Adolf Hitler was a vampire?
Explains a lot…I guess…
It is quite attention getting…
‘‘Hi, I’m Mark!’’ the tagline reads on Mark Lee’s blog and website selling all kinds of humorous things, including this Hitler ‘lookalike doll’ – complete with Hitler stache, Hitler combover hair, Hitler salute (modified) and Hitler Nazi red and white armband, also modified to switch swastika for dollar sign. It’s funny, it’s cute, it’s Taiwan.
It’s also a USB. [Suggested retail price: NT$499.] (Saw the USB doll in plastic case yesterday afternoon while buying a newspaper.) Had to look twice. Yup, it’s ye old Adolph again, modified for some new sense of Taiwanese/Japanese humour. Will it sell? Or will it be recalled as soon as German trade office in Taipei gets wind of it?
Apparently ‘‘made in Japan’’ by Creative Union International Ltd, in Chiba Prefecture, for a Taiwan firm run by Mark Lee in Taipei called LIGHT FORCE.
Exclusive sales at 7-11, a Japanese-owned company that uses Dentsu PR firm in Tokyo to swamp Taiwan with Japanese cutie things and toys.
Seems as if images of Adolph Hitler, the old longago legendary German Nazi dictator, have a special place in the marketing hearts of Asian advertising agencies and PR mavens. From Japan to India, from Taiwan to Vietnam, images of Hitler make the news at least once a year, and not always in a good way. This new doll has legs.
LINK FOR 7-11 DOLL ON SALE NOW:
pcstore.com.tw/immark/M07273286.htm
created by ‘‘LIGHT-FORCE’’ …in Japan or Taiwan? Packaging says Chiba Prefecture, JAPAN.
The French New Agency did a story today on this, on the Asian wires now:
straitstimes.com/BreakingNew … 16885.html
afp – A Hitler lookalike appeared on key rings and magnets on sale at 7-Eleven stores in Taiwan, triggering a strong reaction Monday from the de facto Israeli embassy, which said it was “appalled”.
The items, seen at several 7-Eleven convenience stores in Taipei, sported an Adolf Hitler-style cartoon figure with a short black moustache, a brown jacket and a red-black-and-white symbol reminiscent of the Nazis’ swastika banners.
“We were appalled to see the Hitler lookalike image being used, again, as marketing aid, and sold in Taiwan’s 7-Eleven stores,” said Simona Halperin, representative of the Israel Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei.
“I find it tragic that once again, people (in) marketing and promotion fail to recognise the meaning of the dark age in human history the Nazi dictator represents.”
She added that she was sure the images were the result of “ignorance” and did not reflect “support or identification with the atrocities committed during the Holocaust by the Nazis.”
An official from President Chain Store Corp, which runs 7-Eleven in Taiwan, ****denied the images were meant to represent the German dictator.
“They don’t look like Hitler. It’s ****not a moustache, but a ****tooth,” she said, referring to a black square in the middle of the figure’s face.
An official at the German Institute Taipei, Germany’s de facto embassy in Taiwan, expressed “regret that Nazi images are mistakenly used on some improper occasions”.
A tooth … there? Maybe it’s supposed to be a Vogon.
Can’t help wondering, though … if some European company started churning out keyrings with a Chairman Mao cartoon character (Ho Chi Minh, or Joe Stalin, or … take your pick) how many sales they’d make. I’d guess it would be more than a few.
awww, he’s so cute
/joke
it’s wrong that Hitler cornered the market on toothbrush moustaches. I once (only once) grew a 3 week beard, and shaved it into a pencil tache.
Then went out on the lash - and got no end of attention.
