Ozzy Osbourne commemorates bat-biting anniversary with a plush toy

Osbourne announced the release of a commemorative plush toy with detachable head on the 37th anniversary of his biting the head off a live bat on stage. (Source: Twitter / @OzzyOsbourne)

Singer Ozzy Osbourne is selling a cute toy, with a grisly twist, to commemorate the anniversary of an onstage antic that made him one of America’s most controversial figures.

Osbourne, now known primarily as a doddering reality TV dad, made one of rock music’s most iconic moments back on January 20, 1982 when he bit the head off a live bat onstage during a show in Des Moines, Iowa.

The bat was thrown on stage by a fan and Osbourne, thinking the bat was a toy, stuck it in his mouth and bit.

It was only when the bat started twitching and bit him back that he realized it was still alive.

A trip to the hospital and one rabies shot later, a rock and roll legend was born.

Ever the enterprising businessman, Osbourne decided to commemorate the infamous event by releasing a plush bat toy on the 37th anniversary of the incident.

“Today marks the 37th Anniversary since I bit a head off a f*cking bat!” Osbourne wrote on Twitter. “Celebrate with this commemorative plush with detachable head.”

The oddly-adorable plush toy stands 12 inches tall and features the Ozzy Osbourne logo on its chest, and a Velcro detachable head.

The plush is a web exclusive, only available on Osbourne’s webstore for $40 USD.

Fan response to the release was positive, with the first batch of plushies selling out by within 24 hours, according to the website.

But not to fear – if you missed out on getting your own plushy piece of history, the site is already taking order for the second batch set to ship in March.

The bat incident wasn’t Osbourne’s only brush with animal-related controversy.

One year earlier, he bit the heads off of not one, but two live doves during a meeting with CBS record company executives.

The incident, which CBS records initially said would kill his career, actually ended up revitalizing it, as controversy around the story pushed his first solo album into the U.S. charts.