The Malaysian government, and more specifically its Tourism Ministry, has found itself a focal point of the internet's daily quota of ridicule after a purported tourism campaign launched under its name appeared with a spectacular typo.

Pictures of blue stress balls resembling globes with the slogan "Don't be stressed, come and distress in Malaysia!", have been doing the rounds on social media, gathering mockery along the way. The balls feature the name and website address of the Malaysian Tourism Ministry.

Malaysians take to the Internet to ridicule Tourism Ministry's 'distress' stress ball http://t.co/QBLJxEiq19 /UcI0AUIKN5 — Malay Mail Online (@themmailonline) April 15, 2015

The Malaysian government has distanced itself from the gimmick, and with it the slogan that was apparently meant to promote the country as a destination in which to "de-stress".

An official from the ministry told the Malay Mail Online it did not produce the stress ball.

"Not ours ... I don't know if it is b4 2013," the official who requested anonymity responded via text to the Malay Mail Online.

But the critics aren't buying it, and have dutifully unleashed their opinions on social media.

"This is actually distressing to look at," Adleen MK commented on the picture posted on Facebook.

"Not the distress signal Malaysia's been waiting for :/," wrote another Facebook user, Naqib Nadhir Shamsuri, in a pointed reference to the lack of a distress call from the missing MH370 flight.

This incident is not the first public relations debacle to be linked to the ill-fated MH370.

In September, Malaysia Airlines was forced to weather a social media backlash after it launched its "My Ultimate Bucket List" campaign, asking customers to list the things they would most like to do before they die.

Fairfax Media