The toy store, $15m bird and famous singer at the centre of an online feud

On a street in Brooklyn, singer Kelly Clarkson walked into Art of Play, a high-end curiosity shop that sells games and novelty items.

The store on Atlantic Avenue is lined with quirky merchandise that includes speciality playing cards, kinetic sculptures and boxes of puzzles.

During the five minutes Clarkson spent in the store, one specific toy caught her attention: a mechanical yellow bird mounted on the wall.

Its name is Molly, and days later it would become one of the most famous birds on the internet for all the wrong reasons.

The saga began last weekend when the Grammy-winning singer made a post on X claiming she felt judged by staff while trying to make a purchase in the store.

Here's how the online feud unfolded. 

October 10: The visit and first accusation

The whole saga began when Clarkson visited Art of Play on Saturday, October 10.

While looking around, she spotted Molly, a handcrafted, singing and dancing bird, mounted on the shop's wall.

Nearby was a price tag showing $US15,000 ($21,400).

She then asked staff about the bird.

Shortly after leaving the store, Clarkson posted on X and accused the store of treating her like she couldn't afford to buy Molly.

Clarkson compared her experience to the famous scene from the 1990 film Pretty Woman, in which Julia Roberts' character is dismissed by staff at a high-end boutique.

"Y'all should go check out Art of Play in Brooklyn if you enjoy being treated like Julia Roberts' character in Pretty Woman," she said on X to her 8.8 million followers.

"Wow, dude. You're an idiot and just lost a huge sale."

Clarkson also claimed the staff member said he could find her "something comparable".

No-one was prepared for what came next.

October 11: The online back-and-forth begins

Art of Play responded the following day with a statement against Clarkson's claims.

"Imagine our surprise when our small local business was suddenly attacked by eight million people who have never visited our store," they said on Instagram.

"Hopefully we can clear things up with Kelly someday."

The statement also said Molly was never actually for sale because she served as a mascot and fixture of the store.

So maybe this was all just a misunderstanding?

Apparently not, with Clarkson firing back with another post which included a photo (which was not taken by her) of a price tag next to the bird that appears to read $15,000.

 "Sure, it wasn't for sale," Clarkson said.

"So the whole conversation we had when I asked you if it was for sale whilst pointing to the price tag … didn't happen … Okay, cool. So you're not only rude, you're also a liar."

She went on to say she loves and supports small businesses: "I never blast people but you my friend were an exception. Your store is really cool. Unfortunately, you aren't."

The feud quickly went viral online.

Some people defended the store, sharing positive experiences from past visits and arguing Clarkson had unfairly targeted a small business.

"Art of Play is one of the most special places I've ever visited! I've enjoyed your magic multiple times and your invitation to always play!," actor Michelle Monaghan wrote.

"I've been to the store MANY times and I've only ever seen them put smiles on people's faces and inspire wonder and curiosity. It's sad to see how quickly people buy only one narrative to the story," another customer wrote.

Others, including customers who claimed to have had similar experiences, criticised the store's response and argued it should have apologised.

"You have such a greatly curated shop but the several times I've been in I'm met with rude or obnoxious behaviour by your staff to us or to other customers," one user wrote.

"This is a terrible statement, please take some accountability," another said.

October 12: The mystery of the price tag

The store later expanded on its initial explanation, saying staff told Clarkson the price tag did not specifically refer to Molly.

Instead, the tag showed how much it would cost to order a similar custom bird from its creator, Seattle artist Bliss Kolb.

"He [Kolb] told us he would be willing to part with Molly's twin for $15,000. We explained all of this to Kelly Clarkson," the store wrote.

Art of Play also said staff offered to show Clarkson another mechanical bird made by a German clockmaker that she could take home that day for $2,000.

"She did not stick around long enough to see it," the business said.

October 13: Surveillance footage emerges

Just when the story appeared to be cooling down, it took another turn.

Investigative podcast Pablo Torre Finds Out released surveillance video from Art of Play that purportedly showed Clarkson's visit.

The grainy footage, which has no audio, appears to show her wearing a yellow shirt, a baseball cap and a backpack while looking at items, including the bird.

Clarkson can be seen talking with an employee, pointing to Molly and later moving to leave the store.

But before she does, she turns around at the door and briefly says something to a man at the front counter.

According to timestamps shown in the footage, the visit lasted just four minutes and 50 seconds.

Just 15 minutes later, Clarkson posted her first complaint on X.

October 12-14: Security concerns, a new price and Clarkson's silence

On October 13, Adam Rubin — who is one of three owners of Art of Play — told USA Today the online backlash had made them "afraid for the security of [their] shopkeepers".

"Kelly Clarkson has put us in danger," he said.

"Not just people showing up in person, but our neighbours are being doxxed and review-bombed, people are getting threatened on the street, and the worst part is, we didn't know this was gonna happen, but Kelly Clarkson did."

Rubin described the incident as an "insane misunderstanding" and invited Clarkson to attend the store again, see one of their live magic shows and give them another try.

He also addressed the question that had been at the centre of the dispute: whether Molly was actually for sale.

According to Rubin, so many customers had asked about buying the bird that staff eventually attached a price to it.

"We've raised the price due to popular demand," he joked.

"It now costs $15 million."

Whether he was serious or not remains unclear.

What is clear though is that Clarkson has not publicly responded since October 11.