From Wikipedia:
Devil Eyes was the code name for a secret psychological warfare program in 2005–2006 by the
United States Central Intelligence Agency to develop an Osama bin Laden action figure and distribute it in South
Asia, especially Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The CIA worked in conjunction with toymaker Donald Levine, a former Hasbro executive who has been credited as the "
father" of G.I. Joe toys. Levine designed a 12-inch lifelike figure of bin Laden whose face was painted with a material that, when heated, would peel off to reveal a
demon-like visage with red
skin, green eyes, and black markings. The goal of the program was to scare
children and their
parents to turn public opinion against the
real Osama bin Laden, or Al-Qaeda. Levine sought to manufacture the toys in China, and he had business contacts there who could assist.
In 2014, the CIA acknowledged the existence of the program but said it had been discontinued after Levine had produced only three prototype figurines. According to The Washington Post, however, an anonymous source in China with "direct knowledge of the project" said that hundreds of the toys were created and shipped to Karachi, Pakistan in 2006.
A prototype of the design was sold in an auction in 2014 for $11,879, and another sold for $6,250 in 2015. The remaining one of the three known prototypes is believed to be in the ownership of the CIA.
Not many
people know Devil Eyes was a
real CIA counter terrorism psychological warfare project.
See also:
War on Terror
Al-Qaeda
War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
Psychological Operations (United States)
Osama bin Laden in popular culture
Islamic toys
Demons in
Islam
