Counting down 10 of baseball's greatest bobbleheads for National Bobblehead Day
It's Bobblehead Day, so let's review the best
No less a reliable source than Bobbleheads.com has dated the first reference to the bobbleheads to Nikolai Gogol's 1842 novel "The Overcoat", when the author astutely describes one of his character's necks as so:
And they have that URL, so it must be true.
Ever since then, bobbleheads have made it their mission to take over the world. Major League Baseball became crucial to this mission, becoming one of the first sports to offer the gift to fans during the 1960 World Series. The heads, made of papier-mache, represented a player from every team and were, um, interesting.
So, in honor of the first annual National Bobblehead Day, let us count down some of the most creative, interesting and terrifying dolls we've covered in recent years.
10. Jason Castro's rally-starting bobblehead
Although there's nothing special about its appearance, it did spark a comeback win over the A's last season. It is happy. It is magical.
Darwin Barney won a Gold Glove for the Cubs in 2012, and the team recognized his achievement in the best way possible.
Remember the Bernie Lean? Of course you remember the Bernie Lean. Well, in 2013, the A's paid tribute to their leanin' Coco in bobblehead form:
BREAKING: Your first glimpse of the @coco_crisp Lean Bobblehead on June 29 http://t.co/R9fjPNBd
— Oakland Athletics (@Athletics) February 4, 2013This was created by an Angels Class A affiliate and … wow.
Not many know that Babe Ruth ended his career as a first-base coach for the Brooklyn Dodgers, making a bobblehead honoring the fact an incredibly cool collectible:
If you had a pulse back in 2012-'13, you'll recall the saga of Manti Te'o's girlfriend. She never existed. But the Florence Freedom, a team in the independent Frontier League, honored her with a bobblehead night, anyway. Picture below:
There may not be anything more majestic on this Earth than Jayson Werth's beard. And last season, the Potomac Nats honored the right fielder with a fitting figurine:
3. Yasiel Puig human bobblehead
You can't take it home with you, but you probably wish you could:
As the headline in the post states, Comerica Park's larger-than-life Max Scherzer bobblehead will stare into your soul.
1. Keith Hernandez and his magical loogie:
Keith Hernandez's magical loogie is the stuff of baseball/Seinfeld legend. The Brooklyn Cyclones took it upon themselves to highlight the moment during a game last summer, and we are forever thankful for that.
Here are some of the best fan collections that have been tweeted throughout the day:
Very nice! RT @ShawnSigh: @Pirates how's this, Buccos? pic.twitter.com/mZ7FepiDWP
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) January 7, 2015
Anyone got him beat? @Cut4 RT @vikram_mangat #NationalBobbleheadDay cant wait for next years bobbles pic.twitter.com/gWKHYcGJY1
— Blue Jays-Official (@BlueJays) January 7, 2015Every @Twins giveaway bobblehead thru 2009--all signed (just tip of the iceberg) #NationalBobbleheadDay #MnTwins pic.twitter.com/UkDLMYGUQg
— Craig Nordquist (@CraigNordquist) January 7, 2015Whoa. #impressive RT @mattispossum: Happy #NationalBobbleheadDay @Braves! #BravesBobble #GoBraves pic.twitter.com/1hzsWtwsaD
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) January 7, 2015
@Cut4 A few @dodgers bobbleheads for #NationalBobbleHeadDay pic.twitter.com/cmhrWbYfID
- BKM13 (@BKM13LA) January 7, 2015
We have a winner! RT @strike_nine: It's #NationalBobbleheadDay! From my office in the Mets clubhouse. 300 bobbleheads pic.twitter.com/0aqpXK9GyZ
— New York Mets (@Mets) January 7, 2015We know there many more heads that have been bobbling around the baseball world over the last 20 or so years, so please let us know your favorites in the comments.