Breaking news: It turns out that Kelly Clarkson’s feud with a Brooklyn toy and magic store involves a surprise player known for a popular book about mythical beasts with a taste for Mexican food.
People magazine reports that Art of Play, the retailer that singer and former talk show host Clarkson put on blast for a perceived snub, is co-owned by Adam Rubin, the author of bestselling children’s books including Dragons Love Tacos, Those Darn Squirrels!, and High Five, all illustrated by Daniel Salmieri.
The fight between Clarkson and the store began last weekend, after the singer posted on the social platform X, “Just drove all the way to Brooklyn to check out this store I thought looked really rad and had a few things in mind to buy and literally was looked at as if I couldn’t afford it and was told he could find something comparable for me. Wow, dude. You’re an idiot and just lost a huge sale. But y’all should go check out Art of Play in Brooklyn if you enjoy being treated like Julia Roberts character in Pretty Woman. For sure, check it out.”
It turns out that Clarkson felt that her life would suck without Molly, a mechanical bird that the store seemingly offered for sale for $15,000. Despite the price tag next to the bird, an employee told Clarkson that it was not actually for sale. On Instagram, the store wrote, “We also offered to show her a different singing bird automaton, made by a traditional clockmaking shop in Germany, that she could have taken home with her that day. It costs about $2,000. She did not stick around long enough to see it.”
The store still has a price tag next to Molly. But the price has increased to $15 million.
Rubin took offense at Clarkson naming the store on social media, telling USA Today, “We are afraid for the safety of our shopkeepers. Kelly Clarkson has put us in danger.…This is an insane misunderstanding. Nothing happened in this shop to justify scolding our shopkeeper on the way out, but I could let that go…but things changed when she used her platform to attack us. It’s asymmetrical social welfare.”
Molly is not listed for sale on Art of Play’s website, but the store does offer other avian-themed items, including an origami cloth, a set of bird calls, and a hummingbird flipbook machine. If you can’t afford the machine, which sells for $2,400, one of the store’s employees might be able to find something comparable for you.
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
