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

Joel Hanrahan 2011 All Star Bobblehead Pittsburgh Pirates Mib 2012 Baseball Mlb

Price: $11.49    

2001 Mlb Bobble Head Boston Red Sox Nomar Garciaparra Upper Deck Bnib

Price: $7.99    

2001 Mlb Bobble Head Boston Red Sox Pedro Martinez Upper Deck Bnib

Price: $7.99    

Mlb Oakland As 2006 Vintage Dan Haren Bobblehead

Price: $20.00    

Mlb Pittsburgh Pirates Pnc Park Matt Capps Bobblehead

Price: $10.00    

Milwaukee Brewers Mlb 2012 Stitch N Pitch Polish Sausage Bobblehead Bobble Sga

Price: $50.00    

Lot Of 6 Fotoball Mlb Baseball Bobblehead Piazza Giambi Martinez Williams

Price: $.99    

Brandon Morrow Toronto Blue Jays Sga Bobblehead Mlb 05 20 12 Vs New York Mets

Price: $15.51    

2001 Limited Edition Bret Boone Bobblehead Seattle Mariners Hand Painted Mlb

Price: $5.00    

2001 Limited Edition Lou Piniella Bobblehead Seattle Mariners Hand Painted Mlb

Price: $6.00    

2001 Limited Edition Mike Cameron Bobblehead Seattle Mariners Hand Painted Mlb

Price: $5.00    

2001 Limited Edition Ichiro Rookie Bobblehead Seattle Mariners Hand Painted Mlb

Price: $5.00    

Mlb Roger Clemens 22 Bobblehead 2002 All Star Good Condition

Price: $20.00    

2001 Limited Edition Alex Rodriguez Bobblehead Texas Rangers Hand Painted Mlb

Price: $5.00    

2001 Limited Edition Andy Pettitte World Series Bobblehead New York Yankees Mlb

Price: $9.99    

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

Sf Giants Willie Mays Bobblehead Sga San Francisco 2010

Price: $55.00    

San Francisco Giants Willie Mays 24 Bobblehead

Price: $21.03    

Willie Mays San Francisco Giants Bobblehead Replica Statue 2011 Sga Nib

Price: $20.06    

San Francisco Giants Hofer Willie Mays 1999 Chronicle Sga Bobblehead

Price: $96.99    

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

Price: $109.95    

Willie Mays The Catch Hall Of Fame Sf Giants Bobble Bobblehead Sga From 2011

Price: $89.95    

Sf Giants 2010 Willie Mays The Catch Sga Bobblehead Bobble

Price: $59.88    

New Willie Mays Cooperstown Collection New York Mets Bobblehead Giants Hof Vtg

Price: $189.99    

Willie Mays Rare Bobblehead 1992 Sam`s Bobbing Head 1st Limited Edition 3000

Price: $140.00    

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.