A cartoon advent calendar for kids, sold by the city of Hanover in Germany, has a tiny drawing of local serial killer Fritz Haarmann, who murdered 24 people during the 1920s. He’s holding a meat cleaver and peeking out from behind a tree, while happy men, women, and children enjoy the holiday all around him. He’s one of 24 famous people from Hanover who appear on the calendar; “It’s part of our history,” says Hans Nolte, the director of the town’s tourism board.

The town is not recalling the calendar—in fact, now that word has gotten out about the unsavory character on it, sales have gone up. “People are queuing up to buy the calendar now,” says Nolte, who expects the full run of 20,000 calendars to quickly sell out. However, Haarmann will be removed for next year’s version.

“What says Christmas like a serial killer?”
(Image: Ananova)

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