A little kettle that appears on a big billboard on the 405 freeway near Culver City has put JCPenney in hot water because – wait for it – some people detect a resemblance to Adolf Hitler.
The image of the Michael Graves Design Bells and Whistles Stainless Steel Kettle (its official name) has a handle that, in the eyes of some people, follows the Fuhrer's hairline. The pot, which retails for $40, also has a knob that may resemble his compact moustache and a spout that seems to be gesturing a salute.
Or, it's just a quirky looking kettle.
The reaction on Reddit has been overwhelming, with more than 8,000 "votes."
Graves, an award-winning architect, has designed kettles in the past, most famously a version manufactured by Alessi with a bird launching from its spout.
While JCPenny has yet to issue a formal statement about the teapot, it has been using Twitter to emphasize that any likeness to the Nazi dictator is purely coincidental.
The Atlantic Wire aggregated the tweets from yesterday, allowing readers to see that the person overseeing JCPenny's Twitter stream might actually have an unhealthy preoccupation with baby animals.
Those tweets have since disappeared.
Amy Verner