Plush red dragon flies off toy store shelves after Blue Jays homer

TORONTO – For years, Simply Wonderful Toys has stocked a plush red dragon on a stick. The toy has a light-up flame coming from its mouth and a mighty roar, and was a reliable seller with a few getting scooped up annually.

But in early July, the Guelph, Ont., store and many other Canadian toy shops sold out of the dragon overnight.

Driving the unexpected surge in demand was an unlikely source: the Toronto Blue Jays. The Major League Baseball team celebrated left fielder Jonatan Clase’s three-run homer against San Francisco with the red dragon on July 7.

By the next morning, stores that stocked the toy had been cleaned out.

Keeley Cea, an assistant manager at Simply Wonderful Toys, said the few the shop had in stock were bought in the wee hours of the morning.

“We had no idea what was going on,” she said. “Then we saw the videos of the game and realized that it was the same dragon that we have been selling for years, so it was kind of a shock.” 

The store has requested more from Schylling, the Massachusetts-based manufacturer, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the dragon’s recent popularity.

When the restock does arrive, Cea says Simply Wonderful Toys already has a waitlist of people wanting one. Some are from local baseball teams looking to celebrate with their own dragon.

Lifelong Blue Jays fan Adira Winegust went in search of the dragon soon after spotting it with Clase. 

“I thought, oh my god, I have to get this now,” recalled the Kingston, Ont., mother of three. 

“There’s one independent toy store and they were sold out already, but with some sleuthing, I found that there was one in Ottawa.”

A friend visiting the capital city agreed to scoop it up, hiding the $40 dragon from her own kids on the journey back, so they wouldn’t be jealous. 

Winegust’s younger children have since been playing with it at home while her eldest, eight-year-old Emmett Glatt, lends it to his baseball team.

Their mom bought the dragon just in time. Most online retailers’ websites show they have completely sold out and the few available on resale platforms are going for as much as $200. 

Toy Town in Toronto is one of the few places with the dragon still in stock. 

Owner Shari Bricks says her store sold out of the handful of dragons she had after the Jays debuted the toy. It recently restocked, but only has six left.

“It’s calmed down a little bit, but when people see them in the store, they’ll comment, and if they have a loved one that they know would love it, they’ll pick it up,” Bricks said.

The Jays reportedly got their stuffed dragon from Just For Fun, a San Francisco toy shop a short walk from their hotel.

Hitting coach David Popkins is said to have bought the toy because it represented fearlessness.

With the Jays having lost many of their recent games, the dragon hasn’t been seen much since July 7.

“The Blue Jays need all the help they can get,” Bricks said. “The more dragons out there, maybe the better luck they will have.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 27, 2027.