Burger King's fireplace screen commemorates its burning restaurants

And at $99, the cast iron protector from agency Ingo is a steal

Published On
Dec 14, 2018

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In 1697, the Swedish Royal Castle burned to the ground, along with much of the country’s national library and archives. Sweden’s current prince, His Royal Highness Carl Philip, commemorated the tragedy a few years ago with an ingeniously designed fireplace screen. With a roaring fire behind it, it looks like the castle aflame.

But another designer later admitted he had been the one to create the screen, and the prince had only added his name. The news created a scandal, albeit one that didn’t reach much beyond Sweden or dedicated royal-watchers. But the “design prince” has become something of a meme.

Cut to the present day: Burger King in Sweden is getting meta with its very own fire screen, this one in the form of one of the chain’s restaurants. Not only does the cast iron behemoth from Stockholm agency Ingo mock the prince’s own disgrace, it immortalizes Burger King’s history, both of its locations and its previous ad campaigns. Remember when David Miami used actual photos of Burger King franchises that caught fire?

There's also a 30-minute fireplace video for fans who don't have a dedicated chimney and mantle to call their own.

Weighing in at 26 pounds, the screen was designed by Danish duo Carl&Carl and produced at Tierp Foundry, which has been melting and forging metal since 1894. It’s Sweden, so the screens are also made of recycled iron using green energy. Yet they’re extremely affordable. For now, Amazon has them in stock for just $99 (plus a delivery fee if you’re in the U.S. Compare that to hundreds of dollars for a typical cast iron screen, or the $1,500 price tag of Prince Philip’s version. It’s a small price to pay to keep flames in the fireplace and not in your castle.