The History of Bobbleheads

Whether it’s your favorite player, food mascot or movie star, chances are there’s a bobblehead of them somewhere in the world. And while many people may think this fun collectible is a recent invention, the history of these nodding dolls goes back at least 150 years.

The first bobbleheads were created to promote Major League Baseball in 1960, when teams began giving away a series of papier-mache dolls with cherubic faces representing each team’s players (Roberto Clemente, Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris and Willie Mays were the first non-mascot bobbleheads made). Those early bobbleheads looked much more like cartoonish little boys than the real-life figures we see today, with big eyes, chubby cheeks and hair that was curled over the forehead.

These days, most bobbleheads are crafted out of polyresin, which allows for better detail and lower production quantities. But the process is still a long one: First, an artist makes a clay figure that matches the subject’s likeness. Once the bobblehead has been sculpted, it’s then cast in a resin mold and painted by hand.

Then the bobblehead is inserted into a body of a sports figure, animal, film character or other popular person, and finally assembled. The final product is a nodder that brings smiles to the faces of fans everywhere. Known as bobbleheads, nodders, akabeko and Thanjavur thalayatti bommai among other names, they’re often given as gifts or kept by avid collectors. In fact, the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum has a wall covered with Post-it notes from fans suggesting what their favorite celeb should be immortalized as.