Kelly Clarkson has caused the cost of an animatronic bird to rise to $15 million.
The Since U Been Gone hitmaker has been embroiled in a public row with Art of Play in Brooklyn, and now the curiosity shop's co-owner Adam Rubin has claimed the previously not-for-sale mascot is available at a massive price.
He told New York magazine's Curbed: "As you've noticed, we've raised the price due to popular demand. It now costs $15 million."
Before the latest drama, other customers had inquired about Molly the bird.
The store added a $15,000 price tag to help the artisan creator Bliss Kolb gauge any "serious interest".
Over the weekend, Kelly ranted online about her experience enquiring about the item in the store, comparing her treatment to Julia Roberts' character in Pretty Woman.
Adam has described the situation as "an insane misunderstanding".
He added: "Nothing happened in this shop to justify her scolding our shopkeeper on the way out, but I can let that go…
"Things changed when she used her platform to attack us. It’s asymmetrical social warfare.”
Adam, who is one of Art of Play's three owners, claimed that Kelly's fans have bombarded the store with criticism, phone calls and negative reviews.
He said: "They’re shouting, they’re screaming. They show up, they shout, ‘You’re racially profiling Kelly Clarkson!’
"This was out on the sidewalk, so neighbours called the police, and when they filmed the neighbours their followers doxxed the neighbours… Kelly Clarkson has put us in danger.”
When he was asked about a rise in sales since Kelly's post, Adam insisted the store had "said enough", and asked the reporter "to leave".
Kelly had originally alleged that staff "looked at" her as if she "couldn't afford" their products.
On Sunday (11.10.26) Art of Play responded: "Yesterday, Kelly Clarkson visited us in Brooklyn and inquired about buying ‘Molly,’ a one-of-a-kind singing and dancing bird automaton who plays an important role in the magic shows we host here.
"Molly is permanently attached to the wall and isn’t for sale. However, the negative experience Kelly described on twitter would resonate with anyone who has ever felt judged in a shop.
“At Art of Play whether someone comes in to make a purchase or simply look around for a while, they are equally welcome.
"We greet everyone who walks in the door with the invitation to ‘pick things up and play.’ And they do, many stay for hours enjoying our puzzles, games and toys.
“Imagine our surprise when our small local business was suddenly attacked by 8 million people who have never visited our store. It’s been a surreal experience to be the focus of such widespread outrage after just one mention by a celebrity."
Kelly later responded with her own version of events.
She wrote: "So the whole conversation we had when I asked you if it was for sale whilst pointing to the price tag hanging on the wall with the title Singing Bird didn’t happen as you elevator eyed me saying in a condescending tone ‘yes, it’s for sale but it costs 15,000 dollars so if you’d like me to find something comparable for you I can.’
"That all never happened and now it’s not for sale. Okay, cool. So you’re not only rude, you’re also a liar. Got it."
Kelly insisted the fact she was "literally at a small business trying to purchase things" proves that she supports them.
Art of Play then shared another statement to "clarify one additional detail".
They wrote: "During the 5 minutes she spent in the store, she inquired about our mechanical bird puppet named Molly.
"We explained that while Molly is permanently attached to the wall and serves as a de facto mascot for our shop, a nearly identical automaton is owned by the creator of the machines, a brilliant artist named Bliss Kolb who lives in Seattle.
"He told us he would be willing to part with Molly's twin for $15,000. We explained all of this to Kelly Clarkson."
They claimed they also offered to show Kelly "a different singing bird automaton, made by a traditional clockmaking shop in Germany" which costs around $2,000.
They added: "We've reached out to Kelly directly to try and clear the air. We really do wish her the best and hope that someday we can all laugh about this misunderstanding.”