Crazy Wayne Report This write up is my opinions of the original Article It wouldn't mean nothing without our toys! James Brown once sang"this is a man world,but it wouldn't be nothing,nothing without a Woman or a girl,you see man made the cars to take us over the road,man made the train,to carry the heavey load,man made the electric light to take us out of the dark,man made the boat on the water,like Noah made the ark.this is a Man's,Man's,Man's,world,but it wouldn't mean nothing,nothing,without a Woman or a Girl! Man thinks about a little baby Girl,and a baby Boy,Man makes them happy,cuz Man makes them toys" Or so the song goes but some people are not happy with the toys as we seen Al's Action Figures pulled from Wal-Mart store after our friends from Kennesaw U, Katherine Kinnick, and Sabrena Parton complained that this was the kind of toy she does not what her kids to be playing with because her thinking was that "HEAD" was played out to be the choped off head of a female who couldn't stand up to the big bullie that is Al Snow the wrestler,and that Al was no less than a beater of women and so on. What stared this was the write up in the Atlanta Journal Constitution of Sunday Oct 31st,1999 titled"Gruesome toy sends wrong message to kids",above the title are the words"Fostering Abuse" They start the Article off by talking about the by gone days of Hulk Hogan Lunchboxes and WWF innocuous stars,they then go on to say,and I quote"Meet Al Snow,He enters the arena waving his tradmark:a female Mannequin's head skewered on a stick"(ed:Ok they got the part right that they are in the know that it IS a mannequin's head,but when was HEAD ever skewered with a stick??Well maybe once,but it wasn't skewered,it was more like stuck in the hole at the bottom so that Al could stick it down his pants for future surprise attacks,and ok it was spiked once,but thats another story. They then go on to say that Al"carries HEAD like a scepter"not sure how they came up with that,maybe from watching too many Star Wars movies,they then write"he exhorts the crowd to join in his"theme song""What do you want",well if your a Wrestling fan you know they got that wrong,it's "what does everybody want?",not "What do you want",if I wanted something I'd ask for a Ham Sandwich! Then in there unknowing ways they write"Never mind that Snow's antics celebrate the dismemberment and objectification of Women",ed:right there I would like to know were they came up with that??HEAD is not a dismemberment of anything,granted HEAD is of female form but it has never been Male or Female,but more of a them with a female face. They then have the guts to say"There,among the G.I. Joes"..(.ed:.wait a sec,they think it's ok to play with dolls that front war,and killing???,go figure...)"Star Wars figures,including an Al Snow toy that ought to send a chill up the spine of any parent.",(ed:weres that come from?"a chill up the spine of any parent???...allrighty then) This is even better,they go on to state"Locked in plastic packaging between the figures of Al Snow and another male Wrestler(ed:they don't even know who it is)is a long-haired female head(ed:they forgot to say mannequin's head)-just the head(ed:where is HEAD's body anyway...thats the question)emblazoned(ed:emblazoned??)with"HELP ME" across the forehead. Just what did the toymaker intend for a couple of 7-year-old boys to do with the head?Hmmm(ed:I like how they add Hmmm,nice writing for a couple of professors)"implaed it on a stick,as a photo on the package of the real Al Snow shows?(ed:I think maybe these girl's used to,or maybe still do this to their Barbie dolls,where else would they get the idea??) "Can playing with a Woman's severed head serve a anything but a training manual for future spousal abousers?"(ed:wow! nice thinking on that one lady's,I'm sure Al would just love to have child protection folks over at his house,maybe they should check up on the Ladys first,no?) I had to laugh as they went on to say"It's doubtful that even the hardest-core Wrestling fan can find any redeeming value here"(ed:what the hell does hardest-core mean???)This statment even got Dr.Laura going as on her radio show she spent a good amount of time getting on the case of the C.E.O. of Wal Mart,then riped into Al saying that HEAD was not fit for anyone(ed:this coming from an uptight right winger that posed for nude photos,whats the value in that?) They then go on saything that maybe Wrestling fans might think they have no sense of humor.....(ed:true),they go on about sexual metaphors and that it carries on to the Action Figure(ed:how may I ask?....it's an Action Figure not something they may use that needs batteries) They go on to say that the Action Figure was made for children,well my question would be,if the child is not a westling fan,has never seen Al Snow or HEAD in his or her life,why in the hell would they want the Al Snow Action Figure???,as they state"In which the chubby hands this toy was headed. Then they wonder what would have happened if HEAD was black,or Hispanic,or checker board or whatever,damn you never heard any Mexicans complane when Pepper was eaten,HEAD has a soul of all, it is of many or any race you damn well want it to be. "Of course,any parent who fails to exercise judgment in what thier children watch and buy also shares the blame"(ed:isn't that a little controling??maybe a little abusive??) This is the killer here"Dismemberment of women used to be confined to R-rated slasher films,and triple-X pornography(ed:how do they know?)then they end the Article telling you do show this Article to retailers so that they will remove the Action Figures from the shelves(ed:Along with the K.Y. jelly I would think) I seem to think that maybe just maybe she jumped the gun,which is surprising because Ms Parton is a proffessor of Communications at Kennesaw U and as of last summer was teaching classes in "Interviewing" and "Dissussion" methods. Makes you kind of wonder how,and even if her students had a dissussion about Al and his HEAD,as a professor wouldn't you think she would research about HEAD to find out what the gimmick was all about? There is a good and a bad side to all of this,the good side being that it put Al in the lime light where he was on national news,hell my Mother now even knows who Al Snow is and for the first time in many a months AL SNOW'S HEAD was getting over 100 hits a day,which was ether because of this news or because Al and Mick won the tag team belts. The bad news would be that this was in part the reson why stocks of the WWF droped so low that week. My question though would be why the Al Snow Action Figure??,did her son come up to her and say"mommy I want this!" and she looked at it and went into shock,and how did they come across the Action Figure??? were they looking at the WWF action Figures when she spoted Al's?? are the kids watching wrestling behind mommys back??? I wonder if she will pack up the kids and go see the new movie"Sleepy Hollow"? now theres something she could protest,then we could be left to play with our toys.

