Modeled after the blue shark and made of recycled polyester, the toy has gained prominence on social media as a popular internet meme, especially in the femboy, transgender, and LGBT communities.

In September 2021, Twitter accounts representing IKEA in Ireland and Singapore, in response to customers enquiring about the toy, claimed that Blåhaj would be discontinued in April 2022.

[10][8][11] Later, IKEA's Media Relations team clarified that the plush would not be discontinued, but online shop and internal store listings in several countries were simply reflecting a supply chain issue.

[14] In response to the toy's popularity, IKEA has produced a line of Blåhaj shopping bags, which are sold at its stores in some regions, including Taiwan and Malaysia.

IKEA was seen as acknowledging this phenomenon (despite not explicitly mentioning it) when the company ran a series of ads in support of the 2021 Swiss same-sex marriage referendum featuring the toy.

[13] The toy has continued to inspire memes and social media posts on Instagram, Twitter, Reddit, and TikTok[22][26] and is a popular product in numerous territories.