National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum
Milwaukee may become home to the world’s largest collection of bobbleheads! Co-founders of the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum, CEO Phil Sklar and President Brad Novak, announced their intention to establish a physical bobblehead museum in Milwaukee by 2016. Several potential locations are being evaluated at this time.
The planned museum will display the world’s largest collection of bobbleheads and bobblehead-related exhibits, with the collection anticipated to feature about 10,000 baseball, basketball, football and pop culture figures by the time the facility opens. The Hall will also have ample room for special events, a store containing bobbleheads and Hall of Fame and Museum merchandise and a Bobblehead Bar and Grill with a bobblehead-themed, locally sourced menu.
“We are very excited to bring such a unique venue to the great city of Milwaukee,” says Sklar. “Milwaukee is such a unique city, is centrally located and has a long sports history, making it a perfect location for collectors and fans around the world to gather for the ultimate bobblehead experience.”
It all started with Novak, who began collecting bobbleheads while a member of the Rockford River Hawks’ staff in 2002. By 2012, Novak’s personal collection exceeded 500 and reached well over 1,000 by March of 2014. Sklar and Novak, friends and roommates who’ve known each other since middle school, took their shared love of the nodding figurines and developed a bobblehead of their friend, Michael Poll (longtime manager for Milwaukee Panther athletic teams and Special Olympics), to help raise money for the Special Olympics—and with much success. From this exciting experience, they launched the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum website and started a Kickstarter campaign to gage the community’s support of the idea with the hopes of raising $250,000 for the project.
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Donations and pre-sale memberships are currently being accepted. The first 20,000 people who sign up for membership will receive a limited edition Founding Member Bobblehead, with the first 1,500 members receiving an individually-numbered gold edition. Additional perks of membership will include exclusive access to online content, voting rights on which bobbleheads make it into the hall of fame, an annual mascot bobblehead, VIP access to the National Bobblehead Convention, unlimited museum admission and more.
“The excitement and membership pre-sales during the pre-launch efforts have been tremendous. Becoming a member or helping to fund the museum through the museum’s Kickstarter campaign will help us build the highest quality Hall of Fame and Museum possible,” Novak says.
To learn more about the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum, its collection and membership options, call 800-414-1482, email info@bobbleheadhall.com or visit their website or Facebook page.
