Stars And Stripes - Special Ops Cody isn't a regular GI, and he's no ordinary Joe. Special Ops Cody is a star.
The $39 action figure apparently kidnapped in an insurgent hoax to drum up American alarm has done well for himself: He's selling on eBay anywhere from around $100 to more than $230, and he's even scarce to be found downrange.
Special Ops Cody isn't a regular GI, and he's no ordinary Joe. Special Ops Cody is a star.
The $39 action figure apparently kidnapped in an insurgent hoax to drum up American alarm has done well for himself: He's selling on eBay anywhere from around $100 to more than $230, and he's even scarce to be found downrange.
A blurred photo posted on a Web site Tuesday by a group called the Mujahedeen Brigades was alleged to be military man John Adam, whom Iraqi insurgents pledged to behead if coalition-held prisoners weren't released. The U.S. military, however, denied that a soldier was missing.
Then Liam Cusack, marketing coordinator of Dragon Models USA, recognized that determined jaw and vacant eyes as those of his Cody, a toy the company manufactured for the Army and Air Force Exchange Service for sale at bases in the Middle East.
Cusack has been besieged by reporters ever since. Television crews showed up at his offices in the city of Industry, Calif. Crazed customers called him, too, wanting a Cody of their own.
"We have at least a dozen lines, and they were going all day long," Cusack said. "And we've had millions of hits on our Web site."
The masses may be disappointed. Cusack said the African-American version of the toy, which was seen in the photo, was made exclusively for military exchanges. Dragon doesn't sell directly to the public, and Cody was a limited edition hero.
"Our point is, once we quit making them, they're gone," Cusack said. "That's it."
I wonder if Mattel will try to get them to use a Barbie next time.