Wednesday, August 3, 2016

The TSA is Cool With Mummified Heads

If  you're planning on transporting a mummified head on an upcoming trip, good news.  The Transportation Security Administration is cool with the idea.


Based on my experiences sending faux human parts through international customs it's probably easier to buy a plane ticket and hand carry those props.  And for safety's sake, remember to place the head between your knees in case of a crash.  It may not improve your survivability, but it will certainly become a memorable story for the crash investigators.

2 comments:

Dr. Theda said...

we had a stolen shrunken Head (from SA) for a few months in our cabinet...
They had used the "charcoal-method" as part of process....do not know if they had used the "hot sand" method... although, this was common practice ( after removal of skull, by slitting back of severed head)...
Just another "Thing" like my 2-headed kitten that we had to sell ( to pay for Heating costs)....

CoastConFan said...

My first brush with Jeremy Bentham’s “auto icon” was in the early 60s in the pages of a Ripley’s Believe it or Not book (probably the 1st series from 1941 compiled from the newspapers features) that was at my grandparent’s house. If you go to Jeremy Bentham’s Wikipedia page, you’ll see his remains in the display cabinet. The Ripley’s article used a line drawing for the article. Ripley was also where I first read about techniques for making shrunken heads, BTW, probably in that same edition. I’ll have to see about acquiring a copy sometime. Ripley is probably one of the sources for my early interest in curios, props, and gaffs.

Before the Present Troubles, flying on aircraft with interesting items in hand was not much of a trial. In the late 70s, I recall I took a fairly hefty broadsword as a carry on in the cabin. The stewardess was so nice, since the sword was too long for the overhead, she suggested putting it in the cabin closet with the folding baby carriages and other bulky items. After landing, as I exited the hatch, she handed me my sword. It got a few odd glances as I walked down the concourse (I hadn’t bothered to wrap the sword) but no tactical security teams. Ah, those were the days, flying was so easy.