Bobblehead

Video of bobbleheads

A bobblehead, also known as a nodder or wobbler, is a type of collectible toy. Its head is often oversized compared to its body. Instead of a solid connection, its head is connected to the body by a spring or hook[1] in such a way that a light tap will cause the head to bobble, hence the name.

Bobblehead animals in Barstow, California

Bobbleheads are sometimes given out to ticket buyers at sporting events as a promotion. Corporations including Taco Bell (the 'Yo Quiero Taco Bell' Chihuahua), McDonald's (Ronald McDonald), and Empire Today (The Empire Man) have also produced popular bobbleheads of the characters used in their advertisements.

History

A Curtis Martin bobblehead doll

The earliest known reference to a bobblehead is thought to be in Nikolai Gogol's 1842 short story "The Overcoat", in which the main character's neck was described as "like the necks of plaster cats which wag their heads". The modern bobblehead first appeared in the 1950s. By 1960, Major League Baseball had gotten in on the action and produced a series of papier-mache bobblehead dolls, one for each team, all with the same cherubic face. The World Series held that year brought the first player-specific baseball bobbleheads, for Roberto Clemente, Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, and Willie Mays, still all with the same face. Over the next decade, after a switch in materials from papier-mache to ceramic, bobbleheads would be produced for other sports, as well as cartoon characters. One of the most famous bobbleheads of all time also hails from this era: The Beatles bobblehead set, which is a valuable collectible today. By the mid-1970s, though, the bobblehead craze was in the process of winding down.

It would take nearly two decades before bobbleheads returned to prominence. Although older bobbleheads like the baseball teams and The Beatles were sought after by collectors during this period, new bobblehead dolls were few and far between. What finally prompted their resurgence was cheaper manufacturing processes, and the main bobblehead material switched, this time from ceramic to plastic. It was now possible to make bobbleheads in the very limited numbers necessary for them to be viable collectibles. On Aug. 2, 1997, the minor league Birmingham Barons gave away Barons Bobblehead Doll bobbleheads at a game.[2] Possibly the first major league baseball team to offer a bobblehead giveaway was the San Francisco Giants, which distributed 35,000 Willie Mays head nodders at their May 9, 1999 game.[3]

The variety of bobbleheads on the market rose exponentially to include even relatively obscure popular culture figures and notable people. The new millennium would bring a new type of bobblehead toy, the mini-bobblehead, standing just two or three inches tall and used for cereal prizes and such.

Thanjavur dolls of India

Main article: Tanjore doll
Thanjavur Bobblehead Dolls

Thanjavur Dolls of India bobblehead dolls are of a class known as "Thanjavur Thalayatti Bommai" in the Tamil language, meaning "Tanjore Head-Shaking Doll". They are a native art form in the Thanjavur region of Tamil Nadu state in South India. These dolls are usually 6" to 12" tall (15 to 30 cm). They are made of clay or wood and painted over in bright colors, and are often dressed up in fancy clothes. They form a part of an elaborate display of dolls known as "Golu (kolu)", exhibited in Indian houses during the "Dasara (Navaratri)" festival in Sep-Oct. Another type of Thanjavur Doll is the Tanjore Roundpot Rocking Doll (in Tamil, "Thanjavur Gundusatti Bommai").

In pop culture

Personalization

2014 saw the rise of a competitive market for personalized, on-demand bobbleheads, typically 6–7 inches tall, from a number of on-line vendors. To order, a customer uploads one or more facial color photos (with front view required, profile view optional) and chooses from a catalog of "stock bodies". Other order information includes color choices (e.g., of eyes, clothing), quantity desired, and billing and shipping.

