A bobblehead, also known by nicknames such as nodder, wobbler, or wacky wobbler, is a type of small collectible figurine. 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 move around, or "bobble", hence the name.^[2]

During the seventeenth century, figurines of Buddha and other religious figures called "temple nodders" were produced in Asia.^[3] The earliest known Western 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 being "like the necks of plaster cats which wag their heads".^[4] During the nineteenth century, bisque porcelain bobbleheads were being made in limited quantities for the US market.^[3] Many of the bobbleheads in the US were produced in Germany, with an increase in imports during the 1920s and 1930s.^[5] By the 1950s, bobbleheads had a substantial surge in popularity, with items made of either plastic or bisque porcelain.^[3]

By 1960, Major League Baseball (MLB) produced a series of papier-mâché Bobblehead dolls, one for each team, all with the same cherubic face, and a few select players over time.^[6] 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.^[7] Over the next decade bobbleheads were also made of ceramic.^[8] Within a few years, they would be produced for other sports,^[9] as well as cartoon characters.^[10] One of the most famous bobbleheads of all time also hails from this era: the Beatles bobblehead set,^[11] which is a valuable collectible today.^[5]

The next increase in popularity was in the late 1990s.^[12] Although older bobbleheads such as the baseball teams and the Beatles were sought after by collectors during this period, new bobblehead dolls were uncommon. Prompting their resurgence were cheaper manufacturing processes, and the main bobblehead material switched, this time from ceramic to plastic. It was now possible to make bobbleheads in the limited numbers necessary for them to be viable collectibles. On August 2, 1997, the minor league Birmingham Barons gave away Barons Bobblehead Doll bobbleheads at a game.^[13] The first MLB 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.^[14]

The variety of bobbleheads has grown to include even relatively obscure popular culture figures and notable people.^[15][16] The new millennium brought a new type of bobblehead toy, the mini-bobblehead, two or three inches tall and used for free gifts in some package foods. Post Cereals packaged 22 million mini-bobble heads of MLB players with its cereal before opening day in 2002.^[17][18]

On November 18, 2014, it was announced that the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum would open in 2016 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum held a preview exhibit at RedLine Milwaukee from January 7, 2016, to April 30, 2016,^[19] which showcased the largest public display of bobbleheads in history.^[20] The 2000s also saw the rise of a competitive market for personalized, on-demand bobbleheads, typically 6–7 inches tall, from a number of online vendors.^[21] In 2015, the Pope Francis bobblehead became so popular that a nationwide shortage was reported.^[22]

January 7, 2015 was the inaugural National Bobblehead Day in the US.^[23] In 2016, the Guinness Book of World Records mark for world's largest bobblehead was set at 15 feet 4 inches tall. Named "Goldie" a St. Bernard, the mascot of Applied Underwriters, it was created for Applied Underwriters, designed by Nate Wells, constructed by Dino Rentos and BobbleHeads.com.^[24]

• Sports teams sometimes give away bobblehead dolls at their games; for example, the Los Angeles Kings gave away bobbleheads commemorating Luc Robitaille's induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame.^[27]
• In the 1986 "Let's Go Mets" music video, there is a scene where Joe Piscopo, standing outside the New York Mets' dugout at Shea Stadium, taps four Mets bobblehead dolls, then goes into the dugout and taps the heads of four actual Mets players (Howard Johnson, Bob Ojeda, Rick Aguilera, Kevin Mitchell) who "bobble" their heads in a similar fashion. Piscopo then attempts to tap a fifth player (Lee Mazzilli) but is rebuffed and subsequently tackled by all of the players.^[28]
• In 2001, Audi broadcast commercials in Europe featuring an Elvis impersonator and a prototypical Wackel-Elvis ("Wobble Elvis" or "Wobbly Elvis") dashboard figure with a wobbling left arm and hip. Due to subsequent demand 165,000 Wackel-Elvis dashboard figures were produced. The figure depicts Elvis wearing the jumpsuit he wore in the 1973 Aloha from Hawaii TV broadcast.^[29][30][31]
• Since 2003, American law journal The Green Bag has issued bobblehead dolls depicting Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States, both past and present.^[32]
• In the season two episode "Valentine's Day" of NBC's The Office, Dwight Schrute is given a bobblehead doll of himself by Angela Martin as a Valentine's Day gift.^[33]
• In 2010, 14-year-old Henry Ermer of Brooklyn, New York, attempted to enter the Guinness Book of World Records by building what is believed to be the world's largest bobblehead, standing 16 feet tall.^[34]
• On the 2012 season premiere episode of ABC's The Bachelorette, contestant Chris Bukowski presented bachelorette Emily Maynard with custom bobbleheads of the two of them in an attempt to impress her and further himself in the competition.^[35]
• Bobbleheads are also a known characteristic feature of the videogame Fallout series.
• Boy from the animated series Boy Girl Dog Cat Mouse Cheese is seen in multiple episodes to have a large bobblehead collection.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bobbleheads.

• Akabeko
• Bobble-head doll syndrome
• Funko
• Head bobble
• Wackel-Elvis – German-made Elvis dashboard figure that moves
• National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum