JC Penney and their Hitler Kettle

by +Alexa Rankin

Wait, don't get all upset. Don't start writing an angry letter to JCP. This whole story revolves around the perception of empty space and if you look at the image you may not even see the resemblance.

A simple, stylish black and chrome kettle with comfort grip handle

Do you see it? Don't worry if you don't because not everybody does. Allow me to give you a helping hand.

A simple, stylish black and chrome kettle with some photoshop effects

Do you see it now? Good. This is what the furore was all about (should that be Führore?). The imagined image of Adolf Hitler, suggested by the juxtaposition of dark lines and white space on the Michael Graves designed kettle. 

LINK: The Hitler clothing store

The likeness was first spotted by a couple of guys who saw a JCP billboard along the 405 Interstate Highway in Culver City, Los Angeles. One guy tweeted a pic of the billboard and it went viral.

The kettle is now sold out online and is in very limited quantities in stores. One of the $40 kettles recently sold on ebay for $199 and if you want one, then there are currently 38 active listings. There are also 2 of them available on amazon.com at the time of writing.

LINK: Hitler Beer

If you were too slow to grab one of these highly collectible items then you could always buy this great looking Hitler teapot:

With matching Goebbels sugarbowl

There is also a variant on the popular 'Hello Kitty' range which would satisfy your inner tea loving dictator;

The ever popular 'Hello Hitly' water kettle

Adolf himself was very fond of a nice cup of tea and was often photographed doing the 'Teapot Dance'.

Adolf Hitler doing the teapot dance

Was the resemblance to Adolf Hitler purely coincidental or was this a deliberate and excellent advertising ploy? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.