Devil Eyes was 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. 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.[1] Levine designed a twelve-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 in an effort to turn public opinion against the real bin Laden.[2]
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 with “direct knowledge of the project” said that hundreds of the toys were created and shipped to Karachi, Pakistan in 2006.[2]