Center for Parent/Youth Understanding

Winter 1999 Newsletter-In the Hotlight

Walt Mueller-

Al Snow enters the ring carrying a severed women's head (not real, of course) and wearing a T-Shirt emblazoned with a phrase promoting oral sex - "Everyone needs a little head." Upon Snow's arrival in the ring, the announcer asks the audience, "What does everybody need?" and "What does everybody want?" The audience screams the answer to both in unison- "Head!"

Opinions and Articles Photo of The Article WWF Toy Story Press Release The Time Magazine Article Office of Student Media Chrimson U. San Diego Union Tribune Miami Herald Article SavannahNOW Article The Seanbaby Probe Guys and Dolls Family Education Beginners Guide to the WWF Soundings-City Journal Bangor Daily News/Lettrs to Editor Headlock....Brainlock The Bottom Line Revenge of Wack Wrestling Bastaards News Letter The Daily Star World Magazine/News&Reviews Demonds in the Rough Robert Lee Hoffman Mechanics Local Pro Sports Bashing Pro Wrestling Wrestling Doll is Inexcusable The Star Report Patty's Place Old Times Action Figures Spur Controvery Mister Ridiculous Feminists can't Keep their Heads Tales From Toyland No Use Crying over a Mannequen HEAD Business Wire WWF Fact Sheet Speak Out:The Toy Police The Virdict Trying to Knock Wrestling Off Small Hours

