The must-have item of Pride 2024? A bird figurine from Target.
But the ‘Movie Star Featherly Bird Friend’ — which is $5 — has been hard to find, according to people on social media posting about their attempts to get it. NBC News also tried to purchase the item, only to learn it was sold out. As of Tuesday afternoon, listings on eBay showed resellers hawking it for as much as $41.99.
Target’s description of the item, an homage to actor Tippi Hedren’s character from Alfred Hitchcock’s 1963 horror film ‘The Birds,’ does not immediately reveal its connection to queer culture.
‘Celebrate a bygone era of Hollywood with the vintage style of this Pride Movie Star Featherly Friend,’ it reads in part. ‘Crafted from styrofoam and fabric, this stylish decorative bird figure is perfectly sized for adding a delightful accent to a shelf, mantel or tabletop.’
‘The Birds’ was once included on The Advocate magazine’s list of ’17 Horror Films Only LGBT People Understand.’ Hitchcock’s films in general are often known for queer subtexts.
While ‘The Birds’ is ostensibly about the relationship between Hedren’s character and Mitch, played by Rod Taylor, several scenes feature intimate moments between Hedren’s Melanie and Annie, played by Suzanne Pleshette, the woman Mitch turns down.
‘It’s her scenes with Mitch’s spurned friend Annie (a sumptuously husky-voiced and decidedly pants-sporting Suzanne Pleshette) that sizzle with tension,’ according to The Advocate. ‘Scenes of Melanie and Annie smoking are so iconic that there are entire YouTube mash-ups dedicated to them.’
Target is also selling an accompanying toy car designed to look like the Aston Martin that Hedren drives in the film. It comes with a license plate that reads, “Pride.”
Some commentators online noted that Cate Blanchett’s character in Todd Haynes’ 2015 film ‘Carol,’ a movie more explicitly about queer love, seems to be an homage, in part, to Hedren’s look — and at least one social media user called the Target item ‘the Carol bird.’
Many who were able to get their hands on what they described as Target’s ‘Pride Bird’ posted pictures of it on social media.
One Instagram creator, who reviewed Target’s 2024 Pride collection, documented his trek to obtain it at two different Target locations.
‘I had no idea these were so popular. It’s like cutthroat out here,’ he said in his Instagram Reel, describing the bird as ‘even cuter in person.’
Target’s 2023 “Drag Queen Bird” was a viral hit last year, with hundreds posting about it on TikTok.
The retailer, which this year announced it was scaling back its Pride collection after a massive backlash last summer, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.