Ozzy Selling Bat-Themed “F*ck Coronavirus” Shirt + Facemask
Ozzy Osbourne may have had to get a rabies shot when he bit the head off a live bat during a show on January 20, 1982, but he has certainly had the last laugh. Not only has the incident become one of largest-looming aspects of the Ozzy legend, but for the past two years, he’s released a 12″ plush bat toy with a detachable head for $40. Last year, they sold out almost instantly. Plush bats are still available in his webstore as of this writing, so I guess they either didn’t sell as many this year or they manufactured a supply that anticipated a greater demand. Regardless, I’m sure Ozzy made out just fine in the whole deal…
…especially since he is now exploiting the incident again with a new merch package: a shirt and face mask that feature a bat, also adorned in a face mask, and the phrase “Fuck Coronavirus.” Like the plush bats, the package sells for forty bucks, and can be purchased in Ozzy’s webstore (a warning on the page notes that “These masks are not medical grade and are not meant to take the place of the N95 masks,” which I imagine was a legal necessity… although I guess it’s possible there ARE people dumb enough not to figure that out on their own).
Ozzy, who was recently featured as a character of an online slot game from NetEnt, has previously announced that during the month of April, all of the merch sold on his eBay page will be donated to The Michael J. Fox Foundation, which helps fund research into Parkinson’s disease (with which Ozzy himself is afflicted). Which is great!
But that doesn’t seem to apply to the merch sold in his webstore. Which is disappointing. Artists ranging in size from Revocation to Devin Townsend to Pantera to Deftones to Metallica to Kiss — KISS! The band that has NEVER let go of a penny that could be theirs!!! — are all doing their part to benefit medical workers and out of work touring crews. So is Live Nation, which also isn’t exactly known for being altruistic. And so, for that matter, is Ozzy’s Black Sabbath bandmate, Tony Iommi. Ozzy is reportedly worth $220 million… surely he doesn’t need however much money this new design will bring in? So why not give the money to people who really need it?
