Last year, images of a naked man chasing after a boar that had stolen his bag went viral in Germany. Now, a model train company has recaptured the scene in one of their sets.

Germany’s great naked chase

Cast your minds back one year to August 2020. Coronavirus had gripped Germany, society was in lockdown, and protestors had taken to the streets to protest against the measures aimed at slowing the spread of the virus. Then, just when the country truly needed it, one naked man chased a boar that had stolen his bag across the banks of the Teufelssee in Berlin and brought everyone some much-needed cheer.

The scene was captured by one Adele Landauer, who snapped the epic chase between man and beast and posted it to Facebook, where it quickly became a viral sensation. The man, who remains unidentified, did eventually manage to recover his bag and gave his permission to Landauer to post the images.

The perfect addition to any model train set

The scene has now been captured and transformed into a plastic figurine set by a company called Busch. The set is being sold for 13,99 euros and includes two plastic figurines of the naked man and the boar, which has since been nicknamed Elsa, with a yellow bag in its mouth, as well as two plastic air mattresses to complete the scene. According to the manufacturer’s description, the set allows for a “realistic revival” of any model railway world. A spokesperson for Busch revealed that “sales are going well.”

Landauer, an actor and charisma coach, has voiced her displeasure over the use of her picture being used as the basis for the set, telling reporters: “I had a huge amount of work due to that picture, but financially I got nothing from it. I don’t like the fact that others are now earning money from it without asking me.” She has since suggested that she might take legal action against Busch.

Unfortunately, over the past year, almost 2.000 wild boars in and around Berlin have been culled in an effort to stop the spread of African swine fever, with Elsa suspected to be among them.

Thumb image: © Busch GmbH & Co. KG