Bobbleheads Get The Nod From Collectors

They won't be appearing on any baseball cards and major league club owners are unwilling to offer up mega-million dollar contracts for their services. Even prospects for enshrinement in the hall of fame at Cooperstown are as remote as the Tampa Bay Devil Rays pulling off a world series victory.

But those shortcomings have not prevented them from becoming a favorite among fans at ballparks across the nation - even if the players in question are just 7 inches tall.

Small in stature but big draws at the turnstiles, bobbleheads have become the hottest collectibles in sports and a major bonanza for teams with slumping attendance who are always on the look out for the next big promotional item to pull in fans.

Also referred to as "bobbing heads" or "nodders", bobblehead dolls have come a long way from their earlier incarnation when they were popular at stadium souvenir stands in the 1960's and 70's and made of paper-mache.

Newer poly-resin and ceramic models are now built to last - all the more of an insentive to rabid collectors who flock to games to get their hands on the figurines that feature likenesses of their favorite players.

Just how popular the tiny titans have become is reflected in the big league box office where the give-aways can generate an 80% jump in ticket sales with fans gathering in lines up to 13 hours before the gates open.

Not that bobbleheads can't be obtained outside sports venues - larger toy stores readily keep them in stock - but in-stadium promotionals, because of the limited number created of each figure, coupled with their distribution being restricted to one day only and the custom-packaging which often bears a stamp signifying the date of release have ignited a much hotter demand.

How hot? Game-issued bobbleheads routinely pop up on internet auction sites within hours of being given away, often fetching bids of more than $100. One such auction of a complete set of Minnesota Twins bobbleheads of Tony Oliva, Kent Hrbek, Harmon Killebrew and Kirby Puckett recently sold for $405 on eBay.

The mania began in 1999 when the Giants offered a Willie Mays bobblehead to fans in commemoration of their 40th season in San Francisco. Other teams quickly picked up on the gimick; during the 2000 season, six clubs were sponsoring the giveaway. This year 22 of the 30 major league teams will be handing out nodders of their own.

The popularity of bobbleheads hasn't gone unnoticed by other professional sports either, with a number of NFL, NBA and NHL teams coming on board along with the Woman's National Basketball Association. Prototypes are also in development for the PGA golf tour as well as for over 40 college mascots.

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