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By Bob Sutter, Class of 2019
Photos courtesy of the author

As Andy Warhol mused, “In the future, everyone will experience 15 minutes of fame.” My brief shining moment occurred with the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum’s September 7 Twitter posting.

The posting celebrates the loan of my collection of 17 classic 1960s baseball and (one) football bobblehead figures to their Hall of Fame in Milwaukee, WI.  As I’ve learned from visiting this very unique museum, my collection is remarkably valuable, as most of “my boys” were acquired during a cross country baseball trip in 1966 which coincided with the early years of ceramic bobbles being invented.  All the items in my collection are rare commodities, as the ceramic manufacturing process was labor intensive and expensive and there were no massive marketing giveaways back in the day…the only way to acquire your team’s bobblehead was to lay out $3 at the ballpark.

I grew up in Houston as an only child, and for my 11^th birthday my parents allowed me to plan our annual summer driving vacation.  My dream trip involved visiting 11 major league ballparks, and at each stop I was allowed to purchase one bobblehead.  Interestingly, of the parks we visited during our adventure, only Wrigley Field is still standing.

My parents were relatively “elderly” for that era (they were both 50), and they often retold the story of the couple sitting next to us in box seats at Crosley Field in Cincinnati saying to them, “It’s so nice of you to take your grandson on vacation.”

During our stop at Pittsburgh’s Forbes Field, I acquired what is arguably the most famous and valuable single bobblehead in the Hall of Fame’s entire collection of 11,000 unique figures.

My Roberto Clemente bobble shown in the photo below was one of only four bobbleheads manufactured in the early 1960s that featured an individual player rather than a team mascot.  As the other three players (Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle, and Roger Maris) were more famous than Roberto back in the day (the legend of the Pirates’ outfielder unfortunately grew exponentially only after his tragic death while delivering earthquake relief supplies to Nicaragua in 1967) fewer Clementes were manufactured and sold, making it a rare treasure in today’s collectors’ market.

My second rarest bobble loaned to the museum is the Cleveland Indians “blackface” mascot shown in the photo above.  This figure represents an unfortunate two-year period in major league baseball marketing when 16 teams offered very politically incorrect versions of their team images.

My delivery of my collection to the Hall of Fame in Milwaukee proved to be quite festive.  As seen in the photo below, I was greeted by Katherine Lord, Director of Museum Operations, who had glass display cases awaiting the arrival of my boys.  The founders of the Museum, Phil Sklar and Brad Novak, were also on hand to present my lifetime membership to the HOF.

Their museum opened in 2019 in the newly vibrant Walker’s Point neighborhood south of downtown. 7,000 unique figures are on display (they have another 4,000 in storage that they regularly rotate into their public exhibit space), organized by categories including sports (displayed team-by-team), government (including 13 different Dr. Fauci bobbles), TV shows and stars, music, etc. Information on the history of the bobblehead phenomenon, the development and manufacturing process, and a HOF within the HOF featuring famous Wisconsin celebrities (ranging from Liberace to Bob Uecker) is wonderfully curated.

The HOF was recently featured in the Chicago Tribune, noting their release of a new bobble commemorating Loyola’s Sister Jean’s 103^rd birthday.  And if you’re looking for a gift for the person who has everything, you can create custom bobbles for family and friends with prices starting at $119, by visiting their gift shop or www.bobbleheadhall.com.

I highly recommend a visit to this delightful museum (admission $5) as part of a trip to Milwaukee.  And I’m considering a suggestion from a friend that I change my River Cruise docent moniker from Bob to Roberto to celebrate my newfound fame.

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