It all started with a modest tweet about a cute bag boy at Target, but it escalated very quickly into the creation of a Twitter celebrity the world fell deeply (and kind of weirdly) in love with. Tuesday, a user took to Twitter to swoon over a photo of Alex, a random Target employee who was just minding his own business bagging groceries. Twitter took it from there, many amazing memes ensued, and even the official Target handle weighed in. A marketing company called Breakr claimed that it was all a planned marketing ploy [1] — a very successful ploy testing to see how "powerful the fangirl demographic" really is, at least according to Dil-Domine Jacobe Leonares [2], the founder and CEO of the company.

However, Alex From Target himself made an appearance [3] on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and claimed that he had no idea about the campaign and was completely astonished when the tweets starting pouring in and his followers went from 144 to more than half a million in just a day.

YOOOOOOOOOO pic.twitter.com/eknsxBlx38 [4]

— rims (@auscalum) November 2, 2014 [5]

#AlexFromTarget [6] meet and greet. $50 for a photo, $100 for a hug. pic.twitter.com/uX6ywVjJNI [7]

— Sam Pepper (@sampepper) November 3, 2014 [8]

I fell in love with him the way he scanned my items, slowly and then all at once #alexfromtarget [9]

— Alex (@ObeyMendes_) November 3, 2014 [10]

STEAL HIS LOOK: ALEX FROM TARGET shirt: $29.99 Target pants: $35.99 Target watch: $19.99 Target bags: $0.05 Target pic.twitter.com/FxV2cWUKWy [11]

— Dream Closet (@TheDreamCIoset) November 3, 2014 [12]

Couldn't stop laughing#alexfromtarget [13] pic.twitter.com/pmpOpBmhj6 [14]

— Alex From Target (@GilinskysHighAf) November 3, 2014 [15]

HAHAHA WHO MADE THIS?!? #alexfromtarget [16] pic.twitter.com/KXa0YVnVM4 [17]

— alex from target (@tbhcamnash) November 3, 2014 [18]

THE Alex from Target pic.twitter.com/i9WVK29wwS [19]

— Mary Kate (@MaryKate17_) November 3, 2014 [20]

We heart Alex, too! #alexfromtarget [21] pic.twitter.com/LvA7qc5RfS [22]

— Target (@Target) November 3, 2014 [23]

it all started with #alexfromtarget [24], but I'm more of a #stevefromstarbucks [25] kind of girl pic.twitter.com/6rbqIwdck7 [26]

— Bitch Code (@TheTumblrPosts) November 3, 2014 [27]

Alex From Target's Response:

Am i famous now?

— DGM_Alex (@acl163) November 2, 2014 [28]

Now i have to change my number...

— DGM_Alex (@acl163) November 3, 2014 [29]