Bin Laden doll and ‘terrorist’ board game to be auctioned
The CIA developed three prototypes of an Osama bin Laden action figure doll in 2006. (Photo courtesy: Adam Goldman/The Washington Post)
Al Arabiya News Monday, 22 June 2015
When unmanned drones can’t do the job, prototype Osama Bin Laden dolls and “terrorist” board games will – at least that’s what the CIA thought when it planned to wage a covert toys warfare to curb al-Qaeda’s influence in South Asia.
Recruiting the help of Donald Levine, the mastermind behind the widely-popular G.I. Joe toys, the spy agency began to secretly develop an evil-looking Osama bin Laden action figure, code-named “Devil Eyes,” in 2005.
The plan was to spook children and their parents and turn them away from supporting the al-Qaeda leader, according to a Washington Post report.
The CIA ultimately aborted the plan and only three of those dolls were manufactured – two of which owned by Levine and one was in the possession of the either the CIA or the Pentagon.
Now, those interested in having a prototype OBL doll hanging out in their living room can finally purchase one. The last-privately owned OBL doll is to be auctioned on June 25.
The doll, draped in OBL’s long white robe, comes with two detachable heads. One resembles the recognizable face of the al-Qaeda leader with his long black beard and white turban. The other is painted with a heat-dissolving material designed to peel off and reveal a demon-looking red-face OBL with green “Devil Eyes” and black facial markings, according Nate D. Sanders Auctions, the company organizing the auction.
Nate D. Sanders Auctions has already sold one of Levine’s action figures for $11,879 in November, 2014. The bidding for the second one begins at $5,000.
In addition, a “Snakes and Ladders” board game that features key al-Qaeda leaders as well as former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein is going under the hammer along with the OBL doll. The board game, also designed by Levine, comes with a white cup, two die and several plastic game tokens including a pickup truck, an oil lamp and a race car, according to Nate D. Sanders Auctions. The CIA considered distributing this game to children in Arab nations to discourage them from supporting radical Islamist groups; the game never made it past the prototype stage.
Last Update: Monday, 22 June 2015 KSA 13:09 - GMT 10:09
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