Modern bobbleheads debuted in the mid-1950s and by the end of that decade major league basketball had fully adopted the concept. The first of MLB's bobbleheads were papier-mache dolls, nearly indistinguishable from one another. The face of each of these early bobbleheads bore the same angelic features. A bobblehead was produced for each team, rather than any particular player, and the small team uniform was the only way to tell them apart.

MLB Bobbleheads

Paul Konerko Mlb White Sox 7 Bobblehead Super Value

Price: $24.99    

Robinson Cano Qman Mlb Nyy 7 Bobblehead Super Value

Price: $24.99    

Joe Torre Qman Mlb Dodgers 7 Bobblehead Super Value

Price: $19.99    

Junction Jack2003houston Astros Mascotmlbsouvenirbobble Headbaseball

Price: $29.98    

Mlb Collectible Statue Ny Yankee Derek Jeter Ceramic Bobblehead Free Shipping

Price: $50.00    

La Angels Of Anaheim Gnome Bobblehead Sga Nib Mib Mlb

Price: $5.00    

Disney Mickey Mouse Bobble Head Clean Up Mickey Atlanta Braves Mlb

Price: $31.77    

Eddie Guardado Minnesota Twins Bobble Dobble Bobblehead Doll Mlb

Price: $30.00    

Latroy Hawkins Minnesota Twins Bobble Dobble Bobblehead Doll Mlb

Price: $30.00    

Torii Hunter Minnesota Twins Bobble Dobble Bobblehead Doll Mlb

Price: $30.00    

Aj Pierzynski Minnesota Twins Bobble Dobble Bobblehead Doll Mlb

Price: $30.00    

Mlb Seattle Mariners Felix Hernandez Larry Bernandez Bobblehead

Price: $44.95    

Mlb Seattle Mariners Ichiro Hit Counter Bobblehead

Price: $39.95    

New In Original Box Ernie Harwell Detroit Tigers Mlb Bobble Head Bobblehead Nice

Price: $11.90    

2001 Barry Bonds Bobble Head Doll Hand Painted Mlb Collectible Rare

Price: $65.00    

For the 1960 World Series, major league baseball released bobbleheads featuring player-specific uniforms. Bobbleheads were created for Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Roberto Clemente, and Roger Maris, though all four shared the same face. The papier-mache construction of these dolls made the bobbleheads quite fragile and, unfortunately, quite destructible as well. Very few of the 1960s bobbleheads survive today.

By the early 1970s a new generation of bobblehead dolls, this time constructed with ceramic materials, gained in popularity. The bobblehead tradition expanded beyond baseball into other sports and into the realm of popular culture. Cartoon characters and popular musicians became the inspiration for new bobbleheads. For instance, a Beatles bobblehead set released in this era become quite iconic and maintains its popularity (and value) to this day.

In baseball, however, bobbleheads waned in popularity due to the production costs associated with ceramic materials. By 1980, neither Major League Baseball nor any individual baseball teams were producing the bobbleheads. For nearly two decades it seemed as though the bobblehead might be consigned to drift quietly into the pages of history.

Basic economics once again brought the bobblehead back to prominence. By the 1990s new production methods enabled producers to substitute plastic for the costly and fragile ceramic that had been previously used. Costs plummeted and plastic bobbleheads became cost efficient to mass produce.

Willie Mays Bobbleheads

San Francisco Giants Willie Mays 1999 Bobblehead

Price: $75.00    

Vintage Willie Mays San Francisco Giants Bobblehead Doll B619

Price: $80.88    

Willie Mays Bobblehead 2010 San Francisco Giants

Price: $30.99    

Willie Mays 2010 Sf Giants Bobble Bobblehead Sga

Price: $79.95    

San Francisco Giants Willie Mays Bobblehead Bobble Sga

Price: $79.99    

San Francisco Giants Willie Mays Thomson Bobblehead Tix

Price: $69.99    

Willie Mickey And The Duke Bobble Bobbleheads Mays Mantle Snider Set Lot Sga

Price: $209.95    

Willie Mays And Duke Snider Giants Dodgers Bobble Bobbleheads Sga Set Lot

Price: $109.95    

Vintage 1962 Willie Mays Sf Giants Bobblehead Nodder

Price: $499.95    

Perhaps the watershed moment in bobblehead history occurred in 1999 when the San Francisco Giants distributed over 30,000 Willie Mays bobbleheads to ticket holders during a regular season game. The Willie Mays bobblehead, with its unique Mays-inspired facial features, became a surprise hit. Other teams took notice and the renaissance of the bobblehead had begun.