It’s not too often the entire internet can agree on something so when it does happen it’s worth taking notice. When the internet heard that the most beloved shark plushie of all time, IKEA’s BLÅHAJ, looks like it will be discontinued in April 2022.
For those who don’t know, BLÅHAJ have become an internet icon with people adoring them from everything to just how soft and cuddly they are to the memes they have become. Pictures of the sharks doing normal activities are massively popular and there’s even an entire subreddit dedicated to the plushie. BLÅHAJ have even become synonymous with the LGBTQ+ community — particularly among transgender people — so much so that IKEA even used them in official advertisements supporting marriage equality.
Now it looks like BLÅHAJ may be facing extinction. A comment from the official IKEA UK Support Twitter account from a customer service representative named Alex claimed that “It may only be available for a short period of time as it is set to be discontinued from April 2022.”
As the sharks don’t seem to be at risk of discontinuation in other countries, many are speculating that this business decision may be due to Brexit — the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union — somehow affecting shipping and product availability.
No matter what the cause of the discontinuation, the internet has been absolutely aghast at the news, sharing their distaste all over the web.
And while some suggested more wholesome options to save the BLÅHAJ…
Others took it to some serious extremes — jokingly we hope.
Many have been expressing just how special the shark is to them and showing pictures of their plushie friends in their homes.
Twitter users have begun using #SaveBlahaj on Twitter and a petition to save the BLÅHAJ from extinction already has hundreds of signatures. It will be interesting to see if IKEA responds to this overwhelming call to keep these sharks in their stores. They have not released an official statement on BLÅHAJ’s discontinuation at this time.