2004 NHL All Star Game Bobblehead

As I was going through some boxes of my bobbleheads I came across this one and had to grab a couple pictures.  Its a prototype from the 2004 NHL All Star Game that was held at the Xcel Energy Center in St Paul Minnesota.  Several teams had bobbleheads produced, similar to the 2003 MLB ASG Bobbles on Parade.  This one depicts the ASG with its surroundings, the Xcel Energy Center as well as other Minnesota themed things.  Probably one of the hardest Minnesota related bobbleheads out there.  

New Addition - Josh Harding Bobblehead

Here's on my newest additions.  Back in 2015, the Regina Pats of the WHL had a Josh Harding bobblehead night and the proceeds went to Harding's Hope (Josh's charity).  With a $5 donation (minimum) you scored a Harding bobblehead.  Needless to say, they went quick.  I've known about this bobblehead for a couple years.  In talking to some collectors from north of the border, the common theme was "you'll never find it."  I'm not one to lose hope very easily so I kept looking.  I reached out to a couple people and through one of them, I got lucky...super lucky.  It's an amazing bobblehead, plenty of detail!

New Addition - Alex Stalock - Iowa Wild

A couple weeks ago the Iowa Wild did their second giveaway of the season (read about the first one here).  This time around, its of local netminder Alex Stalock.  I'm a huge fan of goaltender bobbleheads, mainly because of the detail that goes into them.  This is an absolute...ahem...breakaway (see what I did there?!)!  From the form, to the sweater, and obviously the mask (which is removable) the marketing team nailed it.  

New Add - Gustav Oloffson - Iowa Wild

Back in January the Iowa Wild gave away Gustav Oloffson bobbleheads to the first 1000 fans through the gates.  These aren't regular sized bobbles but aren't minis either, they are a nice in between that a ton of minor league or affiliated teams do.  Even tho they are smaller, there is plenty of detail and that red sweater is sure to stand out! 

Sneak Peek - Ryan Suter Madison Capitols

Here's a sneak peek of an upcoming bobblehead that many Minnesota Wild fans will love!  The Madison Capitols are giving away this Ryan Suter bobblehead (sponsored by Kwik Trip) on March 10th!  Suter grew up in Madison and is a local fan favorite!

New Addition - Nordy

As I'm watching the Wild game tonight (they are losing 2-1 right now...the streak is on the line) I figured I should blog about my most recent addition.  It was one of my biggest wants in terms of bobbleheads that I know about.  I believe this Nordy bobblehead was sold at the Hockey Lodge (inside the Xcel Energy Center) several years ago.  The weird thing (and I've always known this) is there were 2000 of these as its numbered on the bottom.  I've been looking for this bobble for well over 3 or 4 years.  Finally was able to find it and add it to the collection.  And I'm damn happy about that!  Go Wild!

New Addition - Tyler Graovac

One of my latest additions to the collection is that of Tyler Graovac!  I won a bobble contest that the Iowa Wild did on Twitter.  On top of the bobblehead, it happens to be autographed too!  Lucky that I won and even better that its a bobble!

Wild Bobblehad

I hadn't seen this one before, so when I ran across it on eBay I bought it.  Reminds me of the Twins version that Forever Collectibles put out commemorating the 2003 All Star Game.  I'm not sure what other collectors call these bobbles, but I refer to these as "logo" bobbleheads.  Again, it's not a surprise to anyone out there that I'm not a fan of Forever Collectibles bobbleheads...this probably brings my total to a whopping 6 or 7.  It'll look good next to my Twins one!

Houston Aeros Bobblehead Jackpot! - Part 3

I'm saving the best for last.  I knew of these bobbles and actually had a couple of them.  What I didn't know was there was a 7 piece set.  I thought it was 6.  The Aeros did a promotional giveaway celebrating their 15th year with an "All-Aeros" team.  Very similar to what the Wild did for their "Year X All Time Team" where a 6 bobblehead set is made up of 3 forwards, 2 defencemen and 1 goalie.  What's the 7th piece of this set then?  Obviously its a mini-rink, who-freaking-knew?  I had never seen the rink before, but this set is easily one of the coolest "mini-sets" in my collection.  The players included are all mini bobbleheads and fit snugly on the rink!

                    Goalie - Frederic Chabot

Defenceman - Erik Reitz
Defenceman - Curtis Murphy
Forward - Brian Wisemen
Forward - Mark Freer
Forward - Derek Boogaard

Houston Aeros Bobblehead Jackpot! - Part 2

Part 2 of my Aeros jackpot includes a Curtis Murphy Bobblehead.  Murphy has 2 different bobbles, this one and a mini version that you'll see soon!  He did play for the Wild...but it was a pretty short stint...exactly 1 game!

