A children’s colouring book featuring Adolf Hitler has been recalled

A Dutch store has apologised after it sold a number of colouring books bizarrely featuring Adolf Hitler making a Nazi salute and wearing a Swastika armband.

Dutch drugstore chain Kruidvat, who stocked and sold the offending colour-by-numbers book, told the Netherlands Times that they "deeply regretted the incident" and have since withdrawn the item from their stores. A spokesperson for the colouring book's Belgian publisher Trifora said the book was produced in India:

"My suspicion is that the man who created the colouring book got a book of famous people out of the closet and selected a pair, which unfortunately included Adolf Hitler. Maybe he did not recognise him. It is a nasty combination of circumstances. We check the book on translations, but do not check all the colouring pictures."

Kruidvat became aware of the offensive image when horrified parents took to social media to complain about the product. The Dutch retailer said the book was immediately removed from shelves when they were alerted to the issue and they are offering full refunds to customers who purchased the colouring book. Image: ALEXANDER SCHIPPERS/AFP/Getty Images