FADS Hot novelty goes bob, bob, bobbin' along

Bobbleheads are a better investment than the stock market, one dealer says.
PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE
PITTSBURGH -- If you have to ask who Anna Nicole Smith is, you probably won't find her under your Christmas tree. But bobblehead dolls modeled after the busty, blond star of her own reality TV show may be an adult version of the popular Barbie as Rapunzel this year.
"They must be giving a lot of them because we have sold a lot," said Todd Bosley, co-owner of manufacturer Bosley Bobbers in Canton.
The second President Bush, former Pirates outfielder Roberto Clemente and the Three Stooges all have proved their jaw-wiggling value in the bobblehead business, a craze that took off a couple of years ago and hasn't quit yet.
"Bobbleheads, right now, are a better investment than the stock market," said Albert Elovitz, a Pittsburgh novelty dealer with a flair for the dramatic. While Wall Street hasn't been too dependable, the dolls are profitable, he said.
The popularity of the incessant nodders is evident in the fact that versions are now on shelves in small stores as well as at giant chains.
"They're everywhere," said Dan Means, owner of Sports World Specialties. He has about 50 versions on hand, some bought from manufacturers and others from individual owners looking to resell.
Figures with wobbly heads have been around since the 1950s, when they were usually made of papier-m & acirc;ch & eacute;. Fame and fortune didn't find them until the '90s when hundreds of more durable versions were handed out to fans at Major League Baseball games. Now sports figures of all sorts have been turned into weak-headed caricatures of themselves.
Keeps growing
It didn't stop there, of course. Politicians, celebrities, even cartoon figures have been turned into dolls priced anywhere from $9.99 to $25 or more, depending on how limited the item and how much a buyer is willing to pay
Some compare the fad to the Beanie Baby madness and the Pog spree of the past. Others say baseball cards are a better comparison. Where few might want a card featuring former Pirate shortstop Kevin Polcovich, many will chase after one for Joe DiMaggio.
"A bobbing head doll is only going to appeal to most people because it's a particular character," said Bosley, who distributes to 300 or 400 stores.
He and his brother got into the business about five years ago. They design the dolls in Canton and then have them made in China. A number of companies around the country use a similar system.
Bobble Head World, an online seller of dolls, stands ready to make custom bobbleheads. For $500, the company promises it can do a design and has a mold made. The cost for the actual dolls depends on how many are ordered. The Web site promises some as low as $5 to $8 per doll, including shipping.
Knowing what'll sell
Since the process takes three or four months, the key is identifying characters that have attracted enough of a following to still sell the pieces by the time they arrive. Former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani was a hot seller last year. Now, he probably wouldn't be so big, said Bosley.
A container load on its way to the Canton company from China now includes such disparate figures as gangster Al Capone, sports broadcaster Harry Caray, Jesus and Abraham Lincoln.
All the presidents, current and former, win votes at Elovitz's www.albertgifts.com. Target reports demand for its Peanuts collection featuring Charlie Brown, Lucy and Snoopy.
In October, J.C. Penney stores introduced $25 four-pack collections of Forever Collectibles' Mini Bobs that have taken off, especially the Nascar teams, the LA Lakers, the Dallas Cowboys and the Steelers.
On the other hand, two $60 Princess Diana figures at Sports World Specialties have been waiting for their prince to come for a couple of years.
Just how long bobbleheads will reign is anybody's guess. Bosley predicted interest will last if manufacturers can keep finding great characters to immortalize.
Others say the end will come, eventually. Still, there's nothing bumping the dolls out of the picture yet, said Means, of Sports World Specialties.