Let’s start with a brief history of bobbleheads. Writer Nikolai Gogol first referenced bobblehead dolls in 1842 in the Russian short story “The Overcoat.” He described the main character, Akaky, as having a neck, which was, “like the neck of plaster cats which wag their heads.” Popularity was growing for bobbleheads in not just sports. The Beatles bobblehead set was made and became one of the most famous and rarest of all time. It is still a valuable collectible today.
How are bobbleheads made? There are all types of bobble heads and they’re made from several types of materials. Generally, the most common bobble heads are made from resin and plastic. There are also ceramic and wooden bobble heads, but they are in the minority of the products currently produced. The resin bobble head dolls are solid and generally allow for greater details and finer contouring of the body. Plastic bobble heads are cast from a mold, but not all plastic bobbing heads are the same. Some styles rely purely on the mold as the entire product with the appropriate paint colors added. Our most popular bobble heads use a plastic inner shell that are not solid and are covered with felt cloth. The felt adds a layer of detail, a layer of feeling, and an additional layer of strength to the bobble head. With our bobble head animals, you’ll find that the eyes are made of plastic and some vary from completely solid colors to an eye complete with color and pupil.
In June 2012, the TBS talk show ‘Conan’ went to film in Chicago and produced one of the largest bobble head dolls ever documented. The Conan O’Brien Bobble Head stood at 16 feet tall! In 2016, there were many terrific MLB bobble head giveaways that focus on team mascots to legendary Dodgers broadcast Vin Scully. Both major league and minor league baseball heavily use bobble head doll promotions to drive attendance. For 2017, MLB teams plan no let down in the size and scope of bobble heads. Teams from the Mets with their Noah Syndergaard Thor themed bobble head to the Angels with three different Mike Trout bobble heads throughout the season aren’t letting up with promotions throughout the league each and every week.
The first known mentioning of the bobblehead doll is in Nikolai Gogol’s 1842 short story “The Overcoat” where one of the characters is said to looks like one. It is also believed that moder bobblehead dolls originate from 18th century Germany where they were made of ceramic. These dolls in turn originate from Ancient Japanese and Chinese string dolls. Modern bobblehead dolls were first made from paper-mache, ceramic and plastic. 20th century bobblehead dolls were first made in 1920s. New York Knicks basketball player bobblehead was produced trhen but interest in them waned by 1930s and didn’t renew until 1950s.
As mentioned, because of their whimsicalness, bobbleheads will remain a staple in the collector and mainstream world, especially when it comes to baseball (their breaking out industry in the United States). It is likely that bobbleheads will remain promotional items, specifically in baseball. Bobbleheads are becoming more and more customizable. This should only increase in the upcoming years, as these items relate to everyday people (as well as the customizable trend in every other area such as food and entertainment). There are now fishing man, office, and mom bobbleheads. What are your thoughts about the history of bobbleheads or just bobbleheads in general?
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