The Art of Play store in Brooklyn has issued a new statement regarding its recent dispute with Kelly Clarkson, who labeled them a “liar.”
In an Instagram post early Monday, the store aimed to “clarify one additional detail” about Clarkson’s brief visit, which lasted about five minutes, where she expressed interest in a mechanical bird puppet named Molly.
They explained that Molly is permanently mounted on the wall and acts as the store’s mascot. However, the creator of such puppets, an artist named Bliss Kolb from Seattle, owns a nearly identical automaton. The statement continued by mentioning that Kolb was willing to sell a twin of Molly for $15,000, and the store had also suggested a different singing bird automaton made by a German clockmaker for $2,000, which they claimed Clarkson didn’t stay long enough to see.
“We’ve reached out to Kelly directly to try and clear the air,” the post concluded, expressing hopes that one day they could all laugh about the misunderstanding.
Clarkson’s representation did not respond right away to requests for comments. Previously, the Grammy-winning singer, 44, had criticized the Brooklyn Heights store on X, likening her experience to Julia Roberts’ character in “Pretty Woman.” She mentioned driving to Brooklyn to visit their shop, but felt judged and as though the employees thought she couldn’t afford anything. Calling an employee an “idiot,” she remarked, “Wow, dude. You … just lost a huge sale.”
After initially praising customer reviews, the store had defended itself by claiming Clarkson wanted to buy something that wasn’t available for sale. In a statement, they detailed her inquiry about purchasing Molly, stating that she came to view the one-of-a-kind automaton that plays a significant role in their magic shows—emphasizing Molly’s permanent fixture on the wall.
They acknowledged the backlash they received online, stating that Clarkson’s fans had aggressively targeted them, and expressed a desire to resolve the situation with her in the future, quoting, “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”
Clarkson later pushed back against the store’s take on the situation, calling them “rude” and a “liar.” In her tweets, she claimed an employee treated her condescendingly and had misrepresented their conversation about the price tag she pointed to for the singing bird automaton.
“That all never happened and now it’s not for sale,” she wrote, clearly frustrated. “Okay, cool. So you’re not only rude, you’re also a liar. Got it.”
