Erling Haaland returns from World Cup exit with a $750 taxidermy raccoon, triggering viral frenzy and selling out the Texas store

Return to Norway

Norway's best-ever World Cup run ended in the quarter-finals with a 2-1 loss to England in Miami. Erling Haaland, who scored seven goals in the tournament, did not bring home a trophy. Instead, he arrived at Oslo airport on 13 July holding a taxidermy raccoon clutching a bottle of gin. Thousands lined the streets of the capital for an open-top bus parade celebrating the team's return.

Followed me home.

The Whiskey Raccoon

Haaland bought the piece, officially named 'Whiskey Raccoon H-MT-F', from Wild Bill's Western Store in Dallas during a team visit on 30 June. The raccoon holds an empty bottle of G & J Greenall's Wild Berry Gin and cost $750 (about 640 euros). Haaland also picked up three hats and a T-shirt reading 'Y'all can kiss my Dallas'. The store, founded over 50 years ago, became the epicentre of a global rush for similar souvenirs.

When I saw him walk in, I turned to my manager, Miguel, and said, 'Lock the doors. We're going to make this special for him'.

Newport, the store's co-owner, told The Athletic she shut the shop for an hour and a half, taught the Norwegian visitors to line dance and served bourbon. The raccoon had been on the shelf for years, but after Haaland's purchase and social-media posts, the product sold out online the same Monday, before a new consignment even reached the store.

Sold-out and retired artisan

The artisan who made the taxidermy pieces recently retired, Newport said, leaving the store searching for a new vendor. Other options remain available: a squirrel on a stripper pole ($450), a squirrel smoking a cigarette and holding a miniature Jack Daniels ($500), and a squirrel sheriff with its gun drawn ($500).

Social media frenzy

Haaland posted a video of the raccoon on a hotel windowsill beside two taxidermy squirrels during the tournament. After landing in Oslo, he shared an image on Instagram with the raccoon and a caption that translated to 'Followed me home', accompanied by raccoon and laughing-face emojis. He then launched a naming poll on his Instagram stories with four options: 'Cowboy', 'Ranger', 'TEX' and 'R.O.W. (Raccoon on Wheels)', the last apparently referencing a rowing celebration the Norwegian team used during the World Cup.

His posts drew huge engagement. Frankfurter Allgemeine reported 22 million new followers for Haaland during the World Cup, over 500 babies named Erling in Peru, and a beauty influencer, Anastasia Kostromitina, gaining fame for her resemblance to the footballer.

Look-alike contest in Miami

On 11 July, ahead of the quarter-final, content creator Emma Kate Willman organised a Haaland look-alike contest in Miami's Brickell neighbourhood. The winner, a Norway supporter, received two tickets to the match at Miami Stadium. Willman had previously gone viral for a hair tutorial copying Haaland's distinctive blonde locks.

Divided reactions

While fans embraced the raccoon as the tournament's most unusual souvenir, some were less impressed. Spanish lawyer and self-declared Haaland admirer Beatriz de Vicente reacted with indignation on LaSexta.

Very bad, Haaland. A myth has fallen for me.

She compared the object to the unsettling practice of selling rabbits dressed as hunters, while her co-host suggested whimsical locations for the raccoon, such as the centrepiece of a Christmas Eve dinner.