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CRAZE Has Teams, Players Shaking Their Heads
Predators' Walker Joining Surge of Bobblehead Dolls' Popularity
The Tennessean - December, 2001 -- Chip Cirillo
Scott Walker has finally arrived. No, the Predators right wing didn't win the Hart Memorial Trophy or any of the NHL's other big awards. He hasn't led the league in scoring or guided Nashville to the Stanley Cup.
Tonight, Walker becomes a bobblehead.
The Predators will give Walker bobblehead dolls to the first 5,000 children ages 12 and younger entering Gaylord Entertainment Center for tonight's game against Edmonton. He'll be immortalized on nightstands and bookshelves throughout the Midstate.
"A couple people have often told me I look like a human bobblehead so it's kind of funny that I have an actual bobblehead," Walker said. "They're really giving it to me now. I'm getting a lot of ribbing and a lot of lighthearted humor. But it's all in good fun and it's kind of neat to see yourself on a bobblehead."
The ceramic dolls with the bobbing heads date back to the 1950s and initially were hot with children and collectors. But they faded in popularity until a tremendous resurgence of the past two years. Now it seems they're popular with just about everyone.
The comeback started in May 1999, when the San Francisco Giants asked Alexander Global Promotions to make 35,000 Willie Mays bobbleheads for a giveaway.
"Candlestick Park was full an hour before the game and that's a cold place," said AGP President Malcolm Alexander, whose company is located in Bellevue, Wash. "I thought there must be something to this."
Was there ever. Back then Alexander's factory in China produced the order with 150 employees. His workforce has skyrocketed to 4,200 and his company now produces 1.2 million bobbleheads per month.
The Minnesota Twins elevated the craze last year when they held four bobblehead giveaways featuring Harmon Killebrew, Tony Oliva, Kent Hrbek and Kirby Puckett.
"We got some incredible crowds and people were lined up eight hours in advance for the Killebrew giveaway," said Patrick Klinger, vice president of marketing for the Twins.
"This past August when we did the Kirby Puckett Hall of Fame doll we had somebody stand in line 51 hours before the game. She brought a tent, groceries, a sleeping bag and a child in a stroller.
Other baseball teams paid attention. Last year 28 of the 30 major league teams had bobblehead giveaways. NBA, NHL and professional soccer teams followed suit. Even Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura is using bobbleheads for his re-election campaign.
In Middle Tennessee, sportswear stores sell bobbleheads of Titans, Volunteers and NASCAR drivers, among others.
"If something becomes hot in the collectible market everyone wants it and it just gets out of hand," said Diane Morgan, a sales clerk at Slammin' Sam's Cards & Collectibles in Cool Springs Galleria. "Everyone has to get on board."
T. Melone, general manager at the Tennessee Sports Fan in Antioch, said Titans bobbleheads have been the most popular items for his store, but he also sells a wide variety.
"We can't keep them in stock and people come in daily asking for them," Melone said. "We usually get a shipment of about 150 and they usually last about a week and a half, if that. People see them and they're like , ŒOh, that's cute. My son would love that."
Bobbleheads typically retail for $10-$30 apiece, but some have sold for as much as $100. They've become a hot item for Internet shoppers on eBay.
The Predators said promotions like the Walker bobbleheads are important as the team continues to establish its niche in Nashville's sports community.
"We're not the Titans. We can't just open the door and the tickets are sold," said Tom Ward, vice president of business operations for the Predators. "We're a non-traditional sport in this market so we're very promotion-oriented. Hopefully, it will drive up ticket sales and it will get Scott Walker's name out to the masses."
There were several Predators that could have been selected for the promotion, but the franchise picked Walker because he's coming off his best season and he signed a three-year contract last summer. Early response has been good, so 10,000 more Walker bobbleheads will be given away at the Jan.12 game against Anaheim, officials said.
As for other NHL teams, the Atlanta Thrashers gave out 18,000 Ray Ferraro dolls in their season opener, the Tampa Bay Lightning planned four bobblehead give-aways and at least 11 other teams are gearing up. The Pittsburgh Penguins will give Mario Lemieux bobbleheads to all fans in attendance for their Dec. 19 game against Montreal.
Walker, unfortunately, won't be on the ice for tonight's game because of post-concussion symptoms, but he will sign the bobbleheads on the concourse from 6-7 p.m. The injury has added a little irony to the bobblehead promotion.
"The guys have been kidding me saying that I'm actually turning into a bobblehead, wandering around wiggling my head," Walker said. ŒBeing injured, maybe I can meet some people that get them or sign them or whatever."
It's too bad for the Predators that Walker probably won't be in the lineup because the bobblehead may have brought him some good luck. After all, Ferraro scored a goal on his bobblehead night and baseball players Jim Thome, Jason Giambi, Sammy Sosa and Cliff Floyd homered in the games their bobbleheads were given away.
Although the dolls are designed as caricatures, more whimsical than realistic, Walker's doll is fairly detailed, from the uniform to the whiskers painted on his chin. Walker's teammates, however, are making sure not to let his 15 minutes of fame go to his bobblehead.
"I haven't seen it to be honest, but I've heard he's got some bad facial hair," said center Greg Johnson, one of Walker's closest friends. "He's a superstar now. You can put him up there with Michael Jordan and those guys. He's big time."
