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The original Eddie was just a theatrical mask. It can be seen in the band photos on the first album and on the "Running Free" single picture sleeve. It was a face right next to the band's logo. It was connected to a pump that would eject various kinds of liquids, from food dye to paint, and would drool over Doug Sampson who was the drummer at the time. Fans would also try to throw things into the mouth at gigs.
Eddie's full name is Edward The Head (Edward T.H–– the remainder of his surname is hidden by a clump of soil on the Live After Death cover.) Other plays on Eddie's name can be seen in the Video Game (based on him) Ed Hunter. The name originates from the following old joke:
Eddie the head was born with no body, no arms and no legs. All he had was a head. But despite this major birth defect his parents still loved him very much. So on his sixteenth birthday his parents found a doctor that could surgically give Eddie a body. When the parents got home they couldn't wait to tell him that he could finally have a body and be like other normal people. They go home really excited and say "Have we got a surprise for you. It's the best present ever!" and Eddie says "Oh no, not another f**k**g hat!"
The above story is also told by drummer Nicko McBrain in the first CD of The First Ten Years singles collection. Here's how it's told by Nicko:
"Eddie was very unfortunate. He was born without a body. So nevertheless his parents loved him dearly, and took him home, and placed him on a mantlepiece one day. Well, his family gave him lots of love and attention, and he always got loads of presents on his birthday, kind of...*augh*...blowing things and, an axe and all that kind of stuff. *Weaugh*, I mean...anyway, one year he was about sixteen, and the hospital contacted his parents and they said to them..um..they said 'look..uh, due to modern technology and all those good things that we can do with, you'now, all this stuff nowadays, we're now.. we're now able to build Eddie a body'. So, with this his parents, they were so excited, they couldn't believe it. And they couldn't wait to tell Eddie, I mean this is it you know, 'Eddie's gonna have a body' *weehaa*. However, as it..as it was..um.. close to his birthday, they decided to tell the doctors to go ahead and build his body. And then they would surprise him, and, you know, it weren't far from his birthday *whispering*, *good birthday present*. Two weeks later, THE BIG DAY ARRIVED!!. YES, Eddie's birthday, so his parents goes up to 'im, and they kinda walk up to the mantlepiece, " 'ello Eddie, how ya doin' "."This year is gonna be the best birthday yet"."Have we got something for you, such a wonderful present". And his Mom's goin' all, "Oh goodness Eddie, we're so pleased". And Eddie's Goin' "*Augh* Oh no", said Eddie, "Not another f**k**g hat!!!". (*Hahahahaha*, Oh, the whole thing's so funny, it is it's pretty good i'nt it.) "
Iron Maiden gave the name "Eddie" to that mask. The character Eddie was created by Derek Riggs. In the artwork to the single Running Free, a silhouette of a large, skinny zombie-like creature can be seen. When the band was looking through potential artwork for their first album, they came across the artwork by Derek Riggs that would eventually become the artwork for the self-titled album. The band liked it, and felt that it was what the silhouette actually looked like.
The artwork for the second album, Killers, was also an original Riggs painting before he started creating bespoke album covers from The Number of the Beast onwards. Derek Riggs claimed - in the Maiden documentary 12 Wasted Years - that the design for Eddie the cartoon was based on (what was supposedly) a Japanese head he saw on a television documentary, hanging on the side of a burned out Japanese tank from the Battle of Guadalcanal, (Matanikau River engagement), October 24, 1942.
It has been hypothesised that Eddie is an alias of Benjamin Breeg, featured in the song "The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg"[1] from the latest album, A Matter of Life and Death.
