Did you know there was a National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum? Neither did I. This was one of those destination museums I had to check out during a vacation earlier this year. Located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, this museum is located on the second floor of a building that houses over 7,000 bobbleheads on display by subject matter. For fans of nostalgic pop culture, this was a fantastic treat. They have a website dedicated to the museum: www.bobbleheadhall.com
Bobblehead dolls were first referenced in print in 1842 by writer Nikolai Gogol in the Russian short story, "The Overcoat." He described the main character, Akaky, as having a neck, which was "like a neck of plaster which wag their heads." In 1901, ceramic bobbleheads of animals were produced in Germany. In 1960, the first sports bobbleheads featuring MLB and NFL teams were made and featured generic players and team mascots. The "nodders" were made of either paper-cache or ceramic. One year later, the first player-specific bobbleheads were made and featured baseball superstars Roberto Clemente, Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris and Willie Mays. In 1964, popularity was growing for bobbleheads of all types. The Beatles bobblehead set has since become one of the most iconic and valuable collectibles. Bobbleheads were used to promote brands as early as the 1960s, Bobbleheads of characters such as Big Boy, Colonel Sanders and others were distributed to enhance the brand. Today, licensing of such brands is not based on profit but rather to strongly emphasize the importance of the brand.
From 1970 to 1990, there was a lull in bobblehead collecting, with a limited number produced. Collectors were shifting to baseball cards, lunchboxes, action figures and other items. By the late 1990s, new manufacturing processes allowed bobbleheads to be made from plastic and resins instead of ceramic, which dramatically reduced the expense and difficulty of creating quality bobbleheads. This led to tens of thousands of bobblehead produced and sold (or given away at sporting events) which have varied value.
The first stadium giveaway bobblehead, which the San Francisco Giants distributed on May 9, 1999, was credited for igniting the bobblehead craze. The bobblehead featured the Giants' Hall of Fame outfielder, Willie Mays.
In 2003, the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum collection stared when Brad Novak, Co-Founder and President of the NBHFM, received the Rock the Riverhawk bobblehead as a member of the Rockford RiverHawks' staff.
For your amusement, here are a few photos from the museum. Trust me, there was so much more.
Just remember that January 7 of each calendar year is officially designated as National Bobblehead Day.
