You know that mid-week moment when one of you says “we should do something fun this weekend”… and then neither of you can think of a single idea that isn’t dinner? This one’s for you. The Target Face Match Date costs exactly zero dollars (okay, plus gas), takes about an hour, and left us wheezing with laughter in the middle of the dog food aisle. If your date nights have been feeling a little same-y lately, this is the reset button.
Watch the Target Face Match Date in action in the video below…
My husband and I did this on a completely ordinary weekend, and it instantly became one of our favorite dates ever. He “became” the dog on a Milk-Bone box (thumbs up and all), I hid behind a book cover in the book aisle so the illustrated face finished where mine left off, and by the time I was holding a TIME magazine over his head at checkout so he could pass as Pope Francis, we’d completely lost it. When friends asked “what did you do this weekend?”—we just showed them the photos.
What Is the Target Face Match Date?
The Target Face Match Date is a free, hilarious date night where you and your spouse hunt through a store like Target or Walmart for product packaging with faces (or body parts) on it—then line your own face or body up with the packaging to “complete” the picture and snap a photo. A dog’s face on a treat box becomes your husband’s head. A close-up of eyes on a book cover gets your mouth and chin. A cosmetics display with disembodied hands suddenly has your arm attached to it.
If it sounds familiar, it’s because this is the couples version of the viral Book Face challenge (the one librarians and bookstores have been winning at for years with #BookFaceFriday)—and face match videos from Target runs are all over TikTok and Instagram right now. But here’s the thing: it’s even funnier in person than it looks on your feed. You don’t need to buy a single thing, there’s no prep, no reservations, no babysitter-length outing required—just the two of you, your phone camera, and every aisle in the store as your playground.
How to Do the Target Face Match Date
Step 1: Pick your store
Target and Walmart are perfect because they’ve got books, magazines, pet food, beauty, toys, and groceries all under one roof—maximum face-hunting territory. A regular grocery store totally works too. We recommend a weeknight evening or earlier in the day on the weekend, when the aisles are calm and you can be silly without an audience (though honestly, the audience becomes part of the fun).
Step 2: Hunt for faces
Now wander the aisles together (or split up and text each other your finds) looking for packaging with a face, a head, eyes, hands—any body part you could “complete” with your own. You’re looking for two kinds of gold: packaging that can replace part of your spouse (a dog’s face perfectly sized to cover their head) and packaging your spouse can complete (a book cover with eyes that needs their mouth, a poster with hands that needs their arm).
Step 3: Line up the shot
This is where the laughing starts. One of you holds the pose while the other plays photographer and art director: “chin down… box up an inch… hold it… don’t laugh… DON’T LAUGH.” The trick is to match the scale—move the camera (or the product) closer or farther until the face on the packaging is the same size as the real face behind it. Get the alignment close and the photo looks bizarrely seamless. Get it wrong and it’s somehow even funnier.
Step 4: Take turns and keep score
Alternate who’s in front of the camera—you’ll quickly learn who in your marriage was born to be a Milk-Bone model. Want some friendly competition? Set a timer for 30–45 minutes and see who can rack up the most convincing (or most ridiculous) matches. Loser buys the winner an Icee at the snack bar on the way out. That’s the whole budget.
Step 5: Crown a winner and share your favorites
Before you leave (or over that Icee), scroll back through the photos together and pick your top three. Send the best one to the family group chat and watch the reactions roll in. These pictures are the date souvenir—and we promise you’ll be laughing at them again months from now.
Where to Find the Best Face-Match Products
Once you start looking for faces on packaging, you will never stop seeing them. But if you want a head start, these are the aisles that delivered for us:
- The book aisle — the undisputed champion. Illustrated covers with partial faces are exactly what the original Book Face challenge was built on. Hold the cover just under your eyes or over half your face and let the artwork do the rest.
- The magazine rack — full-size faces on every cover. This is where the “becoming the Pope” move happens. Celebrity covers are extra credit.
- Pet food & treats — giant, gloriously happy dog and cat faces, many of them suspiciously head-sized. You will never look at the Milk-Bone box the same way again.
- The cereal aisle — mascots, athletes on Wheaties boxes, and cartoon characters galore.
- Beauty & cosmetics displays — the sneaky one. The big display signage is full of close-up faces, lips, and floating hands holding lipstick. Line up your arm with a photographed hand and it looks unhinged in the best way.
- Toys & games — board game boxes and doll packaging are loaded with faces making very committed expressions.
- Seasonal & greeting cards — Santas, bunnies, graduates, and cards with faces on the front. This section changes all year, which makes the date endlessly repeatable.
