I read this one one of those links, apparently to be included with the toy: (HIROSHIMA August 6, 1945) "A bright light filled the plane," wrote Lt. Col. Paul Tibbets, the B-29 pilot who maneuvered the Enola Gay, the B-29 that dropped the first atomic bomb, into position to unleash its deadly payload. "We turned back to look at Hiroshima. The city was hidden by that awful cloud...boiling up, mushrooming." All of the men on board the bomber were silent, but after the initial shock dissipated they started to speak. "Look at that! Look at that! Look at that!" exclaimed Robert Lewis, the co-pilot, slapping Tibbets' arm frantically. Lewis later stated that he could “taste” the atomic fission; which had, to him, a taste of lead. He turned away from the image, pulled out his journal began writing an entry. "My God," he wrote to himself, "what have we done?" Since the dawn of civilization, mankind has transformed warfare into an art form. Many weapons are given soft or cute names in order to make them more palatable - or at least less offensive. “Bouncing Betties”, “PeaceKeepers”, “Daisy Cutters” and the like are all euphemisms given to destructive devices in order to conceal their true nature. In all cases, we are probably concealing the truth more from ourselves than the enemy. Perhaps it is simply too painful to look at the devices and recognize that they might be a hideous reflection of something IN us, something that is a PART of us, something that we haven’t been able to evolve beyond. Welcome to the birthplace of Smart Bombs. Smart Bombs are a reflection of the overwhelming need we all have to shield ourselves from the true horror of the weapons we use to destroy each other. Based on the atomic weapons known as Fat Man and Little Boy, the two atomic devices dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima in 1945, these designer figures attempt to explore the tendency to hide from the truth of war. By using iconographic imagery, Smart Bombs attempt to disguise themselves and the true nature of what they are. They appear as familiar and safe imagery, imagery that is engrained in our popular culture, evocative of some fond childhood memories, in an attempt to obscure and camouflage so that we never fully recognize what they truly are…the most destructive forces of war ever unleashed by mankind against his cohabitants on this planet Earth. Smart Bombs are not anti-military, anti-government, or anti-war. Smart Bombs are anti-apathy. These designer figures are my way of examining my own feelings about the nature of man and war and the insidious relationship of the two, born from a hope that others may also choose to join me on an introspective journey. Results may vary. You bring to the table your own set of truths, and your experience with Smart Bombs will, of course, be unique. But if your experience in any way results in you giving any thought to war and its place in our history and in our future then I consider this mission a success.
