a plastic banana adornment saved Eric Hansen's life, as he tells it in his book Stranger in the Forest.

as I remember the story, he was hiking alone in the Borneo forest, a place where no one travels alone.  if you do, you're the devil or you will be gotten by the devil.

he runs into natives who immediately attack him to save themselves.  he's lying on the ground with spears at his throat swearing he's not the devil.

"if you're not the devil, then why hasn't the devil gotten you??!"

"uh ...", he stammers.  "because of ... this", he points to a banana pin which his playful friends gave him from a bubble gum machine to wish him well before he left for Borneo.

they drop their spears and ask where they can get one.