The CIA’s Creepy Osama Bin Laden Doll Could Be Yours for Just $2,500
The CIA created the dolls — only three of which are currently in existence — with the intention of distributing it to children in the Middle East and discouraging them from joining al Qaeda. The crazy-eyed doll was designed by the late Hasbro executive and G.I. Joe creator Donald Levine.
The demon-like doll, aptly codenamed “Devil Eyes,” can be purchased from Los Angeles-based memorabilia auctioning website Nate D Sanders with a starting price of $2,500. At the time of writing, no bids were listed.
But with almost two weeks left in the bidding process (it closes Nov. 20), that is likely to change. According to a representative at Nate D. Sanders, almost 90% of the offers normally come on the last day of bidding. So the final price is likely to be considerably higher than $2,500.
After creating the prototype for the doll in 2005, the CIA scrapped the “influence operation,” as it refers to the idea. Two of the three dolls still belong to the CIA and the Pentagon, according to The Washington Post, which revealed the operation in June. The other one, clearly, has ended up in the online catalogue of Nate D Sanders.
A representative for Nate D Sanders told Mashable that the site’s policy is not to disclose how items were obtained, but said the action figure comes with a “letter of authenticity” signed by Levine’s son.
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