That Hitler Teakettle is Making Me Feel Ill

You’ve seen them all over the place: misspellings that lend very different meanings to signs. The odd image that seems a little out of place on a storefront. The apostrophe thrown in the wrong place making it the very wrong use of “your” rather than “you’re.” However, the latest from JC Penny has officially blown every funny sign you’ve ever seen right out of the water, as the retailer perhaps didn’t consider the power of human imagination.

Now a viral sensation – or at least the subject of a few funny email chains – the “Hitler” teakettle billboard that was on Interstate 405 in Culver City has more than slightly boosted sales for JC Penny. According to Time, at least, by Tuesday afternoon hipsters, those with an affinity for whimsy, potentially a few racists and plenty of individuals who just had to have one, cleared out all stock of the once innocent Michael Graves Design Bells and Whistles Stainless Steel Tea Kettle. Rather than being associated with tea, cozy afternoons and morning caffeine, the item has an unfortunate similarity to the Fuhrer. (Hint: The knob looks like Hitler’s mustache, the handle his hair and the rest? Use your imagination.)