Ok…this is going to be a touchy one for some people. So let me start out by saying that we are in no way, shape, or form, supporters of the Nazi party. Infact, the only reason I decided to use this in a Treasures post is because of our dedication to bring you the rarest of TMNT items with the treasures posts…and this is definitely a rare one.
In 1987, Random House released a line of TMNT puzzles marketed toward children (each puzzle was 100 pieces). This line of puzzles included this one:
After a small number of these puzzle were produced, and on the shelves, observant parents noticed something very wrong about this particular puzzle. It contains a small pink german cross (or swastika) on the wall of the alley. This may have gone unnoticed for much longer if the symbol wasn’t placed smack dab in the middle of the puzzle.
I am sure a number of you are scratching your heads saying, “where is it? I don’t see it!”, well, here you go:
After this discovery, the puzzle was recalled and retooled without the offensive symbol. However, obviously some of them remained intact, as we were able to acquire one.
Now before any of you go flying off the hinge about this at Mirage, let me clarify that this was not a Mirage driven project. This puzzle was completely designed and produced by Random House, using a contracted Random House selected artist. Here is a snippet from a 1990 article in which Peter talks about the puzzle:
Hard Copy, a tabloid TV newsmagazine, suggested that a Random House Turtle puzzle — now recalled — was anti-Semitic, citing a swastika in its design. ”It’s a city scene and an artist, hired by Random House, drew all this graffiti on a wall,” says Laird. ”The swastika is about 3/8-inch big.”
So if you want to write a letter to someone about a 22 year old puzzle, please direct them to Radom House for their poor selection of artists.