For the record, it looks nowt like Die Führer to me.
said one UK commenter in a paper there after reading the AFP wire story: "I don’t really give a damn about the story, but if the black square is a tooth as the 711 PR lady said, surely it would be on the mouth line where the other ‘teeth’ are and not above where one would traditionally find a moustache? ‘’
UPDATE TO CHINA POST story on this today, page 19: where the Post editors refer to the item for sale in 711 as an “alleged” Hitler item…alleged was not in the AFP copy at all. But the China Post is the China Post.
chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/fore … office.htm
and UPDATED AFP story also now quotes MARK LEE the “Hi I’m Mark” guy who designed the items for his marketing blog and then sold commerical rights to 711 where they are now in all 1000 stores around the country:
AFP TEXT: Mark Lee, a blogger who created the cartoon figure, staunchly defended
himself, saying he had no intention of promoting Nazi thinking.
“I had hoped to use it to satirise some bosses. In the eyes of
disgruntled employees, many bosses are greedy and dictatorial and like
vampires trying to suck money from them,” Lee said.
Mark Lee the designer admitted tot he AFP reporter that he did base the
cartoonish doll on Hitler but that he was using satire and irony as an
artist to lampoon what the label on the packge says in Chinese is “the
boss is angry” so the Hitlerish cartoon is not really meant to be
Hitler per se, or a slap in the face of Germans today or Jews or
Holocaust survivors, but as mark lee said, merely a Taiwanese designer’s take
on Hitler as a dictatorial brutish BOSS and the dollar sign armband
is to signify that the boss only cares about MONEY and the office
workers must toil for the damn boss.
profit, so from most Taiwanese POV, the cartoon is harmless and funny and
cute. Most Tawiaense do not even see Hitler in the face. I asked a
college student shopping in the local 711 last night what he saw in
the alleged Hitler doll face and he for two mintues he could not
answer or say any name of any person…then when I sugggested …’’‘what
about Hitler’?’, …and THEN he got it …quickly …but he also said …’‘it
was jsut cute and funny’’ to him and he had no real knowledge of Euro
history, so no big deal…and much about nothing.
very negative reactions in one UK newspaper say ‘‘the whole thing is a
beeswax story on a slow day and the doll no more looks like Hitler
than Charlie Chaplin and everyone should just chill out
and relax and drink some more Forster’s’’ beer…
Probably was a slow news day. Mondays usually are. Because nothing happens on Sundays.
[quote=“TainanCowboy”]Adolf Hitler was a vampire?
Explains a lot…I guess…
It is quite attention getting…[/quote]
''I had hoped to use it to satirise some bosses. In the eyes of
disgruntled employees, many bosses are greedy and dictatorial and like
vampires trying to suck money from them," Mark Lee the designer told AFP.
Tainany Cowboy, your vampire insight was right on the money. Bingo!
Why didn’t he use CKS as an example … or even Ma?
Liberty Times today in Chinese:
libertytimes.com.tw/2011/new … ay-p12.htm
UPDATE: it appears to have been recalled today after major TV coverage and newspaper stories in Chinese-language papers, and appears to be no longer
for sale at 7-11 islandwide. But probably still for sale on Mark Lee’s personal blog.
UPDATE TWO; The PR lady at 711 now claims that she was misquoted yesterday, that she didn’t say the black sqiare in the middle of his face was a tooth, but
rather a NOSE. So there!]
