Bobblehead Tattoos

There are very few things that I was into when I was 7 that I’m still into now that I’m an old. I can say with the utmost confidence that the list is only five items long—grilled cheese, the Chicago Bears, Star Wars, hating math (I consider my hatred of math to be one of the purest loves in my life) and bobbleheads. 

Bobbleheads are so delightfully silly. The miniature body. The oversized, caricature inspired noggin. 

As a kid, the spasmatic motions set forth with one small push of my finger would mesmerize me. I would sit at my desk pretending to do my math homework and idly poke at my Oakland A’s bobblehead. This would go on for hours. I tried to figure out how much time I wasted doing this, but, well, my math skills aren’t quite up to the task. 

Every time we went to a new town on vacation, my dad and I would end up going to a baseball game. At each of these games, I would procure a new bobblehead, even if I hated the team we were watching. This is why I have a San Francisco Giants bobblehead and a New York Yankees bobblehead. Those teams are reprehensible organizations that should be shot into the sun, but I still wanted one of their bobbleheads. 

Back in the day baseball bobbleheads didn’t have a ton of variation between them. Nine times out of 10 it was the same goofy looking character, holding a bat to his side. This is why I would always be on the lookout for something fancy. Often this came in the form of a mascot’s head as opposed to a human head. Other times, like with my beloved Oakland A’s bobblehead, the player would be holding his glove and a ball. As an aspiring pitcher, or more accurately, a little leaguer who couldn’t hit for shit, these were my favorites. 

The kids today don’t understand the struggle I went through. You can get a bobblehead of pretty much anybody doing pretty much anything. I guess it’s sort of like getting a bobblehead tattoo. You can pick out your favorite pop culture icon and have your artist turn it into the bobblehead of your dream. Of course, tattoos aren’t going to be able to bounce around in the satisfying manner of the real thing, but if you squint just a little bit, maybe you’ll trick yourself. 

Enjoy this gallery of bobblehead tattoos!