In what may be one of the most ultimate pranks ever a Chinese toy company has released a WWII Nazi army supply soldier action figure that looks a lot like the world famous midfielder.
The Company Dragons in Dream based in Hong Kong has released a number of statements in defense of the toy including the coincidence between the likeness and naming of the doll,
“Many people in Germany are called Bastian”.
The company further went on to say,
“The figure is based on a typical German. We believe that all Germans look like that.”
Schweinsteiger’s legal team says that feel they have strong legal ground to stop the circulation of the toy. While legally, this is true, there is no doubt that these toys will still manage to get out in one-off soccer memorabilia vaults of collectors and neo-nazis.
German newspaper Die Welt said that it was all the more insulting of the company spokesperson Patrick Chan to say that “all Germans” look like nazis.
The company’s website still remains running along with the sixty three picture photo gallery of the Schweingsteiger toy. The company has a whole line of nazi toys, including one of Koulikov the Russian Sniper from Enemy at the Gate.
What’s clear is that the real Basti isn’t happy about it, and he’s reacting about the same way he did against Argentina in the World Cup.
It will be interesting to see how much these dolls will be selling for when they resurface, and if any other toy companies will attempt a stunt like this in the future.
We didn’t notice any socks among the accessories for the world-class midfielder, insult to injury?
Grab Schweinsteiger-approved Manchester United authentic apparel here!
