Dating back to ancient China and Japan where they were made with flexible bamboo strips instead of springs, today's bobbing head dolls are directly descended from the German nodders that first appeared in the late 18th/early 19th centuries. The German-made bisque and ceramic nodders of animals, advertising icons, and popular cultural characters were favorite American imports until about 1930, when interest began to wane.
For three decades, bobbing heads (also known as bobbleheads or bobble heads) survived as novelty items and automobile accessories - the dashboard Hula Girl is a variant - until 1960 when the first series of baseball bobbleheads arrived from Japan. These early pieces were generic figures depicting teams and team mascots, not individual players, and sold for less than three dollars each. Because they were made of paper-mache, it is extremely difficult to find specimens in mint condition, and today they can command prices into the thousands.
Sports figures were not the only nodders popular at the time, and among the many issued in the 60's, President Kennedy and The Beatles remain high on collectors' wish lists.
By 1972, the bobblehead craze had run its course, and once again, new items grew scarce while collectors turned to the secondary markets to satisfy their acquisitive instincts.
It is generally agreed that the next bobblehead frenzy originated in 1999. By that time, paper-mache, plaster, and ceramic had given way to plastic, which along with the development of newer production methods, allowed the low-cost manufacture of relatively small quantities of dolls with individualistic features. When the San Francisco Giants gave away 35,000 Willie Mays nodders at a game as a promotional stunt, the era of the limited-edition bobble had begun.
Today, nodders of sports figures, actors, fictional characters, and many more abound - even politicians are represented - so it's relatively easy and inexpensive to start a contemporary bobblehead collection. But beware: as prices for vintage (pre-1972) bobbleheads have increased, so, too, have incidents of "mis-representation." Some nodders that have undergone restoration or repair are being sold as "mint," and novice collectors can be confused by later copies of valuable pieces. In other words, it pays to know as much as you can about the subject, and the following resources can be invaluable aids to that end.
Books:
"Bobbing Head Dolls: 1960-2000," by Tim Hunter
http://tinyurl.com/yva23k
"Figural Nodders: Identification & Value Guide," by Hilma R. Irtz
http://tinyurl.com/294gco
"Warman's Bobbing Head Field Guide: Values And Identification," by Lou Criscione
http://tinyurl.com/yuf8cy
Websites:
Hockey Bobbing Heads
http://www.frontiernet.net/~hknodder/Index.shtml
"Joe Marasco's Hockey Bobbing Head Collection"
History, pics, info on decals, flaws, "errors," more.
Nodder
http://www.wackelpagode.de/MainShop.php?lang=ENG&sid=119948573008055400
Highly informative site devoted to "the largest collection of so called "Nodders" or "Pagodas" in Germany." Lots of photos; articles culled from various magazines; more.
The Nodder Exchange
http://www.nodderexchange.com
Great pics of vintage sports bobbleheads; news, price guide, repair guide, more.
