When I saw this I was speechless. I had no idea what I was looking at. But I just had to purchase it (for $1.99 CAN at Value Village) to do the research so that I could understand! Why was Mickey Mouse mutilated?!? And that poor girl!

I learned that the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) is a coalition of non-governmental organizations whose objective is a world free of anti-personnel mines and cluster munitions, where survivors could see their rights respected and lead fulfilling lives. It was formed in 1992 by a core group of six organizations.

I can’t imagine, though, the thought process that went behind this International Campaign to Ban Landmines weird mug:

The author of this image was Dusan B. Lazig of whom I can find no mention of on the mighty Internet. Did this person have permission from Disney to use Mickey Mouse? And more importantly, would Disney have agreed to have Mickey’s arm and leg blown off? Definitely a Shock Image designed to get attention. It worked.

FANOFUNNY lists itself as a website for the best of humour and satire. I include the link for completeness but be careful as some content may not be suitable for all viewers. A search for Lazig turned up nothing on this site. But I must say it seems wrong to have the word ‘funny’ on this mug in any context.

You may have noticed that this mug is in Italian.

Italy was not amoung the first six members of this coalition but obviously joined some time later. I’m including a link to a letter written by H.E. Ambassador Marco Ricci, Head of the Italian Delegation. It will give you some idea of what the movement was trying to achieve. I believe it is from 2016.

So what do you think? Is this mug in bad taste or an effective tool to foster awareness?