I follow a ton of trans people on Twitter, and that's the first place I became aware of Blåhaj," said Emi who delighted her nephew with his own shark plush. "I saw trans people with Blåhaj, and I heard trans people joking about how Blåhaj is the trans shark. I love internet in-jokes like that—especially at a time when transphobia is so prevalent in politics and pop culture—so I ate it up."
Blåhaj isn't the first trans icon to come out of pop culture. In 2019 Donkey Kong made headlines after YouTuber hbomberguy live-streamed himself playing
Donkey Kong 64 in support of U.K. charity Mermaids which supports trans kids and their families. Guests on the stream included
Chelsea Manning, John Romero, and
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Other animated characters with whom the trans community has found kinship include
Pokemon's Team Rocket, Hercules from the
Disney classic of the same name, Sombra from
Overwatch, and Dipper Pines from
Gravity Falls.