You'll Find This On Snopes Eventually
Supposed hostage:
GI Joe Doll
Coincidence? I think not.
[mystery solved on Fark]
You mean to tell me not one editor at any of the 2,000 or so AP sites this showed up on found that picture at all suspicious? I looked at it for two seconds and knew it was an action figure.
Farkers were the first people I saw figure this out (not that it was an action figure - because most of us realizes that way before the media did - but that it was specifically a GI Joe Doll, and which one). Credit goes to TFers Orange Milfaus and xmscratch.
We have captured Rainbow Brite, and we will hang her as an infidel at dawn!
Comments
And notice the gun hovering in the air.
Posted by: SayUncle | February 1, 2005 03:05 PM
Check out the head in closeup and it becomes even more obvious:
www.conservativefriends.com/viewtopic.php?p=5331
Bloggers all over the web are tearing this to shreds. Even CNN is doubting the veracity of this one.
Posted by: Drew | February 1, 2005 03:07 PM
I laughed out loud so forcefully I scared my coworkers.
Jeez, how lame can it get? Even Fox fell for it.
Posted by: Easycure | February 1, 2005 03:27 PM
Is this the same soldier?
That would be too bad, seeing as how Hasbro chose to honor him this very day.
Posted by: Ed | February 1, 2005 03:48 PM
Notice the plastic gun floating in midair.
Posted by: John Newquist | February 1, 2005 03:49 PM
Whoops. Wrong soldier. John Fox has a mustache, upon closer review.
Posted by: Ed | February 1, 2005 03:50 PM
All your GI Joe dolls belong to us.
http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=37038 came to the same conclusion at Tue Feb 01, 2005 1:14pm
All in all, AP failed the due diligence test. Heck, they didn't even pass the sniff test.
Posted by: lawhawk | February 1, 2005 03:51 PM
Gotta, gotta love Fark:
Posted by: SarahW | February 1, 2005 04:02 PM
Jesus, now they're going after our action figures too? Has anyone seen Han Solo lately??
I'm gonna go up-armor my Hot Wheels in an effort to stay one step ahead of those devils.
Posted by: Hubris | February 1, 2005 04:05 PM
This makes me piddle-happy.
Posted by: Sekimori | February 1, 2005 04:09 PM
Barbie is, like, soooo relieved.
Posted by: Rob@L&R | February 1, 2005 04:13 PM
It's ok, I have Michael Moore doll captive...I will pop his head off if they even lay a hand on John Adam.
Posted by: Abe Fromen | February 1, 2005 04:13 PM
It won't be long before the Left blames mastermind Karl Rove for this stunt, so as to discredit the media, just like Rathergate...
Posted by: Zach | February 1, 2005 04:27 PM
Well, it looks like AP has "redeemed" itself. link.
Posted by: Tom | February 1, 2005 04:42 PM
Come on, you guys. We all know its FAKE BUT ACCURATE!
Read the threads at KOS and puke. They wanna use the doll to support the fillibuster against Gonzalez.
Posted by: Mark Aase | February 1, 2005 04:43 PM
Well, at least we know what the next Mark Steyn column will be about. "You have to feel for Iraq's insurgents. On Sunday, eight million Iraqis turned out to give them the finger -- literally. Two days later, still traumatized by the rejection, Zarqawi's boys had regressed to the point of playing with dolls. One wonders whether the ratification of Iraq's new constitution this fall will lead the local dictators to start wearing Depends. Assuming they aren't already." Etc.
Posted by: Allah | February 1, 2005 04:59 PM
Zarqawi: "Did you see anything?!"
Lieutenant: "No, sir. I didn't see you playing with you dolls."
Posted by: Shawn | February 1, 2005 05:23 PM
I too frightened my co-worker with my outburst when I saw the photo. In addition to all the items mentioned above, note the black magazine on the M-4 in the photo and the black magazine on the action figure weapon. Also note that the Acog Sight has been cut off the M-4 in the photo and you can see where this has been done.
They just can't seem to seperate fiction from reality anywhere these days!
Posted by: Jackson Beard | February 1, 2005 05:28 PM
Fucking Boba Fett. YOU IDIOTS
Posted by: Jim Treacher | February 1, 2005 05:38 PM
ROFLMAO@Shawn! I've seen many other hilarious comments about this story, but that one literally reduced me to tears from laughing.
Posted by: Jinx McHue | February 1, 2005 06:15 PM
Of all the movies that have turned out to be real, who would've guessed it would be Team America?
Hang in there, Cody. Colonel Spottswoode never leaves a man behind!
Posted by: Team America | February 1, 2005 06:45 PM
Ya know, I saw this when you first posted it this afternoon and I thought you were just off your rocker (again). Damn, I can't stop laughing about the Hungry Hungry Hippos.