Houston Aeros Bobblehead Jackpot!

It's funny how collecting works sometimes.  For instance there have been 2 different times I remember specifically where I finally said, "uncle" and broke down and dropped a significant amount of cash to purchase a bobblehead for my collection, and within a matter of days I've found the same piece for significantly less money.  And duh, of course I bought the cheaper one too.

In the past few weeks I've found several different bobbleheads from the Houston Aeros, former minor league affiliate of the Minnesota Wild.  The next few blog posts show everything I've added to my collection that are Aeros related!

Up first, a couple goalie bobbleheads.  Johan Holmqvist and Derek Gustafson.  Neither bobble is all that valuable but since they are Aeros bobbles, I wanted them for my collection!  A couple solid New Adds for me!

Want List - Nordy (Minnesota Wild Mascot)

In the past I've updated my Want List in its entirety within a few different posts, here's the first one I did back in November.  This year I plan on updating my Want List periodically as I run across bobbleheads that I want to add to my collection.  Hopefully my readers might be able to help me out in acquiring said bobbles!

Up first is the mascot of the Wild - Nordy.  This is a retail version but it's the only Nordy bobblehead. It is a Forever Collectibles bobble, which Im not a huge fan of (surprise, surprise) but I'll say, without seeing it in person, it's a pretty good FC bobble.  It was sold at the Hockey Lodge stores in the metro several years ago.  It's not all that rare but apparently is fairly hard to find!

Let me know if you have one that you'd sell!

Santa Claus Bobblehead

Here's another recent new addition to the collection.  This one is a bit older tho, its Santa Claus from the Houston Aeros (Former Minnesota Wild Affiliate).  I think this is from 2004 and was limited to 3000.  Definitely a more rare bobble and it is pretty hard to find, but a cool one in Wild colors!

2014 "Goals"

It's January so everyone is talking about the resolutions for the new year.  These aren't exactly resolutions, but I'll call them "Goals."  If you are a recent visitor, you've probably noticed that I try to keep the blog somewhat light-hearted.  Hence "Goals" :)

At the end of 2014 I'll go thru and review my "Goals" and see what I accomplished - if anything.  Or perhaps I'll just be completely bored with this blog and say screw it!  Onto the "Goals"

1. Get a couple more Twins red base bobbleheads.  These are given to season ticket holders and currently I have roughly half of them.  There are some rare and hard to find ones, but I'll do my best to hunt them down.

2. Find 1 ecumen bobblehead (for a price I'm willing to pay).  There are 10 total.  I figure if I find 1 a year, it'll only take me 10 years to fulfill the set!  I know I can buy most any of them on ebay for $100 per...but I'm not interested in shelling out that much cash!

3. Find the 1991 World Series set.  Again, I can pay good money to get this off Craigslist or eBay, but will wait it out until I find someone willing to take what I feel is a fair offer.

4. Much like the previous "Goal" I'd like to find the Twins Managers set

5. Come across a couple local celebrity bobbleheads.  The ones I have now, I only knew of about 1/2 of them.  So I'm not even sure who'd they be!

6. I'd like to get the Paul Krause and Bill Brown Viking bobbleheads.  I know I'll have to pay for these, and I'm fine with that.  I just need to pull the trigger.

7. I'd also like to find a Goldy bobblehead that I currently don't have.  Right now I believe there are 4 out there that I'd like to own one day.  It'd be nice to come across one of them in 2014.

8. I'd like to come across and Timberwolves bobblehead that I don't have, either a mini Crunch or Johnny Flynn.  I also found out I need an Al Jefferson.

9. I'd like to complete the 2013-14 Wild bobblehead giveaway collection.  There are 5 in total, I already have one (I'll blog about that sometime soon).

10. Last, but certainly not least...I want to have fun hunting.  My wife asked me the other day if I ever think about the mileage and time I spend on bobbleheads - I do, I certainly consider that when making an offer for a bobblehead or selling one.  To me, the excitement is finding the bobblehead.  Getting lucky when emailing someone on Craigslist or finding something unique or cool at a garage sale.  And of course meeting people along the way.

We'll see if I accomplish any of these in 11 months...I know number 10 will undoubtedly happen!

Minnesota Wild Bobblehead Giveaways!

A few years ago the Wild along with Fox Sports North announced their Year 10 All-Time Team with a set of 6 bobbleheads.    I was really excited to collect these bobbleheads as they looked great and each came with its own personalized box.

This year the Wild and Fox Sports North announced bobbleheads would be coming back as giveaways.  Of course I was excited for this.  I'll be looking for these on ebay and craigslist as I doubt I'll be able to get to each game.  Here's a picture of the 2013-14 bobbleheads!