Blåhaj: Difference between revisions

'''Blåhaj''' (stylizedstylised '''BLÅHAJ''', {{IPA|sv|ˈbloːhaj}}, {{Literally|blue shark}}; colloquially [[Anglicisation of names|anglicised]] as {{IPAc-en|ˈ|b|l|ɑː|h|ɑː|ʒ}}, {{IPAc-en|ˈ|b|l|ɑː|h|ɑː}} or {{IPAc-en|ˈ|b|l|oʊ|h|aɪ}}) is a [[Stuffed toy|plush toy]] manufactured and sold by the Swedish company [[IKEA]]. ModeledModelled after a [[blue shark]] and made of recycled [[polyester]], the toy has gained prominence on social media as a popular [[internet meme]], especially in the [[transgender community]],.<ref name="INTOransINTOTrans" /> andIt has also been used as a [[mascot]] by IKEA in some regions.

Blåhaj and other IKEA plush toys have embroidered eyes, instead of commonly used plastic eyes, due to safety concerns such as choking hazards.<ref name="INTOTrans" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-05-17 |title=Choking hazard prompts recall of stuffed animals |url=https://www.wpri.com/news/us-and-world/choking-hazard-prompts-recall-of-stuffed-animals/ |access-date=2024-02-20 |website=WPRI.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

Blåhaj has been available from IKEA since at least 2010, previously being known as "klappar haj" (stylizedstylised '''KLAPPAR HAJ''', {{IPA|sv|ˈklaparːhaj}}, {{Literally|petting shark}}) and in grey instead of blue.<ref>{{cite web |title=Archived: "IKEA - KLAPPAR HAJ Soft toy" |url=http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10158995 |publisher=Internet Archive |access-date=25 August 2023 |date=17 September 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100917005534/http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10158995 |archive-date=17 September 2010 }}</ref> By 2012, IKEA had switched to using blue fabric,<ref>{{cite web |title=Archived: "KLAPPAR HAJ Soft toy - IKEA" |url=http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/00247841/ |publisher=Internet Archive |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121031062220/http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/00247841/ |access-date=25 August 2023|archive-date=31 October 2012 }}</ref> but maintained the klappar haj name until later in the product's life.

In September 2021, [[Twitter]] accounts representing IKEA in [[Ireland]] and in [[Singapore]], in response to customers enquiring about the toy, claimed that Blåhaj would be discontinued in April 2022.<ref name="BIExtinct" /> Sources later confirmed that it had been out of stock or delisted from IKEA's stores in China, [[Taiwan]], and Singapore.<ref name="BIChina" /> However, IKEA's USA Twitter account later stated that the toy would remain available for sale in the United States.<ref name="MothershipMeltdown" /><ref name="BIExtinct" /><ref name="IKEAUSAProduct" /> Later, IKEA's Media Relations team clarified that the plush would not be discontinued, but online shop and internal store listings in several countries were simply reflecting a supply chain issue.<ref>{{cite web |last1=King |first1=Maya |title=Maya King on Twitter: "NEW: IKEA Global Press Officer Diana Lavrenova has stated, quote, that there are "no plans to discontinue [BLÅHAJ] at any market so far", implying that the Europeans were simply, uh, confused and/or misled. I have asked for further clarification." |url=https://twitter.com/madisonkingpa/status/1443328614917939212 |website=Twitter |access-date=25 August 2023 |language=en}}</ref> In early 2022, new Blåhaj plushes were found to have been made in [[Indonesia]], indicating that they had switched suppliers during that period.{{Citation needed|date=October 2022}}

[[File:Transgender Pride flag.svg|thumb|right|The [[transgender flag|transgender pride flag]] by [[Monica Helms]], which has similar colorscolours to the Blåhaj]]

In 2018, Blåhaj grew to prominence as an Internet meme,<ref name=BITikTok/><ref name=MashableTwitter/><ref name=MMMObsessed/> with social media users posting humorous photos of it in their homes.<ref name=MothershipHuman/> Around this time, Blåhaj began to be associated with the [[LGBT]] and particularly [[transgender]] communities. IKEA was seen as acknowledging this phenomenon (despite not explicitly mentioning it) when the company ran a series of ads in support of the [[2021 Swiss same-sex marriage referendum]] featuring the toy.<ref name=INTOTrans/> Some transgender people buy a Blåhaj or receive one as a gift as a [[rite of passage]] after [[coming out]].<ref name=Focken>{{cite news |last1=Focken |first1=Christina |title=Hailiges Maskottchen |url=https://taz.de/Ein-Plueschtier-als-Trans-Ikone/!5954789/ |access-date=7 October 2024 |work=Die Tageszeitung |date=2 September 2023 |language=de}}</ref>

The toy has continued to inspire memes and social media posts on [[Instagram]], [[Twitter]], [[Reddit]], and [[TikTok]],<ref name=BITikTok/><ref name=TSSCommunity/> and is a popular product in numerous territories.<ref name=BFNRussia/><ref name=DevonVanishes/> Blåhaj also made a brief appearance in the [[Marvel Studios]]-produced television series [[Hawkeye (miniseries)|''Hawkeye'']].<ref name=TSSCommunity/>

In response to the announcement that the sale of Blåhaj would be discontinued in certain regions, the term "Blåhaj" [[Twitter trends|trended]] as a topic on social media for several days as fans of the toy claimed it was becoming "extinct".<ref name=MothershipMeltdown/><ref name=BIExtinct/><ref name=BIChina/> A similar social media response was elicited when some IKEA stores in [[Hong Kong]] used the toy in a display demonstrating the functionality of [[Vacuum packing|vacuum bags]].<ref name=MothershipVacuum/>

In November 2022, IKEA Canada hosted a giveaway offering transgender people a special edition Blåhaj in the colorscolours of the transgender pride flag, with their name embroidered on their fin.<ref>{{Cite web|last=North|first=Nick |title=TLDR: @ikeacanada wants to give trans folks BLÅHAJ, tag and share!&nbsp;..." |url=https://www.instagram.com/p/CkhBltmvc5m/ |access-date=2022-12-27 |website=Instagram |language=en|date=3 November 2022}}</ref> One of these was gifted to a [[sexual health clinic|sexual health centre]] in [[Halifax, Nova Scotia]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Glassman |first=Julia |date=2023-01-18 |title=IKEA Canada Releases Blåhaj Shark in Trans Colors |url=https://www.themarysue.com/ikea-canada-made-an-actual-blahaj-shark-in-trans-colors/ |access-date=2023-01-19 |website=The Mary Sue |language=en}}</ref>

[[Category:LGBTLGBTQ symbols]]