5 Unique, Personal Graduation Gifts for High School or College Students

It’s almost graduation season! Most of you probably have family members or close friends who are graduating this year.

Graduating, whether from high school or college (or even kindergarten!), is an important milestone in every person’s life. As such, you’ll want to commemorate this special occasion with a gift that is not only useful but unique and personal as well. In other words, a thoughtful gift. One that not only says “I’m proud of you!” but also one that shows that you had the recipient in mind while choosing the gift.

Not only that, but one that marks the occasion well. A gift they look at and say “that’s from when I graduation!”

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The Bobblin’ Dead

Zombie baby bobblehead

Custom Zombie Baby Bobblehead

Yes, it’s true. Summer is almost over.

While we will miss everything that summer is, autumn brings us new episodes of The Walking Dead and also a great beginning to the holiday season: Halloween. Being scared, grossed-out, and turning our houses haunted appeals to our most uncomfortable visceral and emotional feelings. Yet, we love it.

According to a 2014 Statista survey which asked aged 18 and older individuals in the United States if they planned to celebrate Halloween or participate in Halloween activities that year, almost 67% said yes, which isn’t even including trick-or-treaters (unless you’re trick-or-treating beyond the recommended age limit). So whether it’s a stroll through a haunted cornfield or a ghoulish party with your friends, a lot of adults in the United States love to celebrate All Hallows’ Eve!

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Miami Marlins: The Largest Bobblehead Museum

The largest public bobblehead display in the big leagues is in Marlins Park in Miami, Florida. The structure, labeled “The Bobblehead Museum,” is a glassed in, two-sided display case. The structure houses 609 bobbleheads. The case is well lit, so that every detail on every player is easy to see. Each shelf in the display has its own vibrating mechanism – so the head of every player is constantly bobbing! The display is meant to celebrate special moments and commemorate players with respect.

The Bobblehead Museum is meant to appeal to fans, and attracts many viewers. The collection includes Marlins players, mascots from around the major leagues, and baseball announcers from the past and the present. The museum has been a big hit and has become somewhat of a sight to see.

Five Fun Bobblehead Facts

Bobbleheads are everywhere! Here are five facts that show how bobbleheads have been a part of culture for years!

  1. Bobbleheads originated in Germany. There were initially made of ceramic materials.
  2. The New York Knicks were the first sports team to use promotional bobbleheads. This happened in the 1920s!
  3. Lil Romeo has a song called “Bobblehead” that was an attempt to make fun of people whose dancing style reminded him of the nodding dolls.
  4. In 2003, the television show Futuramahad an episode where the cast travelled to an alternate dimension in which everyone was a bobblehead.
    1. In August 2004, minor league baseball teams held an event known as Bobblection Night in which the parks were giving away bobbleheads of the two presidential candidates, George W. Bush won the mock election!

Halloween Bobbleheads

Halloween is just around the corner. That means it is time to bust out all the Halloween decorations! You have probably seen fake spider webs, skeletons, pumpkins, witches, and inflated ghosts befoer. This year spruce up your traditional Halloween decorations with a Halloween bobblehead!

A Halloween themed bobblehead is a great way to decorate your home this month. Trick-or-treaters and guests to your home will get a kick out of this untraditional take on Halloween decorations!

There are several things you could do with a Halloween bobblehead. You could make a ghost, witch, or devil. Or you could even create a custom bobblehead of a friend or family member dressed up in a Halloween costume.

The great thing about making a Halloween-themed bobblehead is that you can bring it out every year, making it a tradition in your home!

 

 

Whoopass – The History of the Bobblehead

The bobblehead gained its popularity in the 1960s when Major League Baseball decided to begin using these dolls as promotional products for some of its teams and players. Back then these dolls had several different names including head nodders, head knockers, bobbing head dolls and wacky wobblers. Roberto Clemente, Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, and Willie Mays were some of the first MLB player dolls that were ever created.

Let’s go back even further than that. The first bobblehead dolls, which were actually made in Japan by Lego, were hand painted onto paper-mache. These dolls were generic looking, usually just modeled after the same male in a different team uniform. Some dolls were modeled after team mascots.

Today the most sought after dolls are those that were made in 1960 – 1962. Bobbleheads from these years usually have a square or round orange or white bases. From 1962 – 1966, dolls had green bases and from 1967 to 1970 the bases were painted gold.  Below is a 1960’s Philadelphia Phillies bobble head doll with a round white base. The doll in the picture below is from a miniature series and has a magnet on the base, since it was common to place the doll on the dashboard of your vehicle.  You can see that the doll is of a more generic look male than one you would see today.

