New York Subway Pulls Nazi-Themed Ads For New Show, The Man In The High Castle

By Laura Wagner / NPR

Published November 25, 2015 at 11:41 AM PST

This story was published more than 9 years ago.

The ads for The Man In The High Castle were pulled from the New York subway. Part of the advertisement covered seats in a design that evoked Japan's rising sun flag. — The ads for *The Man In The High Castle* were pulled from the New York subway. Part of the advertisement covered seats in a design that evoked Japan's rising sun flag.

A New York City subway car is covered in Nazi imagery to promote the new Amazon television series The Man in the High Castle. In this photo, the Nazi eagle appears on the American flag where the stars should be. — A New York City subway car is covered in Nazi imagery to promote the new Amazon television series *The Man in the High Castle.* In this photo, the Nazi eagle appears on the American flag where the stars should be.

The New York Metro Transportation Authority has removed Nazi-themed subway advertisements for a new Amazon show, The Man In The High Castle, after New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo asked that they be taken down.

Featuring Nazi eagles and a variation on the Japanese rising sun flag, the advertisements blanketed the walls and seats of the subway car. Though the advertising blitz was limited to only one subway car on the S train, Cuomo requested that it be removed, according the local CBS affiliate. MTA officials confirmed to NPR that the advertisements have been taken down.

Become a KPBS sponsor

The Man In The High Castle, which is based on a book of the same name, is about what life may have looked like had Germany won World War II. But some people, including New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, found the imagery overwhelming

"While these ads technically may be within MTA guidelines, they're irresponsible and offensive to World War II and Holocaust survivors, their families, and countless other New Yorkers," de Blasio said in a statement.

A spokeswoman for Amazon told NPR that the company did not ask MTA to pull the ads, which have been running in the subway since Nov. 16.

"Amazon Studios creates high-quality, provocative programming that spurs conversation. The Man in the High Castle, based on an acclaimed novel, explores the impact to our freedoms if we had lost World War II. Like Transparent and the movie Chi-Raq, stories that society cares about often touch on important, thought-provoking topics. We will continue to bring this kind of storytelling to our customers."