4 Baffling Ways the Continent of Asia Loves Hitler

4

Hitler Joins the Justice League and the Avengers in Thailand

A special occasion will never be truly special without a big-ass banner. Students at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University know this much, but their education failed them when they tossed Hitler on a superhero-themed graduation mural, hanging out with his best friend Captain America.

Simon Wiesenthal Center / July 12, 2013
Ah, so Hitler's replaced Hawkeye. Nice trade-up.

3

Hitler, the Indian Clothing Store

When beginning a business endeavor, a bare minimum of brand research is required. For example, you might want to check the Internet before you start a kitchenware line inspired by Nate Silver's electoral predictions. Williams-Sonoma isn't going sell any decorative mugs manufactured by "Poll Pottery."

2

Vampire Hitler Paraphernalia from a Taiwanese 7-Eleven

Proving you really can get anything at a 7-Eleven, a Taiwanese branch of the convenience store chain came under fire in 2011 when it began selling key rings, USB cards, and magnets depicting Hitler from an alternate universe where he was bit by Dracula and forced to sell insurance into his middle age.

Patrick Lin / Stringer / AFP / Getty
Oh God ... why does he look more threatening with that as his job?

7-Eleven claimed that they didn't realize these doodads could've offended anyone, which is actually somewhat believable, given that Taiwanese billboards also once used Hitler to sell German-made heaters. Hitler marketing couldn't get any weirder than this, could it?

Taipei Times
Actually, the real Hitler was weirder than this.

1

The Indonesian SS-Themed Cake Shop

And here we have Soldatenkaffee, a coffee shop/bakery in Bandung, Indonesia, that has cornered the market on selling festive cakes and Nazi memorabilia under the same roof. Indeed, the eatery -- whose website boasts "WE ARE THE ONLY KAFFEE IN THE WORLD WITH DECORATED WW2 GERMAN" -- apparently goes that extra mile and dresses its staff up as SS officers.

Soldatenkaffee/Facebook
In fairness, genocide and classy dining go together pretty well.

If you visit the restaurant's site, you will be treated to a photo gallery promising goods ranging from Hello Kitty cakes to antique banknotes. Yes, at Soldatenkaffee, the Thousand Year Reich is still chugging along, terrorizing West Java with gross-looking pastries.

Soldaten Kaffee
Who wouldn't want Nazi memorabilia with their birthday cake?

But don't expect to see new fondant sculptures of Hermann Goring's head anytime soon. After an influx of recent negative press, the owner has closed the doors for the time being. ("I have a right to design my restaurant with anything that attracts people to come," he insisted feebly, vastly overestimating Indonesia's neo-Nazi population.)