In Kids' Clay World, Religion is Fun and Klansmen are Romantics

At left is a print piece called "Black is Beautyfull," in which a grinning clay Klansman offers a meager bouquet of flowers to a simpering black chick with a 'fro.

In a variant, "Fun Religion," a Muslim and a Jew surrender to the call of John Travolta, circa 1977.

The ads are taglined "Let the kids build a better world" and are for Becks Plastillin modeling clay by agency Scholz+Frenz/Hamburg. Scary Ideas says that Becks is among Europe's biggest modeling claymakers but is little-known among parents because of foul-smelling rivals like Hasbro's Play-Doh. (And possibly a certain uncompromising beer.)

We loved Play-Doh as kids, but remain unconvinced it's good for much of anything besides making lopsided balls.

Have you ever tried building with Play-Doh? It's next to impossible. Left out for a few hours, it's totally ruined and you can never play with it again. For some reason though, even after it's dry and worthless it still manages to stink.