Bassist Steve Harris formed Iron Maiden on Christmas Day in 1975. The name was inspired by the 1939 film 'The Man in the Iron Mask,' which features a torture device known as an iron maiden—a sarcophagus lined with spikes. Harris saw the film and immediately thought 'Iron Maiden' was a perfect, powerful name for a heavy metal band. The band is also famous for their mascot, Eddie the Head, a skeletal figure who appears on all their album covers and at every live show. Eddie was originally a paper mache mask used during their early club gigs that would 'spit' fake blood over the drummer. Over the years, Iron Maiden became pioneers of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, selling over 100 million albums and touring the world in a customized Boeing 747 piloted by their lead singer, Bruce Dickinson.