How the IKEA Shark Became a Trans Icon

"Blåhaj makes my worries go away when I cuddle him," said Victor, an owner of one of the internet's most famous stuffed toys.

Launched in 2014 by Swedish furniture store IKEA, Blåhaj—pronounced blaw-high—translates simply as "blue shark" in English.

The friendly-faced toy has soared in popularity as thousands of people share their adventures with their own Blåhaj across social media. But for many owners, it's about more than just a cute face. The toy has unexpectedly become a trans icon—found online in posts alongside pride flags, trans memes, and LGBTQ+ positive messages.

A Way to Connect

Fiadh shared a video featuring the shark on TikTok back in 2021. She told Newsweek: "It's a weird sense of trans solidarity. The fact that it's become a huge internet sensation for trans people gives us something to connect with others about. Things that help us connect with other trans people online are so important because for a lot of trans folks the only way to be able to connect with people like us is through the internet."

"I bought Bahaj for a joke really but the joke has a deeper meaning," TikToker Theodora Undergrove from Nebraska told Newsweek. "I was never really into stuffed animals, but I am trans and Blahaj I knew was a trans icon so I had to get it."

The toy first gained popularity on Tumblr in 2014 when it was released in IKEA stores. By 2018, Blåhaj received viral status in Russia as owners shared pictures of their sharks in various real-life scenarios from cooking in the kitchen to riding a train.

Blåhaj's first links to the trans community can be traced as far back as 2020 when one Reddit post shared a cartoon featuring the shark with the caption: "Blåhaj is an ally." Other internet users have joked: "The B in LGBT stands for Blåhaj." Meanwhile, many people have shared how the plush has become the perfect gift for loved ones. One Twitter user wrote: "Just bought 4 mini Blåhaj for all the trans women in my life."

Others say that its popularity among the trans community really gained steam in 2021 when the Swiss government held a referendum on same-sex marriage to amend the country's Civil Code to legalize marriage between persons of the same sex, update adoption rights for same-sex couples, and give lesbian couples access to assisted reproductive technology.

Before the Swiss public went to the polls, IKEA advertised its support for the legalization of same-sex marriage with an advertising campaign. In a series of pictures, the home retailer posed different stuffed toys in bed together with the message "marriage for all."

One of these plush couples was the beloved Blåhaj the shark and Snuttig the polar bear—an image that seems to have stuck in the minds of many. Switzerland's same-sex marriage amendment was passed with a 64 percent yes vote and was entered into force in July 2022.

While it may be unclear exactly when Blåhaj became an unofficial mascot for the LGBTQ+ community, the blossoming popularity of this plush sea creature among trans people is best observed in online communities.

Emi, who is a transgender woman, recently shared on Twitter that she had purchased a Blåhaj plush for her transgender nephew. She told Newsweek that she credits the rise of the shark's popularity as an LGBTQ+ icon to several factors, including the IKEA same-sex marriage ad and the shark's online popularity in the mid-2010s.

"It makes perfect sense to me because there was an incredible queer and trans scene on Tumblr back then," said Emi. "In fact, Tumblr played a big role in me meeting queer and trans people, learning about my own gender and sexuality, and even buying my first breast forms and officially starting my transition."

"I think there's been a give-and-take between queer and trans content creators, the broader queer and trans community, and IKEA itself that has made Blåhaj an icon," said Emi. "So when I saw Blåhaj was back in stock near me, I snagged one immediately. I didn't need it for myself, but I did want to make my nephew feel special, and I think it worked like a charm."

An IKEA spokesperson told Newsweek: "​​BLÅHAJ is one of our much-loved soft toys and we are happy to hear that people around the world regardless of who they are or how they decide to live their lives are continuing to celebrate and embrace the soft toy."

Queer Legislative researcher and trans activist Erin Reed told Newsweek: "It's kind of cute and has the trans flag colors—blueish body, white underbelly, pink mouth. Beyond that, I suspect it's just like any meme—it's something trans people have latched on to and claimed for trans culture because so few things are actually explicitly designed and marketed to us."

