German War-Era Consumer Goods Outlast the Thousand Year Reich

Consumer brands and products from the Nazi era are still widely available, according to this Axis History Forum.

And not just in Germany. The list of brands and products to be found in the U.S. is quite extensive, including Henkell champagne (poor Ribbentrop, he should have stayed in sales), Nivea skin cream and several brands of upscale automobiles I certainly wouldn't mind owning, such as Mercedes, BMW and who could forget the Porsche. I also read on the Axis History Forum.that the German's created the forerunner to the Audi. (And of course the VW -- and yes, I know Hitler sketched the the iconic People Wagon's trademark shape on a cocktail napkin, a strange implement for a teetotaler to use.See below.)

Who could forget the fruits of pharmaceutical company Bayer's efforts, which included heroin. Fanta was a German war-era product invented because Coca-Cola ceased exporting ingredients for the soft drink, leaving that German know-how to fill the gap in the market--rather successfully it would seem.

And then there is Hugo Boss and those cool, never-(I mean never)-to-be-forgotten SS uniforms. Do you think he stuck the death's heads on the caps, too? Nah, that sounds like a Himmler addition.

Palmolive soap and Velveta cheese also came from Nazi Germany. (I didn't have the time to research all this, folks, I relied on the website linked above.)

Now, the story of Hitler and the VW.

"Sitting at a restaurant table in Munich in the summer of 1932, Hitler designed the prototype for what would become the immensely successful Beetle design for Volkswagen (literally, the "car of the people"). In an era where only the most economic elite possessed cars, Hitler believed that all people should be able to own a car and additionally thought that a smart design could allow for reliability, enjoyment, and vacation travel. The name given to the car in 1938 was Kraft durch Freude (KdF-Wagen, literally "strength through joy car").

"Hitler gave his design to the head of Daimler-Benz, Jakob Werlin, and stressed its importance. "Take it with you and speak with people who understand more about it than I do. But don't forget it. I want to hear from you soon, about the technical details." Not even Chancellor yet and already giving out orders!