Target removes ‘Satanic’ merchandise, creator happy it’s gone.

Abprallen Creator Expresses Mixed Feelings Over Target’s Decision to Pull Brand

The creator of Abprallen, an LGBT-themed brand recently pulled from Target stores due to public backlash, has expressed both disappointment and relief with Target’s decision.

Owned by Erik Carnell, a transgender designer based out of the U.K., Abprallen provided Target with three products last year, including a messenger bag, a tote, and a sweatshirt, each with their own phrases: “Too Queer For Here,” “We Belong Everywhere,” and “Cure Transphobia, Not Trans People.”

However, Abprallen’s other online products, which have drawn considerable pushback over their “satanic” messages, led to the brand’s removal from Target stores.

“The amount of backlash that I have gotten has been overwhelming,” Carnell told CNN. “I just hope that this is the beginning of the end of the messages and the onslaught that I’m getting.”

Most of the backlash against Abprallen has been over an item which says “Satan respects pronouns.” Cornell described it as “one that gave Abprallen its proper footing and direction,” adding that the creation of the phrase “helped make Abprallen what it is today.”

Despite creating products with obviously Satanic-inspired designs, Cornell told the Daily Dot: “I don’t believe in Satan. I don’t believe in the Bible … It’s a metaphor.”

Abprallen’s Impact on Target

Although the controversial design was never placed in Target, it has still bolstered the ongoing boycott of the retail store over their partnership with the brand — a boycott that has already cost Target $9 billion, according to Fox Business.

Cornell acknowledged to CNN that the products were designed, knowing they were provoking, and dismissed the public’s response as “hatred towards LGBT people.”

Final Thoughts

While Carnell expressed disappointment over the removal of Abprallen from Target stores, the designer also expressed relief due to the threats they have reportedly been receiving. The controversy surrounding Abprallen highlights the ongoing debate over the intersection of politics and business, and the potential consequences for companies that choose to take a stand on social issues.