Norway's Heart and Lung Association provokes with "Hitler Teddy

CAMPAIGN In Norway, the ad campaign by the Heart and Lye Association (LHL) has been criticized. It shows the dictators Hitler, Gaddafi and Kim Jong-Il as stuffed animals.With this campaign, the LHL wants to draw attention to the danger of dust in children's rooms. This causes an increasing incidence of allergies and asthma in young children. "By focusing on children's bedrooms, we want to stop asthma and allergies before the illnesses even develop," the news platform "The Local" quotes Bendik Romstad, copywriter for the advertising agency responsible. "The campaign is intended to highlight how dangerous stuffed animals can be if they are not washed regularly." According to Romstad, unwashed soft toys are just as dangerous for children as the dictators they embody.

Hitler teddy, Gaddafi teddy and Kim Jong Il bunny. (from left) Source: LHL Asthma and allergyHard on the edgeBy using the Hitler teddy bear, the creators of the campaign have certainly achieved their primary goal: attention. Two weeks ago, the board of a Jewish organization criticized in the Norwegian newspaper "Dagbladet" that the form of the depiction trivializes Hitler and puts him in the wrong light, but it is too early to say whether the danger of dust in children's rooms will now actually be discussed or whether mass murderers can be used as cuddly toys.Author: Dominic Karrer