Friday, May 29, 2009
Things That Bobble
I can't help but wonder about Things. The other day, I was in my office trying to think through a problem and I absent-mindedly started tapping the noggins of the bobbleheads in my collection. All 38 of them were nodding at me when the curiosity suddlenly hit me: where did this great little toy come from?
Did you know bobbleheads have been around for about 150 years?1 It seems the first mention of one was in an 1842 short story where the author described plaster cats which "wag their heads." Some time later, ceramic animals called "nodders" or "bobbers" were produced in various sizes in Germany. From the '20s through the '50s they went out of style. Around the '60s, Major League Baseball brought them back with papier mache likenesses of several players, which were sold at the World Series games, but the toys weren't very durable. (What I wouldn't give to have an intact version of the 1960 World Series Mickey Mantle bobblehead!)
From the '70s to the '90s production methods improved, allowing companies to create more durable bobbleheads at a lower cost. Now bobbleheads are everywhere. Baseball bobbleheads are still the most popular, but now they're made to celebrate movies, superheroes, cartoons, corporate advertising characters, political figures--just about anything you can think of. Here are a few favorites from my own collection:
Three of my favorite movie bobbleheads are from Star Wars™. You might remember Wicket from "Return of the Jedi," the furry little helper who led Leia to the Ewok village. Or from Episode V, the protocol android K-3P0, who was destroyed during the Battle of Hoth, but whose memory was preserved and through another protocol droid, M-3P0 and so "lived" to serve the rebel Rogue Squadron. Since they're limited editions, I had to get both. And I also had to have the best Mandalorian bounty hunter in the galaxy, Boba Fett.
Next to my bobbling Sci-Fi adventurers are a few of my favorite DC Comics superheroes. First, there's Wonder Woman. According to Wiki2, the Justice League member is one of the most iconic female champions ever created, ranked in the top twenty superheroes of all time by Empire Magazine. Then there's Batman, one of my personal favorites because his super "powers" come from an assortment of awesome gadgets. (As you know, I'm obsessed with widgets and what's-its --and all Things that do cool things!) Finally, there's the true American icon, Superman, whose red and gold shield emblem is recognized all over the world.
heads to make them recite one of their signature phrases. Sweeeeeet!Finally, these talking Star Trek characters are new to Things and new to my collection. Just touch one of their heads to hear remembered phrases from the cult sci-fi TV show.
We have more bobbleheaded Things than I can talk about in one blog, but you can check out the whole selection here.
See you next week,
Bobby
1. http://www.bobbleheads.com/HistoryofBobbleheads/tabid/55/Default.aspx
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wonder_Woman
Labels: bobble, bobble heads
Posted by Bobby at
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