A bouncy castle in the shape of the sinking Titanic has not gone down well with critics.
However, the bouncy castle, which is an exhibit at a toy trade fair in Ibach, Switzerland seems to be a hit with the children who enjoy sliding down the deck of the inflatable ship. However, some people feel that because hundreds of people died sliding down that deck when the ship sank, it is rather distasteful to replicate that in a children’s toy.
Many people remember the scenes form the film ‘Titanic’ where people desperately tried not to slide down the decks, knowing that they would die in the freezing water if they fell in it. The film did raise emotions in a lot of the people watching which is probably why they have found the bouncy castle so difficult to accept as a fun, novelty toy and see it more as a highly emotive and tasteless item. One visitor at the trade fair even likened it to a ‘bouncy graveyard’.
However, the organiser of the toy trade fair, Franziska Bhend, explained that the sinking of the Titanic happened in 1912 when the boat was on its maiden voyage, was many years ago and any emotions with regards to deaths that happened on the ship had been dealt with a long time ago. Despite the fact that over 1500 people were killed he did not feel it was something which would still personally effect anyone alive today. He felt that the novelty bouncy castle was great fun and the amount of people enjoying using it was testimony to that.
The bouncy castle is 40ft with a long slide showing the crippled liner sinking with its keel high in the air just as it is about to sink. It even has inflatable icebergs to complete the image.