A Morning at the Museum

Brett Favre and Reggie White. 1/25/24

After writing about National Bobblehead Day January 7th, I decided if the weather cooperated, it was time we got to the Bobblehead Museum.

A note, the museum spells bobblehead as one word, yet anywhere I type it there is a red underscore indicating it should either be hyphenated or split in two.

That day was Friday. The museum is five years old, opening in 2019 but its roots go back to 2002 when Brad Novak got his first bobblehead from his employer, the Rockford Riverhawks baseball team, according to the history on the museum's website.

Brad and his friend Phil Sklar started collecting bobbles after that, ten years later they had more than 500.

The entrance. 1/26/24

By 2014 the pair was convinced they were on to something and developed plans for a museum and Hall of Fame. It opened downtown in 2019.

There is a $5 charge to see 10,000 bobbleheads on display after watching a short video. There is a strict don't touch the bobbles policy. There are places where the floor flexes enough to make their heads nod.

It's an impressive place. There is an elevator to the second floor as well as a staircase with hundreds of bobbleheads at the top arranged behind large windows. The small gift shop is to the right of the entrance, a desk to the left greets visitors and handles all transactions.

After paying, the host shares information and the 'no touch' warning while walking back to the television. After the video, I started at the timeline that traces the history of the bobblehead back to the 1760s when nodding-head figures from China are documented in England and Europe.

A rare set of Beatle bobbles from 1964. 1/26/24

In 1842, a Russian short story called The Overcoat, uses the image of a nodding-head doll to describe a main character. A copy of the book is on display next to a famous quartet under glass.

Bobbleheads are grouped in categories. Most are connected to sports, baseball in particular. Baseball revived their popularity after they fell out of fashion in the 70s. In 1999 the Giants did a give-away of Willie Mays bobblehead dolls. The switch to molding plastic instead of ceramic reduced costs and made it easier to create bobbles.

Part of one wall of baseball bobbles. 1/26/24

There are thousands of dolls in lines on shelves. If your college or favorite team ever produced a bobble, you have a good chance of finding it. If they don't have it and you can fill that hole, they accept donations.

There is a daily contest to find a Waldo bobblehead somewhere among the rows and lines of dolls. I didn't see him but another pair shouted when they located Waldo, so I knew where he was.

In addition to athletes there are hundreds of team mascot bobbleheads, including one of a stray dog that was found and adopted by the Milwaukee Brewers during spring training in 2014. His name is Hank, see him below.

Brewer HOF's Young, Selig, & Molitor

If I looked at every doll, I would have been there all day, so I looked for my teams and interests.

There are political bobbleheads and dolls of historical figures.

In one section controversial bobbleheads are on display, with materials to provide context. I understand the argument to exclude repugnant designs but erasing ugly sections of history doesn't mean it didn't happen.

There are bobbleheads of religious figures, including Jesus. I don't have a real issue with the likeness but it's not something I would purchase.

Almost anything could be a bobblehead, including you and your family if you want to invest in a nodding version of immortality thanks to the museum's gift shop.

College mascots. 1/26/2024 dwm photos

There are movie stars and characters, including Star Wars, and an array of cereal mascots like Tony the Tiger and Count Chocula (see them below).

It's a fun place to visit, even if you don't have a bobblehead collection, and it might inspire you to get one from your shelf.

The museum is home to the Bobblehead Hall of Fame which is voted on annually by members to honor the best of the best.

Funny thing, I'm not sure I saw dolls in the Hall of Fame.

There are several along the windows which felt like an honorable spot, but I didn't see any signs or a list on the museum's website. When you go, be sure to ask where to see the hall of fame. In looking at my pictures there is one where there may have been an unmarked entrance. I'll have to go back some time.

Here are more photos from my visit: