New footage shows the moment Kelly Clarkson inquired about a singing bird automaton, an experience that sparked a feud between the singer and a Brooklyn store.
WASHINGTON — New footage shared on Tuesday shows the moment Kelly Clarkson inquired about a singing bird automaton at a Brooklyn curiosity store. The experience sparked an online back-and-forth with the store after Clarkson said she felt judged by the employees.
The singing bird dispute between the “American Idol” alum and Art of Play unraveled further after an independent journalist, Pablo Torres, shared the security footage of Clarkson inside the store. Torres shared the video, without audio, on Tuesday on his YouTube page.
Clarkson is seen perusing the store, picking up what appears to be a kaleidoscope on a shelf before observing Molly, the mechanical singing bird, and appearing to speak to an employee. After a seemingly brief conversation, the employee points in a different direction, and Clarkson checks out another item in the store instead.
The “Breakaway” singer continues to walk through the store before “gesticulating towards” the employee she had spoken with, whom Torres identified as the shop owner. In external footage of the store, Clarkson can be seen taking out her phone as she exits.
Torres said Clarkson’s tweet calling out the store came just 15 minutes after the interaction seen on the security footage, citing time stamps.
Singing bird automaton is now $15 million, Art of Play says
On Tuesday, Art of Play’s co-owner told New York Magazine that its singing and dancing automaton was now priced at $15 million. Originally, the bird had a price tag of $15,000.
“So many people asked about it that we had put a price on it, but we talked to the creator when he came to fix the machine, and if someone showed serious interest, we would reach out to him about getting them an automaton. As you’ve noticed, we’ve raised the price due to popular demand. It now costs $15 million,” Adam Rubin told New York Magazine.
Since Clarkson’s initial post, there’s been a barrage of commentary online — and, the store owners say, in the real world. Hateful messages and reviews have appeared, and someone even showed up at the store, said Adam Rubin, one of the partners.
Rubin also commented on the public dispute over the singing bird, calling it an “insane misunderstanding.”
“Nothing happened in this shop to justify her scolding our shopkeeper on the way out, but I can let that go. You know, everybody has a bad day. But things changed when she used her platform to attack us,” Rubin told New York Magazine.
Why did Kelly Clarkson call out a Brooklyn shop over a singing bird?
Clarkson traded jabs with the Brooklyn store last weekend after what she said was a negative experience.
Clarkson, 44, took to X on Saturday, Oct. 10, to criticize Art of Play, a novelty shop in Brooklyn, New York, where she alleges she experienced a “Pretty Woman” moment.
“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,” Clarkson said in her post. “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.”
On Sunday, Oct. 11, Art of Play responded to Clarkson’s post with a statement, alleging that the singer inquired about an item that was not for sale. Art of Play is a novelty shop with “magical home goods, puzzles, games, toys and books,” according to its website.
A back-and-forth ensued, with the store making its own posts saying initially that the item wasn’t for sale and then adding that they had tried to find her an alternative. Clarkson said that wasn’t true.
Art of Play issued a second statement, addressing that the $15,000 price tag was for a “nearly identical” automaton by the creator, Bliss Kolb. The store added that it explained the distinction between “Molly,” the automaton inside the store that is not for sale, and the “twin” model of the “Singing Bird.”
“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 statement continued. “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.”
