In 2005, the CIA looked beyond drones and satellites to fight Al-Qaeda in the Middle East. They turned to the toy aisle. The agency launched a highly classified psychological warfare program designed to turn children and parents against Osama bin Laden. The weapon of choice was a custom-made, 12-inch (30-centimeter) action figure. To pull off the bizarre operation, the intelligence agency recruited the legendary toy executive who helped create G.I. Joe.
Designing a Demon
The CIA approached Donald Levine, a former Hasbro executive with six decades of manufacturing connections in China. Levine was initially hesitant but eventually agreed to develop the toy. He secured a Chinese artist to sculpt a remarkably accurate facial likeness based on publicly available photographs of the Al-Qaeda leader.
The true purpose of the toy, however, was hidden beneath the paint. Levine’s team coated the figure’s face with a specialized, heat-dissolving material. When exposed to warm temperatures, the normal skin tone would peel away to reveal a terrifying, red-skinned demon face complete with piercing green eyes and stark black tribal markings. The agency codenamed the project “Devil Eyes.”
Psychological Warfare Operations
The operation fit into a long history of CIA influence campaigns designed to sway local populations, similar to dropping leaflets during the Cold War or distributing soccer balls in Haiti. The agency planned to distribute the terrifying dolls in backpacks alongside notebooks and pencils to children across Afghanistan and Pakistan. The goal was to permanently associate the terrorist leader with a frightening, demonic image in the minds of the local youth.
Levine finalized the 12-inch (30-centimeter) prototype, dressing the figure in traditional white garb and packaging it in a cheap, plastic-covered box. He presented the final product to the intelligence agency for approval.
The Missing Shipment
The ultimate fate of Project Devil Eyes remains heavily disputed. In 2014, the CIA officially acknowledged the program existed but insisted they abandoned the idea almost immediately. A CIA spokesperson claimed Levine only produced three prototypes to demonstrate the concept and that the agency never manufactured or distributed the toys.
However, sources connected to the manufacturing process in China told The Washington Post a very different story. According to individuals with direct knowledge of the project, a Chinese factory produced hundreds of the demon-faced action figures during a preproduction run. In 2006, those toys were reportedly loaded onto a freighter and shipped directly to Karachi, Pakistan.
While the CIA maintains they hold one of the original prototypes at their headquarters, the exact number of dolls produced and their final destination remains a mystery. The two other known prototypes eventually surfaced in private hands, selling at auction for $11,879 in 2014 and $6,250 in 2015.