Pro Tips for the Funniest Photos
- Match the scale first. Have your spouse hold the product still while the photographer steps closer or backs up until the printed face and the real face are the same size. Small adjustments make the difference between “cute” and “I can’t breathe.”
- Keep the camera level with the packaging—shooting from below or above breaks the illusion.
- Commit to the bit. Match the expression! If the dog looks thrilled, you give it a thumbs up. If the magazine cover is serene, you stand there serenely. The deadpan ones are the funniest.
- Use burst mode—someone always cracks up mid-shot, and the outtakes are half the treasure.
- Be a good guest. Handle products gently, put everything back exactly where you found it, keep the aisles clear for actual shoppers, and save the loudest laughing for the parking lot. (And hey—grabbing a couple of Icees or that book you accidentally fell in love with never hurts.)
Why This Free Date Night Works
We talk a lot around here about being intentional with date night—and this one sneaks intentionality in through the back door of pure silliness:
- Laughing together bonds you. Shared laughter is one of the fastest ways to feel close again—and this date manufactures it aisle after aisle. You’re not watching something funny side by side; you’re making something funny together.
- It brings back play. Somewhere between the wedding and the mortgage, most of us stop being goofy with each other. An hour of being ridiculous in public with your favorite person fixes that fast.
- Your phones are working for your marriage. For once, the phone isn’t the thing pulling you apart on a date—it’s the camera capturing your spouse posing as a Jack Russell terrier.
- It’s truly free. No tickets, no dinner bill, no sitter running the meter for hours. If you’re looking for cheap date ideas for married couples, it does not get cheaper than “we bought nothing.”
- You leave with souvenirs. Most dates end with a memory; this one ends with a camera roll you’ll revisit forever.
Fun Ways to Switch It Up
Make it a group date showdown. Split into couples, set a 30-minute timer, and meet back at the front of the store to present your five best photos. Group vote decides the champions—and the losing couples cover the Icee round. This one is dangerously fun with friends.
Play themed rounds. Animals only. Celebrities only. “Most convincing.” “Most cursed.” Giving each round a category keeps the hunt fresh and forces you into aisles you’d never visit.
Bring the kids. This works beautifully as a family date—kids are shameless, kid-height shelves are full of cartoon faces, and letting each kid be the “art director” for one photo is pure joy.
Make it a double-header. You’re already at Target… so finish the night with our Movie Night Snack Challenge—split up, secretly pick a drink, something salty, something sweet, and something cozy, then head home to watch a movie with your winning snacks. Two dates, one store run.
More Free & Funny Date Nights You’ll Love
If this date is your kind of fun, you’re our kind of people. Try the Paper Tablecloth Date Night for a candlelit, pen-and-paper-games night at home, or grab our 350+ Alphabet Dating Ideas and let the letters plan your next six months of date nights (T is for Target Face Match Date… you’re welcome).
So the next time date night rolls around and the budget says “stay home,” grab your keys anyway. One store, zero dollars, a hundred faces waiting to be matched—and a camera roll full of proof that you two still know how to have fun together. Being intentional doesn’t have to be expensive… sometimes it just looks like your spouse giving a thumbs up as a Milk-Bone dog. ❤
Target Face Match Date FAQ
What is the Target Face Match Date?
It’s a free date night where you and your spouse search a store like Target or Walmart for product packaging with faces or body parts on it, then line up your own face or body with the packaging to “complete” the picture and snap a photo. It’s the couples version of the viral Book Face challenge—part scavenger hunt, part photo shoot, all laughs.
How much does it cost?
Nothing but the gas to get there! You don’t need to buy anything to play—the products go right back on the shelf. If you want a “prize” element, an Icee or a fountain drink for the winner runs a couple of dollars, making this one of the cheapest date nights we’ve ever shared.
Is it okay to do this in a store?
Yes—as long as you’re a courteous shopper. Handle products gently, return everything to its exact spot, keep aisles clear for other customers, and go during quieter hours if you’re worried about being in the way. Taking photos for personal fun is fine; just be respectful of the store, the staff, and other shoppers around you.
What stores work best for the face match challenge?
Any big store with lots of packaging variety: Target and Walmart are ideal, but grocery stores, bookstores, and even your local library (home of the original #BookFaceFriday) are fantastic. The more aisles with books, magazines, pet food, cereal, and toys, the better the hunting.
How do we get the photos to line up?
Hold the camera level with the packaging and adjust your distance until the printed face is the same size as the real one behind it. Have the person holding the product stay still while the photographer moves and directs. Burst mode helps—someone always starts laughing right as you get it perfect.
Reader Favorites
Our most-loved bedroom games & date-night ideas for couples:
