You’ve been living under a rock if you haven’t noticed Mexico’s newest tradition of welcoming international stars by throwing them a Dr. Simi plushy on stage. The most recent recipient is Rosalía, who was welcomed with not only one but three stuffed animals during her performance at Mexico City’s Auditorio Nacional on Aug. 14.
For those confused about the stuffed animal action, you’re not alone. It appears that it’s a contemporary sign of fan endearment in Mexico. It’s traced back to Mexico City’s Corona Capital festival in 2021 when a fan threw the stuffed animal to Norwegian singer-songwriter Aurora. Youtube user KatCrimson18 commented: “Let it become a tradition to throw Dr. Simi stuffed animals at international artists performing concerts in Mexico.” Well, it seems like it’s turning out that way.
Since then, other famous global artists have been unknowingly (or knowingly) part of the now Mexican meme trend, including Coldplay, The Killers, Gorillaz, and Mac DeMarco, to name a few.
The trend isn’t stopping there, though. It seems like fans are getting more creative with the dolls now. During KARD’s show in Mexico in July, social media users noticed the details that were altered on the plushies to look like the K-pop group members.
But it’s not all fun and games. Social media has been recently divided by the playful action. Earlier this month, a Dr. Simi plushie hit Lady Gaga’s face mid-performance in Toronto, Canada. Internet users were questioning whether or not the endearment is safe to do.
What’s more, Mexican concert-goers are now starting to petition against it. As the German band Rammstein’s concert dates at the Foro Sol approach in Oct., some fans are asking not to throw the Dr. Simi stuffed toys on stage.
“Rammstein has a very meticulous show and any extraneous situation can lead to anger from the band,” a Rammstein Facebook fan group posted. Since the publication, the post has garnered over 10 thousand comments and 8.9 thousand shares.
Are Dr. Simi plushies really that big of a deal? Will Mexican venues end up banning stuffed animal toys in the future? We’ll see as the trend develops.