Available stock bodies span both popular and niche themes. These include professions, sports and hobbies, adult and child fashions (and plus-sized), weddings, graduations, awards, super-heroes,[11] sexy (e.g., domatrix,[12] topless[13]), holiday, zombie,[13][14] and funny.[15] Sports regalia may be generic or licensed.[16] Poses are standing, with some exceptions (e.g., astride a motorcycle,[17] on a toilet). Besides statues of individuals, poses of couples include two adults (e.g., wedding-cake toppers) or parent-child. Family or small-team groups are possible. Statue bases are generally simple, but elaborations allow words or logos,[16] or represent vehicles, sport playing areas,[13] or bookends.[18]

Personalized bobblehead production lends itself to low-volume manufacturing, and, as with other figurines and vinyl toys, typically occurs in Asia. To create a “stock body”, a master is first designed, with elongated neck pillar. It is then sculpted by an artisan with a modeling compound. A mold of this is taken, for casting mono-color polyresin end units (just-in-time or for inventory). These are custom painted for appropriate skin tone, and for desired (or default) colors of clothing, accessories, props, and base. (At a higher price, a customer can have a “custom body” designed, through companies like BobbleHeads.com,[19] which might become a future stock item.)

The head may also be done by the foregoing method, particularly for volume orders wanting identical deliverables. An alternative, especially for single pieces, is to directly sculpt the end-unit head from “polymer clay”, a colorized modeling material.[20] The artisan uses one color of polymer clay for skin, another for hair. Painting if any is limited to eyes and feature enhancements. Finally, a less-common, higher-tech approach is to computer-design the head and generate it on an industrial 3D printer.[21] This may then be painted, or, if the printer allows, texture-mapped from features derived from the original photos.[17]

Promotional merchandise by American corporations

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bobbleheads.

References

  1. Not Panicking Ltd (2 January 2012). "h2g2 - Nodding Dogs - Edited Entry". Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  2. Ticket Information, Birmingham News, Apr. 3, 1997.
  3. "PopCultureSpot.com - Bobble Heads, Pop Culture, Novelties Shop". PopCultureSpot.com - Bobble Heads, Pop Culture, Novelties. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  4. "Practice Your Bobble!". Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  5. Fans Waiting in Line for Release of Wackel-Elvis, 06/11/2001, Die Welt (German)
  6. Elvis Audi Werbung. 26 May 2008. Retrieved 26 January 2016 via YouTube.
  7. Wackel Elvis. 22 July 2007. Retrieved 26 January 2016 via YouTube.
  8. http://www.greenbag.org/bobbleheads/bobbleheads.html The Green Bag "bobbleheads" webpage.
  9. Jacob E. Osterhout (September 7, 2010). "B'klyn teen creates world's largest bobblehead - NY Daily News".
  10. "Chicago Sun-Times - Chicago : News : Politics : Things To Do : Sports". Chicago. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  11. "Custom Bobbleheads - Personalized Bobble Heads - Custom Bobblehead - Customized Bobbleheads - Clonface.com". Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  12. elybobblehead Creation. "Custom bobblehead, bobbleheads, custom bobble heads, personalized bobbleheads, personal figurine". Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  13. 1 2 3 "Custom Bobblehead dolls - over 1350 5 star reviews and growing". Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  14. "Personalized Bobbleheads - Custom Made From Your Photos". Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  15. "Custom bobbleheads dolls made from your photo - Personalized bobbleheads". Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  16. 1 2 "Custom Bobbleheads - Personalized Bobbleheads". Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  17. 1 2 "Bobbleheads and Custom Bobbleheads - Create Your Own BobbleHeads and Custom Cake Toppers". Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  18. "Dolls2u $10 OFF - Custom Bobbleheads Sculpted From Your Photos". Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  19. "How to Build a Bobblehead - Bobbleheads.com". Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  20. Zen Cart China. "CuteBobble - Create Perfect Custom Bobbleheads Surely". Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  21. "Likenessme - Custom Bobbleheads, WOW! 25% OFF for All". Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  22. "Page KLOCK WERKS KUSTOM CYCLES MITCHELL, SD 605-996-3700". Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  23. "Selling Out". Selling Out. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  24. "Isiah Whitlock, Jr. Talking Bobblehead". Kickstarter. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  25. "EXHIBITOR magazine - Article: What About Bobbleheads?, March 2007". Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  26. "Career Builder Custom Bobbleheads". Custom Bobbleheads. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  27. "What's next for Dave Brown?". 22 May 2012. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  28. "Action News 5 "Bobblehead Dave Brown" OFFICIAL PROMOTION RULES". 24 April 2011. Retrieved 26 January 2016.

Bibliography

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Thursday, May 05, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.