A desktop staple, a key piece of any sports fan’s décor, an agreeable accomplice, the nodding ceramic figurines, known as bobbleheads, are an inseparable part of pop culture. From “The Office” to your office, bobbleheads offer a window into their owner's passions.
While many feature sporting heroes, others spotlight icons of…a different kind. In celebration of National Bobblehead Day, we sought out some of the most unique bobbleheads in the National Bobblehead Museum & Hall of Fame’s collection. So, ranging from the unusual and unorthodox to the inexplicable, here are five bobbleheads you never knew you needed to add to your collection.
Teddy Roosevelt Assassination Attempt Admirals Bobble
Starting strong with a unique piece of Milwaukee history, the shockingly grotesque bleeding bobble of the 26th President of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt. Released by the Milwaukee Admirals in 2015, the bobblehead features a smiling Teddy Roosevelt on ice skates, wearing an Admirals jersey with a red streak of blood running down his chest in tribute to his nearby assassination attempt in 1912.
Taking place just across the street where the Hyatt Regency Hotel stands today, the former President was standing outside the Hotel Gilpatrick on his way to deliver a speech at the Milwaukee Auditorium when he was shot in the chest. Fortunately, the bullet struck Roosevelt’s chest pocket containing his steel eyeglass case and the day’s 50-page copy of his speech. The President then went on to deliver a more than hour-long speech. A plaque hanging in the Hyatt Regency Hotel commemorates Roosevelt’s miraculous survival…and so does this bobblehead.
Bucks in Six – Dan Roberts Bobble
Bucks superfan Dan Roberts became a national sensation and a good luck charm for the team in their 2021 NBA Finals run. Known for his appearances on the jumbotron at Bucks games, Dan would chug his beer before ripping his shirt off to the roar of an excited Fiserv Forum crowd. What seemed like a one-time stunt became a ritual for Bucks fans and a momentum-swinging good-luck charm for the Milwaukee Bucks. Commemorated with a bobblehead featuring a bobbling head, stomach and pecs, you can find this limited-edition Bucks in Six bobble at the museum or get your own here.
“Mona Lisa” Bobblehead
A meta take on art, this bobblehead depicts one of the most famous paintings in the world as a 3D bobblehead. Except, instead of standing in line for hours at the Louvre, you can take this stunning work of art with you. Created in 1517 by the legendary painter Leonardo da Vinci, the “Mona Lisa” is one of the most instantly recognizable and influential faces on the planet. You probably still won’t know if she’s smiling, but she’ll nod along to everything you say.
Texas Tech Rally Possum
In hilarious, non-Milwaukee bobbleheads, the Texas Tech Rally Possum has it all. Created in the likeness of the furry critter that wandered on to Jones AT&T Stadium, home of the Texas Tech Red Raiders, in the first quarter of their matchup with TCU in 2023. Chased across the field by stadium security, the fuzzy field invader made an inspired four-yard rush before being escorted off the field with an expression that can only be described as Monday morning. Texas Tech went on to win the game 35-28, leading many to refer to the marsupial marauder as the rally possum.
Mothman Bobblehead
Haunter of dreams, harbinger of doom and…bobblehead? The cryptid has finally made it! Move over big foot, step aside sasquatch, get lost Jersey Devil. It’s Mothman’s time now. The five-to-seven-foot creature with bright, glowing red eyes and the wings of a moth is thought to be a foreseer of things to come and a warning sign of an upcoming catastrophe. Most associated with Point Pleasant, West Virginia—home of the annual Mothman Festival – the ominous urban legend can now watch over your desk, bookshelf or mantle.