The trans flag was created in 1999 by transgender navy veteran Monica Helms. First flown at a Pride Parade in Phoenix in 2000, it is made up of the colors blue, pink, and white. The light blue is placed to represent boys and the pink for girls, while the white is used to symbolize those who are transitioning or feel they have a neutral or no gender. It is designed so that whichever way the flag is flown it will always be correct.

Of course, the color similarities between the flag and the IKEA plush are coincidental, but that doesn't mean that members of the LGBTQ+ community haven't been delighted by the connection.

"Help! Where has Blåhaj gone?"

In 2021, social media users went into meltdown on news that Blåhaj was to be discontinued by the Swedish retailer. On September 26 IKEA U.K.'s Twitter account announced that the shark would be temporarily unavailable as a result of "supply issues."

"Help! Where has Blåhaj gone from the website?" said one concerned Twitter user.

As the shark was out of stock in IKEA stores in Singapore, and Hong Kong and was no longer listed on its Chinese website, fans of Blåhaj went into panic mode, tweeting the company to implore them not to stop production of the toy. At the same time an online petition asking the retailer to continue selling the shark received thousands of signatures and a subreddit called r/savetheBlåhaj was even created.

Luckily the panic was calmed when IKEA USA tweeted that it had no plans to discontinue the beloved toy and today people are still picking up their own shark pals around the world.

Despite a continued supply of Blåhaj, many people around the world are still struggling to get hold of one, with Twitter users sharing how they are not available in their area or that they do not live close enough to an IKEA store.

"There isn't actually an IKEA in New Zealand," said Reddit user and Blåhaj fan Penguin. "So getting a Blåhaj is sort of difficult. The ones that are available here are pretty expensive and not something I could just buy on a whim, but I am saving to buy a Blåhaj when I can." Elsewhere a market has arisen for copies of the shark on Amazon and eBay.

"Blåhaj is an ally"

On its website, IKEA says that Blåhaj is: "Big and safe to have by your side if you want to discover the world below the surface of the ocean."

The toys are available from IKEA and come in two sizes, one around 39 inches for $29.99 and a new smaller 21-inch version for $7.99.

"I follow a ton of trans people on Twitter, and that's the first place I became aware of Blåhaj," said Emi who delighted her nephew with his own shark plush. "I saw trans people with Blåhaj, and I heard trans people joking about how Blåhaj is the trans shark. I love internet in-jokes like that—especially at a time when transphobia is so prevalent in politics and pop culture—so I ate it up."

Blåhaj isn't the first trans icon to come out of pop culture. In 2019 Donkey Kong made headlines after YouTuber hbomberguy live-streamed himself playing Donkey Kong 64 in support of U.K. charity Mermaids which supports trans kids and their families. Guests on the stream included Chelsea Manning, John Romero, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Other animated characters with whom the trans community has found kinship include Pokemon's Team Rocket, Hercules from the Disney classic of the same name, Sombra from Overwatch, and Dipper Pines from Gravity Falls.

"I bought my Blåhaj because it's cute, topical and I can include them in some of my pictures, and take part in a little bit of trans joy," said Reed. "And if the craze fades away, well I'm left with a cute soft plushy the side of a bodypillow so that's not so bad either."

"It is funny to me to be overtly trans sometimes, as it's kinda a 'f*** you' to those who want me to be less visible," said Undergrove. "I feel that being trans, and queer in general, a lot of safety can come from an internet sphere. I am generally happier knowing that people like me are living day-to-day. It is also nice to know that my internet sphere itself is not going to comment about why we do not belong in bathrooms and sports and call us ugly names."

"Never underestimate the abilities of a plush," said Victor, a member of the r/Blåhaj subreddit. "It would be better if I could carry him around outside where my problems occur, but people here don't see that as normal because Blåhaj is a plush, and its colors resemble the trans flag."

Reddit user Ron is from the U.S. and is the parent of a transgender teen. He stumbled on the Blåhaj subreddit online several months ago and purchased his own huggable friend shortly afterward. Ron told Newsweek: "Blåhaj is huggable joy and love. It has become an unofficial flag or mascot. There is a running meme that some trans youth get them before they come out to their own family. For some, I feel like it is a badge and you're showing your membership with your collection."

Uncommon Knowledge

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

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