Parents discover Hitler picture in kids’ coloring book sold at Dutch drugstores
A Dutch drugstore chain pulled a coloring book from its shelves after parents discovered it contained an image of Adolf Hitler.
The company, Kruidvat, said it didn’t know the coloring book contained the image until people started posting on social media. The drugstore chain apologized in a Facebook post for the “inappropriate image” and said the book is no longer being sold.
“The book was in the store for half a day on Monday and several dozen were sold,” a Kruidvat spokesperson told Dutch media outlet NU.nl. “We’re going to figure out how this could happen.”
Plaatje uit #Kruidvat kleurboek. "...ondanks meerdere controles op inhoud over het hoofd gezien" zegt Kruidvat. Hoe dan? #Hitler #Swastika pic.twitter.com/i5Wwi8xGe0
— Thijs van Leeuwen (@thsvnlwn) April 5, 2017
The color-by-letter image shows Hitler with a swastika armband, giving a Nazi solute.
Kruidvat said the coloring book was manufactured in India and was distributed by a Belgian publisher, Trifora. That company suggested to NU.nl that perhaps the person who included Hitler in the collection of famous people did not recognize him. The publisher said that translations of text are double-checked, but that no assessment of the pictures was done.
“We probably should’ve, but it did not happen,” the Trifora spokesperson said.
The book also contained pictures of Albert Einstein, Nelson Mandela and Abraham Lincoln. Customers can return the book to Kruidvat for a refund.
This story was originally published April 7, 2017 at 2:54 PM with the headline "Parents discover Hitler picture in kids’ coloring book sold at Dutch drugstores."