Christmas shoppers angered by dildos and a rabbit

Two of Stockholm's largest department stores have had a trying Christmas season this year as a dancing dildo display and a self-pleasuring rabbit clash with the spirit of the season for many shoppers.

• How much is that dildo in the window? (29 Nov 07)
• Store removes 'racist' dolls (29 Nov 07)

A few days ago PUB removed its window display featuring a mannequin in a fur coat casually aiming a snow shovel at assorted dildos popping up out of the ground like so many moles.

The store said that the display was due to be taken down anyway but managers conceded that they had received a number of irate e-mails, Svenska Dagbladet reports.

The newspaper also noted that some of the more life-like models were taken out of commission several weeks ago.

Store manager Tommy Johansson explained last month that the display was being used to entice shoppers into PUB's new Ooups concept store.

"It has got a lot of laughs. I've seen plenty of tourists enjoying it. It isn't meant to be taken too seriously," he told The Local.

"It's like this game you see at amusement parks, where woodpeckers pop up and you have to try to club them. It's sort of a play on that," Johansson added.

Rival department store NK reacted quickly to complaints in late November about three black ragdolls in its Christmas window display considered racist by many of its customers.

But the store had little reason to suspect that a mechanical rabbits would also lead to a chorus of complaints.

The problem arose when the rabbit broke and passers-by were suddenly treated to that spectacle of a stick moving backwards and forwards between the animal's legs.

Staff were taken completely by surprise when furious members of the public began asking why there was a rabbit giving itself pleasure in the window of the store, Svenska Dagbladet reports.