So I wanted to take a closer look at the most wanted Twins bobblehead set in the history of bobbleheads. Everyone was thrilled when the Twins announced this set was being produced and I talked it up big time. From those with direct knowledge I was lead to believe these bobbleheads would be awesome and holy shit, they didn't disappoint.
If I could create/design bobbleheads, the detail (to me) is what sets bobbleheads apart from one another. As bobbleheads have gotten more and more popular and more and more teams/towns/events are doing them, the quality has suffered. Typically not to a great degree but the detail has been minimized. The raised lettering of a player's name or logo on their chest or number on their jersey - typically those are all stickers or decals.
Below is the Earl Battey bobblehead, completely detailed with his catcher gear. All of that is raised, the straps on his back and legs. Sometimes nowadays those are just a different color. The TC is also raised on his helmet as is his jersey number. The detail is just amazing. And while there are little paint issues, to me thats what reminds all of us that these things are hand painted - and I would never say a bobblehead is in "mint" condition.
Next, the quality of the box, maybe not a big deal to some, but I absolutely love the graphics boxes that most teams use these days. Thats something that has come along way and from what I know, isn't a significant expense over the plain white box. Also each bobblehead has its own full styrofoam holder - which is something I like more than the plastic clamshells. Yes - its messier but I think in the long run, it keeps much better than plastic and in general I believe it protects the bobblehead better. The bottom of the base has a nice touch with the Twins 20th Anniversary logo stamped on it!
Lastly, the overall appearance and quality of the bobblehead. You can see that the name is raised on the front (and even tho I didn't picture it) the Twins HOF induction year on the back is also raised. One of my favorite pieces of detail is on the base of the bobbles - the HOF logo, which is on a raised little block and then the decal is slid onto the block.
All of this begs to ask one simple question. What happens when the 2021 inductees are named. I can only hope/beg the Twins will release bobbleheads of them that will slide right next to these 34 marvelous bobbleheads. Joe Mauer is a lock and his bobblehead absolutely belongs next to this group. I'd also say TC Bear should be a lock at some point. TC is an iconic mascot (no matter who is inside the bear suit). I can only imagine how sweet a TC Bear bobblehead would be sitting alongside the other HOF members.
