Web simmers over ‘Hitler kettle’
Billboard bearing JCPenney product attracts the attention of commuters due to an uncanny similarity to the Nazi leader
Adiv Sterman is a breaking news editor at The Times of Israel.
If a Hitler cat living in a Hitler house wanted to make itself a cup of tea, what would it use to boil the water? Well, it might opt for a new JCPenney kettle that’s been brewing up an Internet storm over its uncanny likeness to the Nazi dictator.
Billboards for the Michael Graves-designed, “space-saving” tea kettle, which were put up across the 405 highway near Culver City, California, quickly drew the attention of passersby due its handle, cap and spout, which they said resemble the führer’s do, mustache and arm outstretched in salute.
“Wow it even looks like it’s beginning a nazi salute. Weird,” wrote “dloburns,” a user on the popular website Reddit.
“I think it’s that black reflection on the body that really makes it Hitleresque. Resembles a tie too much,” wrote another user.
Representatives of the American chain of mid-range department stores declined to address the issue, leading some to speculate that the likeness was orchestrated by the retail giant itself as a clever marketing tool.
“We’re all looking at and sharing a picture of an advertisement. If it was done on purpose to get people’s attention, but keep the ability to deny doing it on purpose, it’s brilliant,” exclaimed a Reddit user going by the name LevTolstoy.
The kettle itself, which is being offered for the price of $40, garnered mixed reviews and has thus far failed to make a significant dent in the ever-expanding tea paraphernalia market.
A photo of the kettle from its product page on the JCPenney website leads us to believe that the likeness is probably due to the angle from which the billboard is viewed and the fact that the picture of it was a little blurry.
