Nazi Gingerbread Men Move To New Town

An artist who was forced to remove his Nazi gingerbread men from the window of a hardware store has set up the display in an empty storefront.

"The Secret Lives of Gingerbread Men" depicts a small gathering at a Nazi rally. Keith McGuckin set up the display in this northeastern Ohio city Thursday night, a day before the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah begins at sundown Friday.

It previously was displayed in the storefront window of a hardware store in nearby Oberlin. The store's owner made McGuckin remove it last month because of complaints.

McGuckin, 50, said the subject is meant to provoke thought, not offend.

"I remember thinking to myself, 'What's the worst thing a gingerbread man can do?"' he said. "They're just copying things that people have done. There are no hidden messages here."

Last winter, McGuckin used the hardware store window to display a "caroler-bashing" snowman and a little boy excited about using his chemistry set to create the illegal drug crystal meth.

In 2004, a display depicting suicide at a Wellington video store was taken down after the mayor and others complained.

McGuckin said he was not aware that he had set up the Nazi gingerbread men again so close to Hanukkah.

"This one does seem to rub people the wrong way," he said. "But I hope it'll stay up for a little while."

McGuckin received permission to use the empty storefront from the owner, The (Elyria) Chronicle-Telegram newspaper reported.