"Not the hero that we need but the one that we deserve": Hawk Tuah action figure goes viral amid record merch sales

Amid the rave about the ‘Hawk Tuah’ girl, an action figure made about her went viral on social media. The mystery woman, whom the internet discovered through a Tim & Dee TV interview clip around June 19, now seemingly has her own merch.

The action figure shows a female superhero clad in a red, white, and blue bodysuit, representing the national flag of the United States. It also features a head armor and two large white wings resembling a white hawk. The label on the package reads:

"With realistic 'spit on that thing action'."

As digitally created images of popular movie posters, and other merchandise are often found online, it is unclear if this 'Hawk Tuah' action figure is real or generated using artificial intelligence. Nevertheless, netizens were no less than enthused to manifest the merchandise. One X user humorously wrote that this viral superhero might not be someone they need but rather someone they deserve.

"Better have the swivel action battle grip too!" one person wrote.

"The sound of true freedom!" joked another.

"Put her in that Young Avengers movie, and it will crack a billion, guaranteed," one user opined.

Although the action figure can appear realistic to some at a glance, one might discover certain flaws after closely scrutinizing the picture. Some netizens found these disparities and pointed out how the AI failed to generate a convincing image.

"Bad AI," commented one person.

"Some terrible AI in that picture," another noted.

A few others, on the other hand, called the 'Hawk Tuah' meme unfunny and conveyed they were baffled by the internet's obsession with it.

"How something so unfunny managed to get this far is incredible," wrote one user.

"Am I the only one who doesn't like that?" another commented.

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'Hawk Tuah' hats by Fathead Threads acquire record sales

Last week, a Facebook post from Belfast-based clothing brand Fathead Threads caught netizens' attention where the 'Hawk Tuah' girl, addressed as Hailey Welch was seen signing some of the company's hats.

In an interview with Rolling Stone, the man behind Fathead Threads, Jason Poteete, opened up about how much cash they raked in from the hats. Poteete said the signed variations were all sold out for $50 each, and the unsigned versions were priced at $32.78 per hat. The company has sold around 2,000 hats so far, which brought in roughly $65,000 in revenue.

He then spoke about Hailey, whom he claimed to have known for years:

“Of course she hasn’t gotten a dime from the first viral video that went out.”

Jason Poteete continued:

“Nobody was asking permission for her to do nothing, neither. I just wanted her to get some profit off of this deal.”

He told the publication Hailey was “overwhelmed” by her overnight fame and asked him not to disclose her personal information or feature her face on the hats. Poteete said:

“Our largest orders are usually 100 hats, maybe 150 to 250 shirts. This is way out of the normal for us…This is a small, family-owned shop. We’re all-hands-on-deck right now.”

Jason Poteete did not disclose the percentage of profit Hailey Welch has received from these 'Hawk Tuah' merchandise pieces.