Baseball & football 14" Replica Promo Bobbing Head dolls now avalable

[nodderville]

Hi,
The SF 49'ers promo in my picture is REAL. I've had it a long time. It was the reason I created the replica football promo dolls. The real ones are so expensive. Being an mechanical engineer for Xerox before I retired, I knew what to do to reverse engineer it from a real doll. I have been restoring vintage bobbing head dolls for over 20 years so it seemed like a different way to use my skills. I thought the replica promos would be a great way for people to get their own promo without breaking the bank. I started with the AFL teams because they never made any for those teams. I had customers who liked my replicas and encouraged me to think about doing baseball. The replicas were intended as a way to stay busy in my retirement years and stay involved with bobbing head collectors. Dolls collectors are a different breed and most of them seem like great people.

if you are interested in a SF promo, as long as you want a uniform design that is NOT similar to the original, I would consider making one for you.

sorry for the long reply.

[Fballguy]

Originally Posted by nodderville

Hi,

if you are interested in a SF promo, as long as you want a uniform design that is NOT similar to the original, I would consider making one for you.

What a foolproof plan to prevent malfeasance on the secondary market. Everyone is so well versed on what uniforms existed originally, there's no chance these can be passed off as originals, right?

Why did you make them the exact same size?

I wonder if the leagues/teams care?

[ooo-ribay]

Rob -

a) I have a lot of respect for you.
b) I know you’re a good guy.
c) maybe as a Fballguy, you see this differently than I.

As a BB guy, I see these as a cool companion piece for my BB collection of vintage bobbin’ heads. They are something that really never existed. For that matter, I’m not sure the original baseball nodders were ever officially licensed either. I would bet we all have pennants that weren’t licensed.

Joe carves his initials into the bottom of the feet. I see the FB dolls as a chance for someone who doesn’t have $20+k to drop on a football promo to own the next best thing. A display piece and nothing more. Joe isn’t trying to fool anyone and I hope (perhaps naively) that no one tries to “flip” one as original.

In my book, both you and Joe are “good guys” in the hobby. On a related note, Joe is “refreshing” one of my standard bobbers. While some people might frown on this practice, I am appreciative of having the opportunity to own a better display piece.

Sincerely,
the other Rob

[ooo-ribay]

P.S. Joe’s promo dolls weigh 50% more than the originals and are made of a different material. No attempt to deceive, IMO.

[Fballguy]

Originally Posted by ooo-ribay

P.S. Joe’s promo dolls weigh 50% more than the originals and are made of a different material. No attempt to deceive, IMO.

They could weigh 3 tons each. Still illegal.

Unless he has a license. Based on his refusal to address that question, I'm guessing not.

[ooo-ribay]

This is probably a discussion better had over beers . I’m gonna drop it.

[bobfreedman]

This will also be my last post (I hope) about this topic. Joe has made these so that they are not identical, not only being heavier, they are different colors, they are stamped on the bottom with the date as well as the two large holes on the bottom are not on the originals. The original Kails were not authorized by the NFL nor the MLB either, so I don't see this as a licensing issue either. Rob, I respect your opinion but I don't think its worth getting your feathers ruffled. Image attached to show what I am talking about

[Fballguy]

Rob,

Good guy/bad guy doesn't have anything to do with it.

You and I approach this from a different perspective. I know you don't mind replicas...authorized or not. You've posted about pins you've bought for your collection from a seller that in my opinion has ransacked the pin hobby with his unauthorized reproductions. You're ok with it. I don't really collect pins, so while I think it's a shame, it doesn't impact me.

As someone who values the value of his collection and spends good money to add new pieces to it, I take exception with someone who threatens the value of my collection "in his spare time".

This is illegal. It's illegal to buy them by the way too. If you're cool with it, I guess we have different definitions of the word "good".

[nodderville]

Mr. Fballguy or Rob G.

If it helps with your concerns - and anyone else's, my replica promos (both football and baseball) are made of Ceramic. Not Paper Mache as were the originals. My baseball replicas weigh ~3.5 LBS and the football replicas weigh ~4.2 LBS. A real original football promo dolls weighs ~2.1 LBS. I realize that not everyone has had a real promo in their hands. That's why I made them with a ceramic material instead of paper mache. The weight and sound of my dolls should make people realize what they have. I could very easily have made them out of paper mache. I have tried my best to police what leaves my home. That is why I will not duplicate any of the 60's promo designs. It wouldn't be fair to the people who have spent $10K to $40K for a real football promo. Yes - I have had a Minnesota Vikings promo come to my house for repairs. The owner spent ~$40,000 for it.
Also, I engrave the bottoms of all the dolls and write my initials inside all the heads. These are custom made and I have nothing in stock. They are made to order for customers who want a unique item on their shelf. Isn't that what collection all about? Collecting what you like?

[Fballguy]

Originally Posted by nodderville

Mr. Fballguy or Rob G.

If it helps with your concerns - and anyone else's, my replica promos (both football and baseball) are made of Ceramic. Not Paper Mache as were the originals. My baseball replicas weigh ~3.5 LBS and the football replicas weigh ~4.2 LBS. A real original football promo dolls weighs ~2.25 LBS. I realize that not everyone has had a real promo in their hands. That's why I had them with a ceramic material instead of paper mache. The weight and sound of my dolls should make people realize what they have. I could very easily have made them out of paper mache. I have tried my best to police what leaves my home. That is why I will not duplicate any existing promo design. It wouldn't be fair to the people who have spent $10K to $40K for a real football promo. Yes - I have had a Minnesota Vikings promo come to my house for repairs. The owner spent ~$40,000 for it.
Also, I engrave the bottoms of all the dolls and write my initials inside all the heads.

Do all of these details make what you're doing legal?

[Chris-Counts]

I wouldn't be surprised if the NFL or MLB took issue with these — and then started creating their own line of cheap jumbo nodders made overseas. I think it's totally reasonable for Rob No. 1 to be skeptical and ask questions, since there's so much deception out there in the marketplace. A lack of transparency is what makes me wary of the modern Helmar cards. On a side note, I suspect licensing issues sank a quite a few card sets over the years, including some we now cherish.