These days there’s a museum for just about everything. With over 30,000 museums in America and more opening every year, you can view collections of Corvettes, mustard tins, or even umbrella covers on your next road trip. And now, you can visit the world’s largest bobblehead museum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
The National Bobblehead Hall of Fame & Museum opened its doors in 2019 after its founders amassed an impressive collection of over 7,000 bobbleheads. The majority of the museum’s exhibits revolve around sports which should come as no surprise. You’ll see collections of baseball teams, football players, team mascots and more. The NBA, NHL, NBA, and MLB all have solid representation. As a longtime broadcaster, I enjoyed seeing the bobbleheads of various radio commentators including Jack Buck, Vin Scully, and of course, Milwaukee’s beloved Bob Uecker.
However, fear not if you aren’t a sports fan because the museum also showcases bobbleheads from pop culture, the political world, and historic figures.
Whether it’s the cast from The Big Bang Theory or The Office – there’s a great mix of entertainment themed figures. I loved seeing bobbleheads of The Jetsons and even the characters from the Christmas movie Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer.
While I wouldn’t personally own any political bobbleheads – all sides seem to be represented in the museum. There’s Trump and Pence along with Biden and The Obama’s. There’s a handful of Dr. Fauci bobbleheads – which is sort of strange. (I mean, seriously, who on Earth is buying a Dr. Fauci bobblehead?) Speaking of which, many of the museum’s bobbleheads have been donated to the museum from other collectors.
There is also a Bobblehead Hall of Fame which highlights some cultural icons, local Milwaukee personalities, and historical figures.
Interesting Bobblehead Fun Facts:
-Bobbleheads date back to the 1700s and were made as religious figures. Asian culture referred to them as “temple nodders” with their large, bobbling heads and tiny bodies.
-The first bobblehead was made in 1920 – a generic basketball player.
-One of the most popular sets ever produced was a 1964 collection of all four Beatles.
-The bobblehead craze was revived by the San Francisco Giants as they distributed 20,000 Willie Mays bobbleheads to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Candlestick Park.
-Bobbleheads can go by other names like “nodders”, “wobblers”, and “nodding heads”.
-One of the largest bobbleheads ever made was of TV talk show host, Conan O’Brien at 17 feet tall!
To visit the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame & Museum, check out their official website: https://www.bobbleheadhall.com/
Admission is just $5.00. Parking is available in the lot across from the museum or in non-metered spots nearby in the historic Third Ward in downtown Milwaukee.