $12.5 million. As for the totems, they are now on display at the corporation’s Minneapolis offices.
Target has manufactured several exclusive Shaun White products, including a line of clothing for boys and young men, as well as electronic games.
The brand got another Olympic-sized boost this week on a world stage that showcased the 23-year-old redhead's aerial acrobatics as he won his second gold medal in snowboarding.
Athletes like California-born White don’t come along very often. For companies like Target Corp., his audience-embracing skills are a dream come true. White’s riding is said to have contributed to the evolution and growth of snowboarding and skateboarding.
For an impressive little company on the northern border of Minnesota, the same could be said for their international investment in the art of totem carving.
For more information on Muggli totem poles, visit www.totempoles.net.
