In what would seem to be the perfect gift for patriotic candy lovers, a Russian chocolate maker has started producing chocolate bars that feature images of President Vladimir Putin.
The chocolate bars by the St. Petersburg-based chocolate manufacturers Shokobox are part of a series titled "President," and come in dark, milk and white flavorings.
Visitors to the Shokobox web shop are greeted with the message: "By buying this product, you are raising Russia's gross domestic product!"
The bars each cost 150 rubles ($3.30) and feature different images of the Russian president that aim to show a softer side to the Russian leader.
The dark chocolate bar, which is labelled "gorky" (bitter), features an image of Putin crying after he won the presidential election two years ago. The strongman leader later pinned his tears on a strong wind that was blowing at the time.
The milk chocolate bar, which is labelled "dobry" (kind), displays an image of Putin hugging a puppy, while the white-flavored chocolate bar, labelled "nezhny" (caring), shows Putin nursing a young deer.
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/russian-candymaker-hopes-putin-chocolate-bars-are-recipe-for-success/511838.htmlLabelling the dark chocolate bar "bitter" and the white chocolate bar "caring" is just straight up racism.
And in other Putin chocolate news, this time from Ukraine:
Chocolate figures of the Russian president — wearing a prison uniform and holding a bomb — have become a popular treat in candy stores in western Ukraine, a news report said.
The figurines were designed by professional sculptors and have hit confectionery stalls in the city of Lviv, Ukraine's TSN reported Tuesday.
Available in a choice of dark or white chocolate, the treats feature President Vladimir Putin's likeness clad in a striped prison robe and holding a fuse bomb behind its back. Customers can also purchase a second model of Putin, wearing a Napoleon Bonaparte-style hat and a straightjacket.
Priced from 35 hryvnias ($2.93) for a small 100-gram figure to 65 hryvnia for a 250-gram piece, the chocolates are mostly snatched up by tourists, the report said.
Yuriy Nazaruk, described by TSN as the author of the project, said there were a variety of ways in which buyers could treat themselves to a chocolate president of Russia.
"After Putin has become your own, you can do whatever you like with him," Nazaruk was quoted as saying. "There are people in this country who could eat Putin figures in many different ways."
In the central Ukrainian city of Poltava, a modern art exhibition Sunday also featured a sculpture of Putin wearing a straightjacket, TSN reported earlier.
A staple "do not touch" sign placed at the foot of the small sculpture was accompanied by an additional handwritten note from organizers: "Do not spit on Putin," the report said.
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/chocolate-putin-figures-go-on-sale-in-western-ukraine/500485.htmlThere are photos of the Putin chocolates at the links above.
