On a rainy Wednesday afternoon, a novelty toy and games store in the Cobble Hill neighbourhood of New York City was drawing far more foot traffic than usual. Passersby peered through the windows asking about a mechanical bird that has become the centre of a social media dispute involving singer Kelly Clarkson.
The row began at the weekend, when the Grammy-winning musician complained online that the Brooklyn shop, Art of Play, would not let her buy a singing and dancing mechanical bird perched on its wall. Clarkson said she was “looked at as if I couldn’t afford” the bird, which she said carried a price tag of $15,000 (£11,000).
Clarkson’s complaint and the store’s account
Clarkson compared her treatment to a scene from the 1990 romantic comedy Pretty Woman, in which staff at a shop treat the lead character poorly because they assume she cannot afford their goods. In a follow-up post, she said the store had told her the bird cost $15,000 and that staff could find her something “comparable”.
Art of Play has defended how it handled the visit. It said the wooden bird, which is called Molly, is permanently attached to the wall and is not for sale. During Clarkson’s five-minute visit on Saturday, the store said, an employee suggested she could buy an identical bird for $15,000.
The store also said it had offered her a different singing bird for $2,000, made by a clock-making shop in Germany, which she could have bought that day. In a statement, Art of Play said it was surprised that its “small local business was suddenly attacked by eight million people who have never visited our store”, adding that the attention had been “a surreal experience”.
Clarkson defended her decision to criticise the store online. “I never blast people but you my friend were an exception,” she said.
Threats and harassment reported by the owner
The store’s owner said he and his staff had faced threats and harassment since Clarkson’s complaint. He told a US television network that the singer had endangered them. These claims have not been independently verified in the source material.
This week, a man filmed himself shouting expletives outside the store. In the footage, he accused its employees of “racially profiling” Clarkson. The store’s sign now jokes that Molly is the “world’s most famous singing bird automata!” and the bird carries a new price tag of $15m.
When the visited on Wednesday, there were more reporters than customers. A shopkeeper said the store would not comment further on the story and wanted to return to business as usual.
Surveillance footage and customer reactions
The row remained in the headlines on Wednesday, when a news outlet released surveillance video from inside Art of Play that it said showed Clarkson’s visit. The grainy footage has no audio. It is said to show a woman in a yellow shirt, a baseball cap and a backpack browsing items, including the bird.
In the clip, the woman appears to speak with an employee while pointing at the bird. She later moves towards the exit, then returns to say something animatedly to the cashier.
Many of the shop’s customers had not heard about the dispute until news cameras greeted them on the premises. One customer who was visiting his daughter in town said he was not familiar with the controversy. Others said they were surprised by Clarkson’s claims that staff had treated her rudely.
Kiran Ramineni, who lives next door, described Art of Play as a “very nice small mom and pop store” and said he had seen flocks of journalists there in recent days. Shopgoer Emily Trantanella, 27, said: “I feel like a pretty woman and I’ve always been treated very well here.”
