Noggin on Heaven’s Door

Admen often lose their heads, or get them chewed off. But the disembodied conks you might soon find in the mail aren’t the victims of malice.

They’re walnut-sized and plastic and part of a self-promotion gag from Winstanley in Lenox, Mass. There are six in all, representing the disciplines the shop has to offer: Marketing Head, Web Head, PR Head (shown here), Copy Head, Graphic Head and Ad Head. “Our selection of heads varies enough to cover any marketing need your company may face,” reads the packaging. “Whether you opt for Ad Head, Web Head or Marketing Head, you get the expertise of the full set.”

“We’re always looking for things to send out,” says Annette Ragan, copywriter and the mastermind of the “Get a head” campaign. “I saw them on a crafts Web site and I thought, I’ve got to do something with them.”

Created by novelty store Archie McPhee in Seattle, the heads are kind of disturbing. Marketing Head looks like luge champion Georg Hackl without the smile. Web Head seems to be yelling, and has a painful-looking underbite. Graphic Head has a Charlton Heston thing going on. And Copy Head could pass for one of the Jukka brothers.

Luckily, there’s a welcome disclaimer: “Actual head may vary.”