When it comes to life’s toughest negotiations, sometimes you need a squishy friend on your side.
That’s SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher’s strategy for the contentious contract talks her union is locked in with Hollywood’s major film and TV studios. “The Nanny star has been coming to the table for weeks armed with a heart-shaped stuffed animal that serves as either an emotional support tool or a negotiating tactic, depending on who you ask.
Stories about Drescher’s doll have been a hot topic in Hollywood for weeks. One spy told us that Drescher has been carrying around a Furby – the furry doll that toy maker Hasbro created in the ’00s – and has even placed it in front of studio heads at the negotiating table, saying, “My Furby is watching you.
But according to several other sources, Drescher’s special guest was actually a heart-shaped plush with dangling feet, apparently made by Jellycat, a niche toy brand that caters to toddlers in high-end department stores.
“SAG-AFTRA declines to comment due to our ongoing negotiations and our strong focus on bargaining in good faith to secure a fair deal for SAG-AFTRA members,” a spokesperson for the guild said. The union also announced on Thursday that it would hold a picket at Amazon Studios on Friday, dubbed “Plushie Day in Solidarity with Fran”. Striking actors are encouraged to “bring your heart-shaped stuffed animals and stand with Fran!”
The toy was given to Drescher by a fan, she told the Los Angeles Times last week. It retails for just $15 and is described as “cuddly soft in cream fur with a cute embroidered smile and silver glittery legs”. Owners are encouraged to “put this little heart in your pocket to take a little love with you wherever you go”.
Drescher spoke about the doll on X Wednesday, when social media posts questioned such an unusual tactic. “I don’t have to emulate a masculine energy to be a good leader,” Drescher said in defence of the doll. “I can be smart, have a keen ability [to see] integral flaws in a business model AND put a tiny heart-shaped stuffed animal between me and Bob Iger.”
While unconventional for such an acrimonious contract process, the toy managed to catch the attention of C-suite executives trying to iron out a new deal with Drescher and SAG-AFTRA chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland. Sources say the executives had no idea what to make of the doll or its backstory. What did the puppet know? And does it hold the key to ending what’s now the longest actors’ strike in Hollywood history?
Jellycat did not respond to a request for comment. Exposure to some of Hollywood’s biggest decision-makers isn’t necessarily a bad thing for a toy line – Squishmallows signed with CAA last year to explore screen adaptations – but given the tensions between SAG-AFTRA and the studios, it’s safe to say no one will be running to get a Jellycat movie off the ground.
