Novelty Hitler pin cushion which enabled the Allies to surprise him with a rearguard action

By Nick Enoch Published: 05:47 EST, 26 June 2012 | Updated: 08:15 EST, 26 June 2012 9 View comments As the Nazi war machine tore through Europe, there was still one way Americans could give Hitler the needle back home... thanks to a novelty pin cushion.

Stick it up his Axis: The novelty Hitler pin cushion which enabled the Allies to surprise him with a rearguard action

  • Novelty item sold for 69c during early 1940s
  • Hitler cushions in good condition can now sell for up to $430

By Nick Enoch

Published: 05:47 EST, 26 June 2012 | Updated: 08:15 EST, 26 June 2012

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As the Nazi war machine tore through Europe, there was still one way Americans could give Hitler the needle back home... thanks to a novelty pin cushion.

With his hands between his knees and bent forward, this 4.5in high figurine from the early 1940s saw the Fuhrer's buttocks covered in a brown tufted fabric - a perfect place to 'stick it' to his Axis of Evil.

And President Roosevelt is said to have found it so funny that he had one on his desk, according to Johnson Smith & Co's Mammoth Catalog Of 5,000 Novelties.

This novelty Hitler pin cushion was sold in the U.S. during the 1940s for 69 cents

This novelty Hitler pin cushion was sold in the U.S. during the 1940s for 69 cents

Some of the figurines come with a comedy tag - and the novelties can sell for over $430

Some of the figurines come with a comedy tag - and the novelties can sell for over $430

The blurb from Johnson Smith & Co's Mammoth Catalog Of 5,000 Novelties from 1944 read: 'It's a safe place to store pins and needles... and will probably be the only useful thing Adolf Shickelgruber did'

The blurb from Johnson Smith & Co's Mammoth Catalog Of 5,000 Novelties from 1944 read: 'It's a safe place to store pins and needles... and will probably be the only useful thing Adolf Shickelgruber [his father's original surname] did'

The novelty mail order company's blurb reads: 'It's a safe place to store pins and needles... and will probably be the only useful thing Adolf Shickelgruber [his father's original surname] did.'

During the war, they could be bought for 69 cents, from Johnson & Co - or $1.49 from the Stick A Pin In Hitler Club - but some are now worth hundreds of dollars.

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An increasing number of the cushions have gone to auction in recent years as cash-strapped owners seem more willing to part with their memorabilia as the U.S economy languishes in the doldrums.

One of them, from 1941, sold for $430 (£275) in 2006 at Hake's Americana Collectibles in York, Pennsylvania.

And another is for sale on eBay, where the bidding currently stands at $48.

The Stick-a-pin-in-Hitler Club also sold the statues, for a slightly pricier $1.49

The Stick A Pin In Hitler Club also sold the statues, for a slightly pricier $1.49

This miserable-looking Fuhrer statue from the war had a huge red cushion on his behind, rather than the brown tufted version

This miserable-looking Fuhrer statue from the war had a huge red cushion on his behind, rather than the brown tufted version

Some of the figurines, fixed to a 1.5in base, come with a copy of the Hotzi Notzi tag which reads: 'It is good luck to find a pin, here's an axis to stick it in!'

And just to avoid any confusion, it even comes with a warning that it is 'not endorsed by Hitler' so it's not an officially sanctioned product.

Other anti-Nazi comedy products sold by Johnson & Co during the war included Hitler the Squealing Pig Bank - 'Listen to him holler when coin is inserted' for 59c; and Hitler the Skunk - 'Der Phew-rer' which was made of plastic and retailed for 89c.

The term 'hotzi notzi' is believed to be a tongue-in-cheek reference to 'hot Nazi' - an attractive person who exhibits racist attitudes.

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