Kids in German town given brothel merchandise during Carnival procession
A children's Carnival parade in Germany went from family-friendly to adult themed over the weekend, after kids were gifted pens and lighters advertising a brothel.
The parade, in the town of Emmerich near the Dutch border, had many things you might expect to see at such an event, including candy and goodies handed to young spectators.
But among the typical party favors were a few less conventional - and far more X-rated - giveaways.
Those included lighters and pens advertising the local brothel of FKK-Lekkerding. The merchandise advertised the facility's website, address, and phone number, according to the Rheinische Post.
"FKK" stands for the nudist concept of "free body culture" in German, while "lekker ding" translates to "yummy thing" in Dutch.
A total of 14,000 pens and lighters were distributed during the parade, according to broadcaster WDR.
The brothel's boss told Bild that a Carnival association had contacted him about promotional material. However, he said the two sides agreed that the merchandise would not be distributed during the children's event.
He went on to state that 7,000 pens and 7,000 lighters had been given to the association. Meanwhile, organizers of the parade say they do not know how or why the items were dished out, maintaining that they are not responsible for what participants choose to give away.
“We didn’t know anything about this. We will now investigate who threw this and speak with the people to say this is not okay,” a married couple who were among the organizers told the Rheinische Post.
The couple said they believed that teens and other young people, who decorate their own cars and pass out their own goodies, may not have thought about what they were throwing.
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It's not the first time that the exact same brothel has been the subject of controversy among Emmerich's younger population. Several years ago, a youth football club in the town had advertisements for the bordello on its jerseys.
FKK-Lekkerding's website promotes the brothel as an “exclusive sauna club” with “premium women,” free soft drinks, a big buffet, and themed suites.
Germany legalized prostitution in 2002, triggering a sex industry boom in the European country.
