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A visit to the Bobblehead Museum

Yes. This is a real place. And it’s great fun.

By Al Yellon
  • Cubs bobbleheads Al Yellon
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  • Still more Cubs bobbleheads Al Yellon
  • More Cubs bobbleheads Al Yellon
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  • More of the museum’s extensive collection Al Yellon
  • More of the museum’s extensive collection Al Yellon
  • More of the museum’s extensive collection Al Yellon
  • More of the museum’s extensive collection Al Yellon
  • More of the museum’s extensive collection Al Yellon
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  • Bobblehead history Al Yellon
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  • Another Cubs bobblehead Al Yellon
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  • More Cubs as minor leaguers Al Yellon
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MILWAUKEE — Before I went to Miller Park to (unfortunately) see the Cubs lose Saturday night, I spent some time in an unassuming brick building in downtown Milwaukee.

This building is the home of the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum, and it’s well worth a trip.

The museum has over 5,500 bobbleheads, mostly from donations. They run the gamut from sports to music to Star Wars to Disney to many other forms of pop culture. There’s even a timeline (photos 34-36) that tells a bit about how these items began to be made, and how they became popular. They’re certainly the most popular giveaways at Wrigley Field — you might recall these lines for the Javier Baez bobblehead giveaway last year:

Al Yellon

I love bobbleheads. They are my favorite ballpark giveaway. I’ve got about 150 of them; here’s a small sample of my collection:

Al Yellon

Here’s one of my favorites, the Iowa Cubs “Player To Be Named Later” from a few years ago:

Al Yellon
Al Yellon

Although, to be more correct, that should be called “Player Who IS Named Later,” because “Later” is the name on his jersey.

It’s all great fun. The Bobblehead Museum, in addition to the extensive displays, sells bobbleheads, both of its own design (you can see some of those in the Cubs photos above) and “classic” bobbleheads. The Cubs “Game of Thrones” set is particularly cool, if you’re into that show you will likely want to check those out and maybe even get some for yourself.

The Museum is located at 170 S. 1st St. in Milwaukee, on the second floor. It’s open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Admission is just $5 and parking is free. The Cubs aren’t in Milwaukee the rest of this year, but if you’re planning to head there for a game in 2020, I’d highly recommend making some time to head to downtown Milwaukee to visit this fun museum.

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