Bobbleheads – Are We There Yet?

By the turn of the century, the bobble head doll seemed destined for pop culture oblivion, but a bobblehead giveaway by the San Francisco Giants baseball team brought them back from the abyss. The Giants gave away Willie Mays bobbleheads to the first 20,000 fans to enter the stadium on May 9, 1999, celebrating the 40th anniversary of Candlestick Park, and the doll’s revival was on. New manufacturing processes made bobbleheads possible in plastic rather than ceramic, dramatically reducing their cost and the time and labor required to create them.

The modern bobblehead has a plastic body that is either solid or covered in a flocked material, a fabric-like fuzz substance, depending on the manufacturer. Compared to their paper mache and ceramic predecessors, these newer versions are much more durable. They also allow for more detailed, lightweight and unique designs than the traditional ceramic bobbleheads.

Many modern bobbleheads feature a slightly raised or lowered head, and are usually connected to the body with a spring, pivot, or hook kind of thing that causes the head to move when jostled. A slight movement of the head makes it appear that the figure is nodding or waving.

Besides the traditional sports and entertainment figures, bobbleheads have been used to honor politicians, business people, military personnel, athletes, celebrities, and even famous pets. Some companies offer customized bobbleheads, in which the customer can choose from a variety of options, including clothing and hairstyle. The result is a bobblehead that closely resembles the person for whom it was made.