( CNN ) -- Sing it with me , kids ! I 'm a little Nazi short and stout , here is mein handle , here is mein spout . So , JCPenney is selling a new teapot that looks sort of like Adolf Hitler . Well , inasmuch as a teapot can actually appear like a fascist dictator . But it does . And , really , it might be the greatest advertising gaffe you 'll ever see . At least until Gilbert Gottfried somehow becomes a spokesman for Tampax . `` Damn it , Jim , what were we thinking ? '' Back to the teapot : It did n't take long for motorists on Southern California 's 405 freeway -- where evening plans go to die -- to notice something in the sky that looked a little unusual . It was a billboard promoting this new kitchen essential . And there was no mistaking its resemblance . Pure Hitler . ( Not to be confused with the classic Eagles double album by the same name . ) Now , in case you ca n't quite figure out the similarities in the teapot image , notice that the top handle swoops wider to one side mimicking Hitler 's dark , curtained hair . The knob on the lid closely resembles his infamous trademark toothbrush moustache . And the spout rises into the air as though he 's giving a Nazi salute . That , or he 's just waving to the Eva Braun coffee maker . Either way , it 's him . However , at this time I ca n't confirm whether or not the Hitler teapot is designed with only one testicle . Clearly , that little attention to detail would prove this was far more than a simple coincidence . Mind you , the standard two testicles would be equally concerning . Regardless , I 'm still willing to give JCPenney the benefit of the doubt that this was all just an accident . ( The retailer did n't respond to our request for comment . ) Though , to be fair , as a spectator of life with a front row seat , I do enjoy the controversy . For if you 're going to accidentally have your product resemble a famous person , somehow , by a strange law of comedy that ca n't be explained , the absolute worst human being in the history of the world is far more amusing than , say , Tom Hanks . Now , understand that this particular teapot , from JCPenney 's exclusive Michael Graves Design collection , quickly went viral after images of the billboard appeared on Reddit and Twitter . And that 's when things turned delightfully melodramatic . Culver City 's Democratic mayor , Jeffrey Cooper , complained to Mother Jones magazine : `` I am disappointed JCPenney actually put that billboard up in the first place . ... As a Jew , I am offended , ( and ) as an elected official , I am mad that the city I represent is linked to this . '' Presumably , he then breathed heavily into a paper bag for half an hour while listening to Enya . Seriously , pull yourself together , man . If anything , here 's all you had to say : . `` Yep . Definitely looks like Hitler . Surprised they did n't see it , but I 'm pretty sure there was no intention to offend anyone . My guess is they 'll take down the billboard and apologize . '' Which is exactly what JCPenney did . They took down the billboard and even had some fun on Twitter replying to comments . In fact , when comedian Patton Oswalt tweeted , `` Well , JC Penney , get ready to sell a S***LOAD of these teakettles to a lot of ironic hipsters , '' the retailer quickly responded with , `` Totally unintentional . But they 'll need to grab it in stores since it 's sold out online . # SadHipsters . '' Naturally , sales skyrocketed after the photos went viral . The $ 40 teapot is now back-ordered on JCPenney 's site until late June , and some of the teapots even started listing on eBay for $ 200 . Sadly , I have to admit that now I kind of want one for my house as a conversation piece . `` So , what do you think of my Hitler teapot ? '' `` I think you need to put on pants . '' Not surprisingly , the sales boom started when it all became one big social media circus . Which is why you sort of have to applaud the seemingly levelheaded responses by JCPenney , which never equaled the drama of Cooper 's outrage culture hysteria . Even the Anti-Defamation League took it in stride , commenting to Mother Jones that `` JCPenney did the right thing by responding to public concerns and removing the tea pot from their product line . We take JCPenney at their word that any resemblance to the Nazi dictator was completely unintended . '' In the end , it 's just a minor blip in the cosmos . But , from a social perspective , what 's truly interesting is that Hitler -- at least as an iconic image -- does n't seem to have the same meaning to a newer generation which is further removed from his horrors and unthinkable crimes . Kind of like Genghis Khan to anyone during the last 700 years . These days , to many , Hitler has become just sort of a caricature , having transcended his evil reality into something far more abstract . Like a teapot . And this explains why we nonchalantly have the website Cats That Look Like Hitler . Which , clearly , by the laws of comedy , is way more fun than dogs that look like Tom Hanks .
The Hitler - like teapot on a nearby billboard caught the attention of reporters . JCPenney says any references to Hitler were unintentional . Culver City mayor was offended by the product placement in his district .