Ozzy’s bat-biting anniversary celebrated with plush bat toy

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To mark the 37th anniversary of the moment he sunk his teeth into a bat onstage in Iowa, Ozzy’s selling a plush toy on his website… with a detachable head

Ozzy Osbourne achieved a new level of notoriety during a performance at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium, Iowa, in 1982.

A fan famously threw what Ozzy thought was a rubber bat on to the stage that night, and being the Prince Of Darkness, he bit into it only to discover it was the real deal.

Now, 37 years on, Ozzy has decided to mark the event with a plush toy bat… complete with detachable head.

Ozzy says: “Today marks the 37th anniversary since I bit a head off a fucking bat! Celebrate with this commemorative plush with detachable head.”

A new round of pre-orders for the 12-inch tall bat are now being taken after the first batch sold out, with the toy flying out from Ozzy HQ in March.

In his memoir I Am Ozzy, the frontman recalled the moment in graphic detail.

Ozzy said: “Immediately, something felt wrong. Very wrong. For a start, my mouth was instantly full of this warm, gloopy liquid, with the worst aftertaste you could ever imagine. I could feel it staining my teeth and running down my chin. 

“Then the head in my mouth twitched. ‘Oh, fuck me,’ I thought. ‘I didn’t just go and eat a bat, did I?‘”

Ozzy was treated for rabies as a precaution following the incident.

Ozzy will head out on the next leg of his No More Tours 2 from May, while he’s also the cover star of the latest issue of Metal Hammer magazine, which is out now.

Scott Munro
Scott Munro
Louder e-commerce editor

Scott has spent 35 years in newspapers, magazines and online as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. Scott joined our news desk in the summer of 2014 before moving into e-commerce in 2020. Scott keeps Louder’s buyer’s guides up to date, writes about the best deals for music fans, keeps on top of the latest tech releases and reviews headphones, speakers, earplugs and more for Louder. Over the last 10 years, Scott has written more than 11,000 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog. He's previously written for publications including IGN, Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald, covering everything from daily news and weekly features, to tech reviews, video games, travel and whisky. Scott's favourite bands are Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, New Model Army, All About Eve, The Mission, Cocteau Twins, Drab Majesty, The Tragically Hip, Marillion and Rush.