From the Wrestling Guys radio show:credit:BJ Bethel Al came on to talk about the problems with Wal Mart and his action figure. He heard about it originally through his mom, who lives north of Dayton. He figured it only made news here through the local paper, because he was a local guy and wasn't too big of a deal. Things changed when Bob Holly's wife caught the end of a CNN story, which all she heard was Snow's name mentioned, and Head. She prompted Bob Holly to call Snow, who was afraid he was in an accident or something. This was when it was clear this was pretty big. Its been covered in CNN, USA Today, and all across the national media since. Snow talked about the Head character, and said that he has had some problems before, but nothing this big. The only problem came when he was on a poster for an ECW show in Memphis, and he was shown holding the head by its neck, which prompted women's groups to believe he was choking a woman. Snow said that the Head has no sex, and he refers to it as neither a man or woman, and will never change from that. He then went into his character, described the psychological problems he had, or how they would be defined if they were real, and talked about that for a while. Then Marty and Sean, the hosts, asked to talk to Al's wife to see if he's a beats her or not lol. This is when things got funny. Snow said he had to pull the tape off her mouth first, and did some other stuff. The guy has got quite the sense of humor. She finally came on and said Al didnt hit her or anything. Al came back on after a few minutes of talking to Mrs. Snow, and finished up the interview. They talked about how he is now getting a bigger push, and such.

In the February 20000 issue of the WWF magazine "THE BITE" columnist of the month was Al and he responded to the two Kennesaw State professors whom of which had his action figure pulled from Walmart shelves after allegations that spousal abuse was suposeingly represented. photo from magazine Dear Katherine Kinnick and Sabrena Parton: I just wanted to take a moment from my ever-increasingly busy schedule and write a brief letter to express my sincerest appreciation. A genuine"Thank You" for the controversy which the two of you ladies generated over my action figure.  While this brought an enormous amount of national media attention to the shameful, but all too common, problem of abuse, at the same time, it brought myself and HEAD a tremendous amount of national attention as well. Since the story hit,you will be happy to know that my evil,decadent action figure has been sold-out at the other major chains still carrying it, and the price for it on the Internet has been driven up to collector's item heights. What disturbs me, though, is to see two such learned women , both assistant professors of communication at Kennesaw State University, expounding your opinion of my character in a public forum, like The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, when your evaluation was made by dramatically jumping to conclusions and assumptions drawn from just the packaging of my action figure. Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that how an injustice like the Salem Witch Trials began? I certainly hope you are not teaching such judgmental practices to the students in your communication classes. It is my opinion that should your son or daughter grow up to be tragically involved in any form of abuse, then that behavior will stem more from what they have viewed from mom and dad anything they have seen on TV or by playing  with my action figure. It is my hope that in the future you will do more thorough research on your subject matter before making any more opinionated public statements. But, I digress from my original intent, which was to thank you on behalf of the World Wrestling Federation, myself and, of course, HEAD.  We couldn't have done it without you girls, but then again...... photo of a fan letter to Al

Linda McMahon Interview for Court TV To set this up WWF Wrestlers were wanted to be witness's for the murder trial of Lionel Tate who while baby sitting Tiffany Eunick,Lionel used wrestling moves on Tiffany which killed her,the court wanted wrestlers such as the Rock to talk about what wrestling was about,the WWF got the wrestlers out of going to court,what they did get was an interview with Linda Mcmahon in which they asked her questions about WWF programing At one point in the interview a question about Al came up Question: OK,If we are thinking this is a relatively benign play acting pracess,why are the toys,so aggressive in nature?Why do you have wrestlers with womans head locked,hammer locked under their arms,and she squeals"Help Me!...Help Me!",and Bruiser and Buster,and guys with wheel chairs and straighter,the image they bear is less then benign. Linda: Let me ask you,the action figure you just talked about,the guy with the head under his arm,do you know what that is? Interviewer: To be honest,I'd have to pull it out of the bag Linda: But do you know the story behind it?,do you know what it is about?,you are making an assumption,you have to know what the story line is about Interviewer: How many ten year olds are going to understand the story line? Linda: Why would they buy the action figure if they didn't know and understand that this is a mannequin head?,it's like a puppet,this guy talks to this mannequin head,he sets the mannequin head up on a chair and talks and gets advice,he listens,she tells him things he doesn't get from anyone else,it's part of the story They both start talking at once Interviewer: But he's got the head under his arms and it's saying"Help Me!...Help Me!" Linda: What if he has a Puppet on his hand and another Puppet on his hand,and he all of the sudden starts making them fight?....it's no different,if you understand our story lines and you watch your not intrigued to buy unless you know what it is your buying.

