Putin, Scholz among German carnival parade satire targets

This Düsseldorf display entitled "Bloodbath" depicts Russian President Vladimir Putin bathing in a tub in the colors of Ukraine's flag. Outrage at Russia's invasion of Ukraine was a recurring theme in the carnival parades around the country on Rose Monday. The day's festivities have become known for their parades of various satirical artworks commenting on the year's events at home and abroad.

This piece hails from the carnival association in Mainz. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's umbrella bearing the EU flag is her defense against the "Cold East Wind," as the display is titled, that Putin's blowing her way. Whether intentionally or not, in translation it evokes Sherlock Holmes' fictional warning about World War I breaking out: "There's an East Wind coming, Watson."

In Cologne, Putin was depicted smooching with the devil. The pose mirrors possibly the most famous piece of Berlin Wall graffiti, and the float also shows that image. It was called "Socialist Fraternal Kiss" and depicted former East German leader Erich Honecker kissing former Soviet leader Leonhid Brezhnev. The original's accompanying caption was: "My God, help me survive this lethal love."

The head of the Wagner Group Russian mercenary company Yevgeny Prigozhin also makes an appearance in Düsseldorf in the float called "Putin's madness." A six-armed Prigozhin wears a T-shirt with Putin's madness written on the chest and two "Z" armbands that seem reminiscent of swasitkas. Meanwhile, his arms point to Ukraine, Germany, the EU, NATO, the US, and the UK, labeling all as "Nazis."

Chancellor Olaf Scholz also took plenty of heat over Ukraine. This Düsseldorf display is a comment on the pace of German weapons deliveries. Scholz is being rammed forwards by a goat with a Ukrainian flag on its tail and the name of Maria Strack-Zimmermann. She leads the parliamentary defense committee, is within Scholz's coalition, and has repeatedly criticized him for dithering.

Mainz's parody of the chancellor focused on some of Scholz's more difficult media interviews. A robot with Scholz's face attends a press conference holding placards with some of his more famous one-line quotes of recent times. Two of them, "I could" and "that is all" hail from his refusal to elaborate on a question put to him by a DW reporter, after which some accused him of poor manners.

Düsseldorf's carnival association's hopes for Germany's military and defense spending increases remain modest. The repeated problems with the procurement, combat-readiness, and general availability of German military equipment inspired this pedal-powered tank with "Bundeswehr 2023" proudly emblazoned on its flank. It does have a turret at least. Perhaps it even has ammunition, too?

Governing, especially in times of crisis, can be a distasteful lesson in pragmatism. Here, the Green Party's Robert Habeck, dubbed Toad Minister, is struggling to swallow three policies he and his party would traditionally love to decry when in opposition. The first is nuclear power — whose final switchoff Habeck delayed by a few months this winter — then rearmament, then autocrats' gas.

Given the rapid reduction in business with Russia, Germany's considerable trade ties with China also came up for scrutiny. This Cologne float probably translates as "Global Stock Exhange." But if you were feeling loose and Shakespearian, maybe you'd go with "All the world's a stock exchange." Scholz, like the Hamburg port behind him, is entangled in squid President Xi Jinping's many tentacles.

"This organization does not tolerate failure," to quote Bond villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld. Elon Musk sitting next to a rocket, with a badly scarred right eye and a white cat perched on his lap surely is meant to be a reference to the infamous Bond villain and Musk's own less amiable side. DW has no idea why he has a golden gun, though. That was Francisco Scaramanga, not Blofeld. Know your 007.

Not unlike the US, Cologne apparently is slowly turning one eye towards next year's presidential campaign and Donald Trump's comeback bid. Their depiction of a Trump comeback involves the former president emerging from within a golden toilet, covered in excrement, with a Trump 2024 campaign flag in one hand.

The major anti-government protests in Iran also caught the caricaturists' eyes. This young woman's uncovered hair has apparently trapped an Iranian cleric and will not let go. The cleric's hat identifies him as a word that is somewhat close to the German for "mullah," but could also be read as a combination of German insults.

Three years on, Brexit's looking gorgeous, at least in the opinion of Düsseldorf's parade. Just look at the bony stunner. Hubba hubba.

And speaking of unbridled successes, Cologne didn't forget the controversy surrounding the winter World Cup in Qatar. This caricature of FIFA's President Gianni Infantino may not be able to speak because of the high-denomination banknotes stuffed into his mouth, but his sign saying "BEST WORLD CUP EVER!" surely tells you all you need to know?

Climate change was not forgotten in Cologne this year, as this polar bear on a small block of floating ice touting his wares in a "winter closing sale" demonstrates. Must everything go?

This Düsseldorf design asks "who is the climate terrorist?," and is an allusion to recent environmental protests at the site of a major open-face coal mine in western Germany. The protester glued to the asphalt has "Last Generation" written on her sleeves. The approaching vehicle has the mine's name, Garzweiler, written on its large rear wheel.