Looking for a new hobby?

Bobblehead dolls first hit the market in the 1950s. Since then, they have grown in popularity and variety.  Consequently, they have become an extremely popular collectors item – and a great hobby to take on. Here are some tips on how to get started on your own collection.

Consider picking a theme for your collection. Since bobbleheads have so much variety you may want to make your collection very specific. Some examples include antiques, baseball or other sports figures, popular TV characters, musicians, or even classic actors and actresses from past decades.

Let all of your friends and family know you are starting a bobblehead collection.  Whenever it is a gift-giving time, they will know exactly what to get you and they’ll know you will love and appreciate their gift.

Check the websites of your favorite sports team or television series to see if you can find deals on bobblehead collectors’ items. Sometimes there will be promotion discounts, so it is important to check back regularly. You can also search online for specialty bobblehead shops that do custom jobs. Additionally, keep an eye out for bobbleheads when you are on vacation, in flea markets, garage sales, etc.

Make connections with other bobblehead collectors. You may be gifted the same bobblehead twice and want to make a trade online. The most important thing is to have fun! This is a great activity to take on that can provide lots of entertainment and enjoyment for you, your family, and your friends!

 

 

Bob Your Head To The Music

You’ve seen bobblehead sports figures, presidents, brides and grooms.

custom bobblehead dolls side by sideBut you have also seen bobblehead musicians. Bobbleheads are a great strategy for promoting music. Here is why the trend has been so effective in the industry:

 

The bobbing head these dolls are known for essentially encourages people to move with the music. This makes them a huge promotional tool. Additionally, bobbleheads are highly customizable. This is a huge advantage for musicians. Bobbleheads should be as detailed as possible so that when people see them there is no doubt in their mind about who the doll is.

 

Custom bobbleheads can also be used to build anticipation before the release of an album or an upcoming concert. Additionally, bobbleheads can be customized by event with a promotional message. For example, the name of the musician or date of the concert can be engraved on the bobblehead stand. Audio messages can also be recorded with bobbleheads! This is a great opportunity for musicians, and can really make the bobblehead unique to their sound.

 

Bobbleheads have been a big trend in the music industry for years. The Beatles bobbleheads are now extremely sought-after collector’s items! Their customizability, uniqueness to the industry and ability to compliment a marketing strategy make them a great promotional opportunity for musical artists.

Bobblehead Top 5

We already know bobbleheads make awesome and memorable gifts. But what type of bobbleheads are the most popular? Here is a list of the top 5.

 

  1. The first is sports figures.  Sports figure bobbleheads are what initially popularized the bobble head so it is no surprise that it continues to be a favorite. Sports bobbleheads are a great way to pay tribute to a sports figure. When you own a sports bobblehead, it instantly tells whoever sees it a little bit about you!
  2. Sci-fi characers are actually number 2 on the top 5! Sci-fi fans want to show their love of the genre . Sci-fi characters bobbleheads are often available online.
  3. Politicians always seem to have bobbleheads made after them, especially if they have done something extremely newsworthy. The president, vice president, and other top cabinet officials often have bobbleheads assembled in their agreement.
  4. We couldn’t make a top 5 bobblehead list without including celebrities. Celebrity bobbleheads are very common because most people have one celebrity they admire or consider their celebrity crush. Like

 

Custom-made makes all the difference

Trying to give the perfect gift can be a stressful task. If you want your gift to be personal, memorable, and sincere, be sure not to overlook a customized bobble head doll.

Bobble head dolls can be so unique and interesting when they are custom made. Customizing a bobble head gives you, as the gift giver, so much freedom and influence on your gift.

Whether custom-made bobble heads are given to friends or family, they are a great gift for all ages, even kids! They can be used to commemorate special events, like weddings and birthdays – the options are truly endless. For example, you can add outfits and even personalize the bobble head facial expression. Be sure to look into all of those extra options to make your bobble head as custom as possible.

The most important part of giving this gift is to ensure that you are purchasing a quality bobble head. To guarantee this, make sure the company you are considering is actually a bobble head doll specialist. This is very important for multiple reasons. First off, you want your custom made bobble head to be very detailed. The facial details need to be so spot on that it is clear who the bobble head is meant to be. Quality bobble head dolls are very life-like when done well.  The best bobble heads are the ones that are made accurately and still retain the gigantic head these dolls are known for.

Bobble head dolls as a gift provide so much enjoyment, and people usually get a kick out of seeing their face on this type of doll. Plus, it is almost a guarantee that your gift will not be one they have received before.