From the Complaint Station at Walmart website I believe that it is pure mindlessness to remove the Al Snow action figure because a feminine organization from Atlanta, GA has misinterrupted the Head prop as a decapitated head when it's just a model head used in beauty parlors. This group (which shall remain nameless because it's a ploy to get their name popular) portested at a local wal-mart about the figure and told them that Al Snow's storyline is that he killed a woman and cut off her head and carries it around. THE REAL story is that he found the **MANEQUIN**'s head in a trash can and it appreciated his wrestling skills and communicates to him how to wrestle. Wal-Mart needs to shrug off this utterly false and MADE-UP complaint and sell the Al Snow action figure.

THE BIG FACEOFF January 11, 2000-Chicago Tribune/Kids News In a recent issue, we asked our readers to comment about events in the news. We'll print kids' responses from time to time. WE ASKED: Does the toy Summer Slam '99: Road Rage Al Snow send the wrong message to kids? (The action figure carries a plastic woman's head with "Help me" scrawled on its forehead.) YOU SAID: "I think that Al Snow, the professional wrestler, should be able to carry around a mannequin head. I think that kids do know that it is just a mannequin head. The whole point of wrestling is entertainment." --Anthony M., 13 "I do not think that the WWF Al Snow doll sends the wrong message to kids. It's just a doll that has a plastic woman's head that says `help me´ on it as a little joke. Al Snow brings the head with him to the ring, but it´s plastic, not real. I think that the customers are acting like babies. It´s unnecessary that it has been yanked from Wal-mart shelves." --Anthony O., 14 "I don't like wrestling, but if the doll is just a portrayal of the real guy, then no one should say that it `sends the wrong message´ to kids. If the parents let their kids watch this stuff, then they should accept the merchandise." --Maddi R., 14 "What is the point of the Summer Slam Dolls? The toy offends women and young girls. It also teaches boys that violence toward women can be fun. How sad. Isn't Al Snow's wrestling ability good enough without having to get attention by carrying the head of a women mannequin on stage?" --Bridget S., 11

"Wal Mart is pulling an action figure of the WWF's Al Snow because he carries a woman's severed head with "Help Me" written on it. Which explains why all the Barbie dolls on the next shelf are headless."- Archer and Valerie Kickerz

Jan. 2000 Metal Edge Magazine Part of an interview with Queensryche-"People like Tate are f_king gay.  He takes himself way too f_king seriously and has no clue. It's just like that wrestler Al Snow who had his action figure pulled off the stores by Wal-Mart because some stupid bytch thought he carried a dead woman's head, not realizing it was a mannequin head. Maybe that was Geoff Tate's wife.  A f_king Al Snow action figure is not going to make kids f_king beat woman!!!  Are people that f_king stupid?    And how the f_k did I end up talking about Al Snow? And f_k Geoff Tate."

Land of the Free....WWF Magazine Letter The last time I heard The Star Spangled Banner, I'm certain it ended with the lines, '..the land of the free, and the home of the brave..' I'd like to emphasize the 'Land of the Free' part. It disturbed me when some uninformed people made it impossible for me to purchase the Al Snow with Head Action Figure that my son wanted for Christmas. I have the right to watch and purchase what I choose. As a mother, I have the right to choose what my son watches. I choose to watch the Federation shows; and I choose to let my son watch the Federation shows. They are exciting and entertaining. As for those who disapprove of Federation telecasts, I think the simplest thing for them to do is: DON'T WATCH! But don't tell me or anyone else what they can or cannot watch! Christie Trent, North Judson, IN