Danny O' Day Held Hostage, Part 3:: Message From The East

While detained, Danny not only found a postcard somehow but a postage stamp and a mailbox as well. Inexplicably Craig was the one Danny reached out to despite after all the time Danny O'Day had spent on Jeff V's lap, Jeff was crushed.

It was only a matter of time before the plastic Dummy's abduction was picked up by U.S. media outlets and the story spread like wildfire.

Danny O' Day Held Hostage, Part 2: History Repeating

In 1978, a handful of American journalists were taken hostage in Iran.

It was a tense time for America and some consider the international incident to be the killing blow to the Carter presidency. The hostages were ultimately freed, a B-movie star replaced Jimmy Carter and all was well.... but it seemed Tehran still wasn't satisfied.

In 1981 the Daily Creative Department was suddenly faced with its own Hostage Crisis...and one of their ranks was in terrible danger...

Rare photo showing a captive Danny gagged as well as blindfolded

(which is a little unncessary, since you could shut him up just by not

moving his lips) and being held at exacto-knifepoint.

Danny O' Day Held Hostage, Part 1: Danny, Oh Danny

Danny O'Day (pictured here with mentor and operator Jimmy Nelson and B-movie actor Ronald Reagan -- video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLIjWm9YRkc) arrived at the Minnesota Daily sometime in the winter of 1980. Made of plastic and stuffed with cotton, he was content to sit on the iron radiator and watch the rest of us work.

(At right: Danny caught in a awkward moment.)

When he was absent from his perch one day we assumed Danny O'Day was off on one of his global jaunts as he was wont to do (step sibling Farfel had left Danny a small fortune in his will).

We were half right. Danny had traveled to the volatile Middle East and had foolishly visited the still turbulent country of Iran. Knowing of Danny's close ties to now President Reagan (see photo), he was grabbed at once.... and a new hostage crisis in Iran was born.

There was nothing to be done at the offices of the Daily Creative Department but to watch helplessly as notices drawn in marker on sheets of typing paper appeared, reminding us of what we already knew.