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“In the future, everybody will have their own bobblehead.”
–Andy Warhol III
As far as bobbleheads go, this one is a classic: Tucson’s own The Scary Guy, with all those trademark tattoos.
Actually, not all of them.
“I’d say the arms are less detailed, but the head, neck and face are very accurate,” Scary said.
The 7 1/4 -inch dolls are hand-painted. That’s a lot of brush strokes, considering the model’s body is covered by tattoos.
Exactly how many?
“I tell people, ‘One,’ ” he says. “The difference is it weighs 280 pounds.” Actually, Scary has no idea how many tattoos, but he doesn’t mind showing off his new ones – including “7.”
The number is in reference to The Scary Guy’s Seven Day, Seven Night Challenge: Don’t say a negative word about anybody or call anyone a name other than their own for a week.
“Try it and when you slip up – and you will slip up because everybody does at first – apologize and try it again,” the former tattoo artist said.
One thousand bobbleheads ($16.95 each plus $4 shipping at www.scarywear.com) are on order.
It’s like nobody else’s bobblehead. But then, The Scary Guy is like nobody else – and at the same time, he’s exactly like everybody else. That’s exactly his message: We’re all different and we’re all the same, so why the hate?
We judge people by what they look like out on the outside – color, body shape, gender, clothing, car, etc. – instead of by who they are on the inside. He visits schools in Tucson and around the nation in his mission to end prejudice. He leaves behind a spiritual tattoo, if you will, on the hearts of children. It’s called love.
“I had no idea about anything, really,” he said, reflecting on his former self, including life as a baby portrait photographer in Minnesota. “It is now so clear that before, there was no clarity.”
Now, he’s a celebrity.
Since legally changing his name from Earl Kaufmann to The Scary Guy on Feb. 2, 1998, he figures he’s signed 100,000 autographs.
Kids write to him. He has his own Web site, www.thescaryguy.com. And “The Scary Truth,” a video pilot, has caught the eye of MTV and USA Network talent scouts for a possible TV series.
It’s an exciting time for the illustrated man who, believe it or not, didn’t get his first tattoo until age 30. He’s staring at 50 now.
Like a god with a bobblehead made in his likeness, Scary is striving to remain humble.
“It’s not to scale,” he said, thumping the doll’s exaggerated head.
Tucson
Citizen
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BOBBLEHEADS
HOMEPAGE
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