Art of Play Says Kelly Clarkson Passed on $15,000 Bird, $2,000 Alternative

Q: What really happened during Kelly Clarkson's store visit to trigger such a massive online dispute over a price tag?

The dispute appears to have been triggered by a muddled exchange over a mechanical bird called Molly and what, exactly, the $15,000 price referred to. Clarkson says she asked about a bird displayed on the wall next to what looked like a “Singing Bird” price tag, and an employee told her it was for sale for $15,000 before offering to find her “something comparable.” She took that as condescending and as a sign the store assumed she could not afford the item. She later posted an image showing an apparent price tag beside the bird to support her account. Art of Play says Clarkson was looking at Molly, a one-of-a-kind singing-and-dancing automaton that serves as the shop’s mascot, is mounted to the wall, and is not for sale. The store says the employee was not pricing Molly itself, but explaining that the artist, Bliss Kolb, had a nearly identical version — effectively Molly’s twin — that could be bought for $15,000. The shop also says it offered to show Clarkson another bird automaton from Germany for about $2,000, but she left before seeing it. What is clear is that both sides agree a $15,000 figure was discussed and that “comparable” alternatives were mentioned. The unresolved issue is whether the employee clearly explained that Molly itself was not for sale, or whether the display and conversation reasonably made Clarkson believe the mounted bird on the wall was the item being offered at that price.

3 articles · Updated · Yahoo! Voices · Oct 12

Art of Play said a staffer told Kelly Clarkson that artist Bliss Kolb would sell a nearly identical twin to its in-store bird, Molly, for $15,000.
The Brooklyn store added that Molly itself is not for sale because the one-of-a-kind automaton is used in its magic shows, and said Clarkson left before seeing a separate $2,000 German-made singing bird.
Clarkson disputed that account after the store's first response, posting a photo of a $15,000 wall tag and alleging a staffer condescendingly told her the bird was for sale but expensive.
The clash began after Clarkson said on X that she drove to the store, was treated as if she could not afford its items, and compared the experience to Pretty Woman.