how did a plush shark become a queer icon?

QUEER WORD
BLÅHAJ

What it means:

translating from Swedish to ‘blue shark’, blåhaj is the name of a simple soft toy shark from IKEA that has become an unlikely symbol of trans joy and community, often serving as a comfort item and subtle form of queer representation for those in the know.

Let’s use it in a sentence:

I told my mum I was going to IKEA for storage boxes, but really I was on a mission to adopt my first blåhaj.

How did the humble blåhaj win our hearts?

Sometimes it’s best not to question the bizarre quirks of the internet, and instead just buckle up and enjoy the ride.

Like, seriously, who decided everything should suddenly be ‘demure’? Or why anyone would want to snort a condom (yes, that’s actually a thing, but I wouldn’t recommend googling it)? Or how on earth a soft plushie shark toy came to be a symbol of trans joy?

Actually, I would quite like to know about that last one, so let’s find out more.

A little bit of history

Alright, so let’s start by setting the stage. In case you didn’t already know, IKEA is a chain of Swedish furniture stores that sells cheap ready-to-assemble furniture, household goods and all sorts of random products. Depending on where you are in the world, you'll no doubt find their furniture in student accommodation and cheap rental apartments (and, absolute side note, but does anyone else remember the wavy IKEA mirror that everyone seemed to have in the 00s? Ah, the nostalgia!).

A huge part of the company's charm is how much they lean into their Swedishness - their logo matches the colours of the Swedish flag, their stores have canteens that serve Swedish meatballs, and all of their products have funny almost-unpronounceable are-they-or-aren't-they-rude-words Swedish names with umlauts and accents in places that you wouldn't expect them to be (think flärdfull, smörboll, or knutstorp).

So, now that we’re up to speed, let’s take a trip back to the year 2014, when IKEA introduced a plushie shark named blåhaj as part of their soft toy collection. It did pretty well, made its way into stores worldwide, found its way into countless soft toy collections... and that was pretty much it.

Until, a few years later when… the internet happened.

No one’s exactly sure how or when, but suddenly the shark was everywhere - being turned into memes and shared across the web. People started placing their blåhaj in bizarre positions or assigning it strange tasks, snapping pics to share on social media.

And, then, somewhere along the line, trans and gender non-conforming folks embraced the blåhaj as a symbol of their community, sharing memes and selfies and hashtags that celebrated this little plushie as an icon of joy and comfort.

But why?

I know I said it’s best not to question the oddity of internet culture, but, seriously, out of all the soft toys in all of the shops in the world, why was the humble blåhaj singled out?

Here are a few of the theories that are being bandied about:

• The colours - bluish-grey, white, and pink—kind of resemble the trans flag

• Soft yet tough - there’s something about the shark’s mix of softness and toughness that many queer folks relate to.

• A quiet symbol of safety - for some, it’s about safety. If you’re a teen just figuring out your trans identity in a home that may not be the most accepting, having a symbol of your community in your room that doesn’t raise any eyebrows or suspicious questions can feel like a total lifesaver.

• It’s cheap - who doesn’t love a bargain? It’s easy to get your hands on, and it’s damn cheap.

• If you know, you know - there’s a certain level of insider knowledge that comes with owning a blåhaj, and it’s the kind of thing that makes you feel like you’re part of the cool kids.

And the story doesn’t end there…

What’s been kind of amazing (or, depending on your mood, a hugely cynical marketing move) is how IKEA has leaned into this whole thing. They’ve embraced the role that their plush shark has taken on and even incorporated it in to their own marketing with a knowing wink. For example, when showing their support for the Swiss equal marriage referendum they incorporated the blåhaj in a saucy photoshoot.

So, there you have it. If you’re anything like me you may still struggle with the pronunciation (apparently it’s kind of like ‘blow-high’), but now at least when you see a queer person and their blåhaj, you’ll know you’re in safe company.