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What Does 'Blåhaj' Mean? The Seemingly Inexplicable Popularity Of IKEA's Iconic Shark Plushie Explained
Swedish furniture brand IKEA has managed to accrue more cultural capital than the norm for its industry, whether it be the iconic IKEA meatballs served at most stores or the adorable blue shark plushie that has gone viral for seemingly inexplicable reasons.
While the toy was released in 2014, a fan-led informal internet photo campaign began the toy's long history of meme relevance. Here's everything you need to know about the IKEA BLÅHAJ
When Did The IKEA BLÅHAJ First Release, And When Did It First Go Viral?
The IKEA BLÅHAJ was first released in early 2014 and marketed as a children's plushie. Initial photos of the shark showed it staged alongside a young child, with close-ups of the plushie showing its blue, white, and pink color scheme and its protruding shark teeth.
One of the earliest notable photos featuring the shark was shared on Tumblr In November 2014, when user @sharkhugger posted a photograph of six plush sharks arranged as if sitting at a table.
Why Is The IKEA BLÅHAJ Shark Associated With LGBTQ+ People?
Sometime after the year 2018, various memes linking the shark and the LGBTQ+ community began to spread on Tumblr, with the toy being associated with trans people in particular. Some have speculated that this could be due to the shark's blue and pink and white color scheme, which resembles the colors on the trans flag.
This association was backed up by IKEA's various LGBTQ+ focussed campaigns, with the company running a series of ads in support of the 2021 Swiss gay marriage referendum featuring the toy.
Is The IKEA BLÅHAJ Being Discontinued?
The shark plushie has been pulled from regional stores at different times over the course of the past decade, generally due to supply issues or similar technical problems. But shark's fanbase in these regions has always taken great pains to bring it back in stores, with enjoyers of the Blåhaj in the UK starting a redraw trend mourning the loss of the shark after it was pulled from regional stores.
How Is The IKEA BLÅHAJ Shark Used In Memes?
The IKEA shark is often shown posed and photographed in various scenarios in several viral internet photosets. This trend was particularly popular in Russia in 2018, with one image of a group of boys holding sharks on an escalator being turned into a viral redraw trend.
For the full history of the IKEA BLÅHAJ Shark, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.