Custom Bobbleheads

Obama and Netanyahu Bobbleheads

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On Mar 18, 2013 President Obama visited our long time ally, Israel. Now, when a president visits another country, there will be news articles, blog posts, television segments…but what about a YouTube video? No problem, I mean this is the tech age. But wait, not just any video; no actual rendition of the meeting or even drawings. Instead, let’s use bobbleheads! We LOVE the idea (obviously) because we are bobblehead fanatics. But how does everyone else feel about it? First watch the video made by The Israeli Embassy to get an idea:

Did you find it more entertaining than a typical news segment or report? We couldn’t keep our eyes off it, but hey we are bobblehead fanatics! If you remember, we actually did a custom bobblehead contest on Facebook during the elections for the people of Facebook to choose the next president of Bobbletown. Now, we had two bobbleheads crafted that oddly enough resembled the two candidates. We wonder if The Israeli Embassy saw our contest and loved the idea of a political figure as bobbleheads!?

What is cool is that with this release, they posted their twitter handle to be able to tweet your thoughts and comments. We think you should head over and give Whoopass a shout out and let them know we are the original custom bobblehead makers! Well okay maybe that is a little extreme but we do encourage you to express your views or questions if you feel so inclined.

Elton John’s Bobbleheads!

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Sir Elton Hercules John, aka Reginald Kenneth Dwight, aka Sir Humphrey Handbag, or more simply and notoriously, Elton John, is one of the most famous musicians of our time. With record sales of more than a quarter of a billion (that’s almost one record for every person in the US), John has done songs for movies (think The Lion King), was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his work, appointed a Commander to the Order of the British Empire, and received countless awards. So, what could this man ever do to prepare for a show or keep his cool? With the accolades and awards mentioned above, I would say his crowd should be more nervous than anything. However, Sir Elton John does get nervous and needs comforting things where ever he goes just like the rest of us. The funny thing is, he is more like us than we thought! See, not only does Elton John have a room full of bobbleheads but he takes some with him on the road. According to Ed Sheeran, friend of Elton John, ‘He takes nodding dog figures with him for his dressing room.’

bulldog bobblehead
       A custom bulldog bobblehead

We love this…I wonder if Sir Elton John knows that we do custom pet bobbleheads!? We would love to do one or five for him any day. Maybe the next time he is performing in the states we can hook him up. I mean if he is holding bobbleheads that near and dear to him, then we have a lot more in common than any of us knew! Well if his agent is reading this…send him our contact info so we can do a custom bobblehead of Elton and maybe his own pet!

Muscle Up! Albert Belle Bobblehead Released

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Who remembers when then Cleveland Indians Albert Belle flexed his bicep in response to Kevin Kennedy (then Boston Red Sox manager) after he instructed the umpire to take his bat because Kennedy believed it to be corked after he hit a ball crushing homer? Well we are going back, to the 1995 playoffs to be exact, but the Cleveland Indians are immortalizing this moment in time with a bobblehead of Albert Belle flexing his bicep!

Now what is interesting about this giveaway is that Albert Belle has not been back to visit the Cleveland Indians since he became a free agent and signed a $55 million contract with the White Sox. He is also, by some accounts, one of the most controversial players in franchise history. So the fact that the Clevelan Indians will immortalize him in some way is  questionable, however there is no denying the impact he had on the team in both performance as well as exposure on the news. He certainly was a catalyst in helping to spur popularity back to the Indians club. Or maybe it has to do with the sadness Albert has experienced in the past months. His twin brother, Terry, was killed in a car accident in AZ in September. Nobody wants to see this happen, and maybe since he was such a pivotal part of the club at one point, this caused the Indians to step back and recognize that they should immortalize him in some way. But I digress…

Albert Belle Flexing his 1995 Bicep

Albert Belle Flexing his 1995 Bicep

The bobblehead giveaway is happening Sat, Jun 1 at 1:05PM at Progressive Field. It is limited to the first 10,000 fans so show up early! This is almost as cool at the Trout grab bobblehead we posted about earlier!

To purchase tickets to the game when these custom bobbleheads will be given, go to this link. Look for the June 1st game.

Here is a really cool video from MLB in which you can witness this (it is at the :45 second mark):

April MLB Giveaways!

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Baseball is right around the corner (technically, it is already here if you count preseason!) and if you are anything like us, you want to know when the giveaway nights are. Well luckily we found a master list of MLB giveaways!

buster posey bobblehead

Buster Posey Bobblehead - Not the one you will get April 6th (at least we don't know what one you will get).

But in particular, we want those bobbleheads! Now of course they won’t be as cool and high quality as ours 🙂 but they do come up with some creative things like ketchup and mustard bobbleheads or announcer with famous sayings!

So without further delay, here is the list of MLB bobblehead giveaways in April:

April 6 San Francisco Giants – Buster Posey
April 7 Milwaukee Brewers – Norichika Aoki
April 10 Detroit Tigers – Miguel Cabrera Mini-Bobble
April 13 Los Angeles Angels – Mike Trout
April 13 San Diego Padres – Chase Headley
April 13 Washington Nationals – Player TBA
April 20 Cincinnati Reds – Brandon Phillips
April 20 Pittsburgh Pirates – Andrew McCutchen
April 21 Colorado Rockies – 20th Anniversary Player TBA
April 21 Milwaukee Brewers – George Scott
April 21 New York Mets – Ron Darling
April 21 Toronto Blue Jays – Edwin Encarnacion
April 27 Chicago White Sox – Harold Baines
April 27 Oakland Athletics – Reggie Jackson (1973)
April 28 St. Louis Cardinals – Carlos Beltran
April 30 Los Angeles Dodgers – Hanley Ramirez (“I See You”)

 

Miami Marlins: The Largest Bobblehead Museum

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The largest public bobblehead display in the big leagues is in Marlins Park in Miami, Florida. The structure, labeled “The Bobblehead Museum,” is a glassed in, two-sided display case. The structure houses 609 bobbleheads. The case is well lit, so that every detail on every player is easy to see. Each shelf in the display has its own vibrating mechanism – so the head of every player is constantly bobbing! The display is meant to celebrate special moments and commemorate players with respect.

