A Coca-Cola promotion in Hong Kong featuring a robot toy adorned with symbols that look like swastikas has been condemned, and pulled from shelves. As if Hong Kong didn't have enough problems already. Perhaps the goof emerged from the fact that some versions of this ancient symbol were part of iconography in various Asian cultures, long pre-dating any Nazi uses — regardless, the 'bots are history.
"Rabbi Yakkov Kermaier, of Ohel Leah Synagogue, says it is probably an honest mistake, but he's called toy sets featuring the Robocon characters unacceptable. One character, the robot-like Robowaru, has two swastikas on its chest and can be bought in the UK for around 2.60 pounds with any purchase of six bottles of Coke. The figurines stand on small plastic pedestals with Coca-Cola logos on them…Coca-Cola says the figurines were made according to the original Robowaru design, but a spokeswoman declined any other immediate comment."
Link to Annanova news item, Discuss