7-11賣類似希特勒鑰匙圈 以代表處「震驚」
統一7-ELEVEN所販售鑰匙圈與磁鐵上人物圖案類似希特勒，引起以色列駐台代表處強烈抗議，表示對此事感到「震驚」。（法新社）
〔編譯俞智敏、記者楊雅民／綜合報導〕法新社二十六日發自台北的報導指出，台灣統一7-ELEVEN超商所販售鑰匙圈與磁鐵上的人物圖案類似希特勒，二十六日引起以色列駐台代表處發表強烈抗議聲明，表示對此事感到「震驚」。
統一超商表示，該鑰匙圈是人氣部落客馬克的「五斗米靠腰」職場漫畫作品的周邊商品，公司會尊重創作者的想法，希望外界不要泛政治化。
設計者澄清 無意推動納粹思想
據法新社報導，馬克為自己的設計挺身辯護，聲稱他無意推動納粹思想，只是想要諷刺某些老闆，因為在不滿的員工心中，許多老闆既貪婪又獨裁，而且像吸血鬼一樣想從員工身上榨取金錢。
統一超商販售的這款鑰匙圈和磁鐵上的卡通人物造型類似希特勒，留著黑色短鬍鬚，身穿棕色夾克，手臂上還掛著一個紅黑白三色、容易讓人聯想到納粹萬字標誌的臂章。
以色列駐台灣經濟文化辦事處代表何璽夢表示，以色列對於類似希特勒的圖案再度被用於行銷手段，並在統一超商販售一事感到震驚。何璽夢表示，她相信業者使用這些圖案是出於「無知」，而非支持或認同納粹在猶太大屠殺時期所犯下的暴行。
統一超商公司一名主管則否認鑰匙圈和磁鐵上的圖案是代表希特勒，她辯稱卡通人物臉上的黑色方塊並非鬍子，而是一顆牙齒。
德國在台協會官員也對「納粹形象被誤用於不適當用途」，表達遺憾。
How can Taiwanese designers keep being so ignorant stupid …? and major businesses have no clue or care about what they are selling!
Practice, BelgianPie. Continuous, meticulous practice.
I find it more than ironic that the OP of this thread disapproves of Hitler dolls but apparently has no problem with photo-shopping 666 on Obama’s forehead. 
Not sure who is disapproving, and not sure whether this explanation is needed, but anyway: although it is not apparent, the OP of this thread is “Cola” - his initial post is now in third position in this thread, since the time stamp got changed somehow (i will make a submission to the powers that be to get it fixed, since indirectly i am responsible for the problem). 
Not sure who is disapproving, and not sure whether this explanation is needed, but anyway: although it is not apparent, the OP of this thread is “Cola” - his initial post is now in third position in this thread, since the time stamp got changed somehow (i will make a submission to the powers that be to get it fixed, since indirectly I am responsible for the problem). [/quote]
Oh well, away with my post then.
I’d go with the latter possibility for both your questions. Ignorance is a lack of knowledge, ditto for having no clue. These people know enough to reproduce accurate Hitler look-a-likes and Nazi iconography. In gaining the knowledge to create these reproductions, it would have been hard to miss the facts concerning how many people were killed. The people doing this are stupid and have not a care about how offensive their products are. Maybe we should open a Rape of Nanjing-themed cafe. It’d be showing as much cultural sensitivity and respect as these losers are showing.
I guess I’m one of the few that don’t see this as a tremendous issue…?
I agree with everyone else that it’s a sensetive topic, but really? Really? To make it this big of an issue over something stupid like 7-11 keychain? I understand it might be sensetive, but to have political groups participating and giving their opinions about something as mundane as this?
[quote=“Nuit”]it’s wrong that Hitler cornered the market on toothbrush moustaches. I once (only once) grew a 3 week beard, and shaved it into a pencil tache.
Then went out on the lash - and got no end of attention.
For the record, it looks nowt like Die Führer to me.[/quote]
Not “Die Führer”, “Der Führer”. Die Führer was his wife.
[quote=“Rabidpie”]I guess I’m one of the few that don’t see this as a tremendous issue…?
I agree with everyone else that it’s a sensetive topic, but really? Really? To make it this big of an issue over something stupid like 7-11 keychain? I understand it might be sensetive, but to have political groups participating and giving their opinions about something as mundane as this?[/quote]
Count me in. All just a fart in a bath. Hitler is merely some remote, historical figure in Taiwan. Even closer historical icons, such as the Red Guard medic bags adorned with Mao’s handwritten 为人民服务 - Serve the people were merely a fashion item around the Shi Da night market for a time. Bit like a Che T-shirt. So what? When they start holding beer hall putsches I might be mildly concerned. But only if they opt to get out of the aircon to do so.
HG
I went into 7/11 to buy one today and there were none in there? I asked the girl and she just kept saying “no no” and “don’t know don’t know” (In Chinese not German). Anyone seen one yet?