Ahhhh, my very first Ampelmaennchen, (the famous figure from East German traffic lights, that is). I love the strut, I love the hat and now I'm officially in search of Ampelfrau (the female version)!
Check it out, there's an entire product line here. Yes ladies and gentleman it appears that it is even possible to purchase an Ampelmaen Monchhichi. Goodness. I don't know about you but I'm officially putting one on my Christmas List.
In all seriousness however, like everything, the concept of Ostalgie is not without controversy. Some former residents of the GDR are quite irritated with the romantic/nostalgic concept of this kind of thing. Many of the former East German possesions have been sold second hand, marketed as "retro" or "cult" to appeal to those outside the region. This of course can be seriously offensive to people who lived through such strict restrictions from a previous time.
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