Posted by: Faith | February 1, 2005 07:00 PM
They're lucky they didn't take an Evel Knievel doll hostage. That thing could take any abuse you could think of. This has been such a great day!!
Posted by: Eric | February 1, 2005 07:29 PM
this HAD to be done by bored soldiers. Either that or Dan Rather's back in business.
thanks for the laugh , michele!
Posted by: hound | February 1, 2005 07:32 PM
IF IT AINT IN ORANGE IT AINT A HOSTAGE
THESE STUPID PEOPLE THINK THEY ARE SO SMART
Posted by: dan | February 1, 2005 08:03 PM
But the terrorists are refusing to release him from their kung-fu grip!
Posted by: dorkafork | February 1, 2005 08:52 PM
If a jihadist blows himself up killing GI Joe, does he get 72 Barbies?
Posted by: Brian B | February 1, 2005 09:04 PM
- "Saheed, where in Allahs name did you put that sales slip...."
- "...Aaaeeeiii....I think the goats ate it Abu oh magnificent one...."...
- "Just Great....first you lose the Christmas rebate coupon, now the sales receipt...May a camel squat in your humis bowl....and get me AP on the cell, the media is screwing things up way too much...."
Posted by: Big Bang Hunter | February 1, 2005 09:17 PM
I just wanna know how long it took them to make the tiny little banner behind him.
Posted by: Farmer Joe | February 1, 2005 09:41 PM
Hold on! Where's Mary Mapes?
Posted by: no2liberals | February 1, 2005 10:14 PM
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v243/timetogetridofsomethings/fake.jpg
Posted by: docweasel | February 1, 2005 11:37 PM
Who would be on the team to free Cody? I recommend the Fisher-Price Adventure People parachute guy, Han Solo in Stormtrooper armor, the Six-Million Dollar Man in his spacetube thingy, and a Corporal Hicks from Aliens.
If the team fails, we can work out a prisoner exchange using Saruman the White as bait, since he's the spitting image of that dead Hamas guy. We may have to stop interrogating Saruman using those low-rise-pants-wearing Bratz dolls soon anyhow, if the courts don't learn to mind their own business.
Posted by: jon | February 2, 2005 12:07 AM
bin Laden's gonna be MAD, he doesn't have a doll!
Maybe he'll have Z-man skinned and stuffed.
Posted by: Jim Martin | February 2, 2005 12:08 AM
Farmer Joe,
My Arabic-speaking coworker was impressed and appalled with the banner. She read it, and it was the usual Mujahadeenia. I'll ask her what it says again in the morning, and post the translation here.
Posted by: jon | February 2, 2005 12:12 AM
I think they got Mr. Potato head. Have they no humanity?
Posted by: Rob Mandel | February 2, 2005 02:28 AM
Michele is a true prophet. The story is already on Snopes.
Posted by: JanH | February 2, 2005 05:01 AM
Well, the top line says "la illaha illa Allah", which means "There is no God but Allah". The last word on the bottom line is also "Allah".
These scumbag losers must really be getting desperate. I didn't think the war was a good idea, but I have to take this along with the election (among other things) as a sign that maybe I was wrong. I hope so.
Posted by: Walter Sobchak | February 2, 2005 07:42 AM
LOL, the regular Army doesn't even use equipment like that, and the only unit I have ever seen using painted M4 carbines were Navy SEALs. That vest isn't the type used by any of the SOF guys I've seen over there, either. If somebody's going to put together a fake like that, they need to do it right. For that matter, the coloration of the boots is wrong, look at some pics of Americans over there, just compare the uniforms and equipment, it becomes very obvious.
Posted by: Bob | February 2, 2005 08:26 AM
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/6894934/
Look familiar?
Posted by: Rich | February 2, 2005 09:42 AM
Thats crazy!!
Posted by: Johhny | February 2, 2005 01:57 PM
Yeah...uh...This is Joe's mama and I have a statement to make to the press. "I just know that if anyone can bring that fancy plastic face I gave birth to home it would have to be the W. Stick it to 'em for what they did to my son Mr. President!"
Posted by: GI Joe's Mama | February 2, 2005 09:01 PM
All Cody all the time
Www.redstaterant.com
Posted by: Lance | February 3, 2005 12:06 AM
I am working at an "undisclosed location near BIAP" (Baghdad International Airport) as a civilian working in what was Saddam's evil playground. Needless to say, the soldiers are more than LOL on this one. One resourceful soldier is going to post the news on Cody at the gate. He hopes to form an Iraqi/Coalition HRO (Hostage Retrieval Operation) to go after the poor chap before he loses his l'il plastic head.
Posted by: Ali Turner | February 3, 2005 12:12 PM
Damn insurgents... they'll stop at nothing to torment our children!
Posted by: Baron | February 4, 2005 06:10 PM
Someone send Team America to the rescue. A bunch of puppets should be able to liberate him.
Posted by: K. Blinder | February 4, 2005 06:24 PM