MILWAUKEE (WSAU-Wheeler News) For years bobblehead giveaways have drawn big crowds at Milwaukee Brewers’ baseball games. Now two Milwaukee men are creating a museum that would serve as a national clearinghouse for bobblehead history.
Phil Sklar and Brad Novak quit their jobs in the past year to start the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum. They’ve collected 4,000 bobbles from sporting events, auctions, thrift-stores, and garage sales. They want to open a temporary museum next year in downtown Milwaukee, and perhaps a permanent site in a new Bucks’ arena. Their goal is have the world’s largest bobblehead collection of around 10,000 athletes, mascots, and others.
Sklar says bobblehead history is not easy to come by. He’s found some figurines dating back to 1901 — ceramic animal figures from Germany. Fans love collecting them.
In 2011, former Brewers’ manager Ron Roenicke let back-up infielder Craig Counsell start on his bobblehead day. The packed crowd gave the Whitefish Bay native a standing ovation on what turned out to be the final home start of his long playing career. Counsell is now the Brewers’ manager.
Sklar and Novak have collected about $50,000 on Kickstarter to start the bobblehead museum. That’s only a fifth of what they hope to receive.
