Souvenirs: Atomic Bomb Earrings
Souvenir Atomic Bomb Earrings are similar to the atom bomb itself -- tiny things, capable of generating a powerful reaction with widespread destructive consequences...
The earrings depict Fat Man and Little Boy, the two bombs dropped on Japan in 1945. The earrings first emerged on the roadside attraction scene in 1999 when the National Atomic Museum in Albuquerque added them to their gift shop. When they were discovered on the museum's websites by Japanese visitors, the city of Hiroshima sent a formal protest. The earrings were withdrawn from display.
In 2003, we found that the Richland High School Bombers alumni organization were offering the same earrings for sale on their web site (their school mascot is depicted alternately as a bomb or a mushroom cloud). The school continues to be proud of Richland's atomic weapons development heritage...
The latest member to join the nuclear earring souvenir club is the Atomic Testing Museum, Las Vegas, Nevada. They don't make a big deal of it, and have plenty of other over-the-top gift ideas for the Atomic Tourist.