Celebrating National Bobblehead Day: Inside the World’s Only Bobblehead Hall of Fame
-
Asia Tabb
AIRED; January 7, 2026
Listen to the podcast to hear the full conversation.
National Bobblehead Day may not be on everyone’s radar, but for fans of pop culture, sports, and collectibles, it’s a moment to celebrate one of the quirkiest corners of American memorabilia. The National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is at the center of it all, showcasing over 10,000 unique bobbleheads.
“We’re the only museum in the world dedicated to bobbleheads,” said Phil Sklar, co-founder and CEO of the museum. “Everything from sports to pop culture, politics, movies, comics, you name it, it’s represented.” Visitors to the museum can explore not just the figures themselves, but also the stories behind them, how they’re made, and the history of this collectible phenomenon.
Sklar and his co-founder, Brad, started collecting bobbleheads in 2003 after receiving one at a Rockford Riverhawks game. “We started to build up the collection, circle bobblehead days on the calendar, and before we knew it, we had more bobbleheads than space,” Sklar said. What began as a hobby eventually grew into a business, producing custom bobbleheads for teams, organizations, and pop culture icons.
For Sklar, the appeal of bobbleheads goes beyond mere collection. “People just really enjoy showing off things that they’re passionate about, whether it’s a favorite sports team or politician or favorite movie character,” he said. “Bobbleheads are a perfect way to do that. You can turn pretty much anybody or anything into a bobblehead. They’re a lot of fun and have remained pretty consistent over time.”
The collectible nature of bobbleheads has also made them a valuable commodity. Sklar recalled discovering that some bobbleheads, even those given away at games, can fetch hundreds or even thousands of dollars online. “When we realized the bobblehead that was just given away at a game was selling for sometimes hundreds of dollars, we thought, ‘hey, that’s pretty crazy,’” he said.
This year, the museum is marking National Bobblehead Day with a special release: a four-figure bobblehead set celebrating the Declaration of Independence. “It features John Hancock, Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, and John Adams, based off the 1818 painting of the meeting to sign the Declaration of Independence,” Sklar explained. “They fit together as a puzzle, and there’s a replica of the painting behind them. It’s a fun way to celebrate America’s history.”
In addition, the museum is unveiling the first officially licensed Saturday Night Live bobblehead collection. The series includes ten characters from some of the show’s most iconic sketches, from Matt Foley to Roseanne Roseannadanna. “Everybody sort of knows these sketches,” Sklar said. “They’ve stood the test of time. Some people have watched them for 10, 20, 30, 40 years, and they still draw just as many laughs as the first time you see them. We’re really excited to team up with NBC Universal to celebrate SNL.”
From sports legends to comedy icons and historical figures, the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum offers a glimpse into how this tiny, nodding figure has captured the imagination of collectors across generations. “There’s just a sort of never-ending stream of opportunities to turn someone or something into a bobblehead,” Sklar said. “It’s one of the fun things about this hobby — it just never goes out of style.”