The Bobblehead Museum is meant to appeal to fans, and attracts many viewers. The collection includes Marlins players, mascots from around the major leagues, and baseball announcers from the past and the present. The museum has been a big hit and has become somewhat of a sight to see.

Five Fun Bobblehead Facts

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Bobbleheads are everywhere! Here are five facts that show how bobbleheads have been a part of culture for years!

  1. Bobbleheads originated in Germany. There were initially made of ceramic materials.
  2. The New York Knicks were the first sports team to use promotional bobbleheads. This happened in the 1920s!
  3. Lil Romeo has a song called “Bobblehead” that was an attempt to make fun of people whose dancing style reminded him of the nodding dolls.
  4. In 2003, the television show Futuramahad an episode where the cast travelled to an alternate dimension in which everyone was a bobblehead.
    1. In August 2004, minor league baseball teams held an event known as Bobblection Night in which the parks were giving away bobbleheads of the two presidential candidates, George W. Bush won the mock election!

Halloween Bobbleheads

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Halloween is just around the corner. That means it is time to bust out all the Halloween decorations! You have probably seen fake spider webs, skeletons, pumpkins, witches, and inflated ghosts befoer. This year spruce up your traditional Halloween decorations with a Halloween bobblehead!

A Halloween themed bobblehead is a great way to decorate your home this month. Trick-or-treaters and guests to your home will get a kick out of this untraditional take on Halloween decorations!

There are several things you could do with a Halloween bobblehead. You could make a ghost, witch, or devil. Or you could even create a custom bobblehead of a friend or family member dressed up in a Halloween costume.

The great thing about making a Halloween-themed bobblehead is that you can bring it out every year, making it a tradition in your home!

 

 

Whoopass – The History of the Bobblehead

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The bobblehead gained its popularity in the 1960s when Major League Baseball decided to begin using these dolls as promotional products for some of its teams and players. Back then these dolls had several different names including head nodders, head knockers, bobbing head dolls and wacky wobblers. Roberto Clemente, Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, and Willie Mays were some of the first MLB player dolls that were ever created.

Let’s go back even further than that. The first bobblehead dolls, which were actually made in Japan by Lego, were hand painted onto paper-mache. These dolls were generic looking, usually just modeled after the same male in a different team uniform. Some dolls were modeled after team mascots.

Today the most sought after dolls are those that were made in 1960 – 1962. Bobbleheads from these years usually have a square or round orange or white bases. From 1962 – 1966, dolls had green bases and from 1967 to 1970 the bases were painted gold.  Below is a 1960’s Philadelphia Phillies bobble head doll with a round white base. The doll in the picture below is from a miniature series and has a magnet on the base, since it was common to place the doll on the dashboard of your vehicle.  You can see that the doll is of a more generic look male than one you would see today.

Looking for a new hobby?

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Bobblehead dolls first hit the market in the 1950s. Since then, they have grown in popularity and variety.  Consequently, they have become an extremely popular collectors item – and a great hobby to take on. Here are some tips on how to get started on your own collection.

Consider picking a theme for your collection. Since bobbleheads have so much variety you may want to make your collection very specific. Some examples include antiques, baseball or other sports figures, popular TV characters, musicians, or even classic actors and actresses from past decades.

Let all of your friends and family know you are starting a bobblehead collection.  Whenever it is a gift-giving time, they will know exactly what to get you and they’ll know you will love and appreciate their gift.

Check the websites of your favorite sports team or television series to see if you can find deals on bobblehead collectors’ items. Sometimes there will be promotion discounts, so it is important to check back regularly. You can also search online for specialty bobblehead shops that do custom jobs. Additionally, keep an eye out for bobbleheads when you are on vacation, in flea markets, garage sales, etc.

Make connections with other bobblehead collectors. You may be gifted the same bobblehead twice and want to make a trade online. The most important thing is to have fun! This is a great activity to take on that can provide lots of entertainment and enjoyment for you, your family, and your friends!

 

 

Bob Your Head To The Music

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You’ve seen bobblehead sports figures, presidents, brides and grooms.

custom bobblehead dolls side by sideBut you have also seen bobblehead musicians. Bobbleheads are a great strategy for promoting music. Here is why the trend has been so effective in the industry:

 

The bobbing head these dolls are known for essentially encourages people to move with the music. This makes them a huge promotional tool. Additionally, bobbleheads are highly customizable. This is a huge advantage for musicians. Bobbleheads should be as detailed as possible so that when people see them there is no doubt in their mind about who the doll is.

 

Custom bobbleheads can also be used to build anticipation before the release of an album or an upcoming concert. Additionally, bobbleheads can be customized by event with a promotional message. For example, the name of the musician or date of the concert can be engraved on the bobblehead stand. Audio messages can also be recorded with bobbleheads! This is a great opportunity for musicians, and can really make the bobblehead unique to their sound.

 

Bobbleheads have been a big trend in the music industry for years. The Beatles bobbleheads are now extremely sought-after collector’s items! Their customizability, uniqueness to the industry and ability to compliment a marketing strategy make them a great promotional opportunity for musical artists.