Fans bobbling along to their own tune

The glass-fronted cabinet in the corner of my home office is the part of my house that I can truly call my own. Everything else is community or belongs to my wife -- you guys know what I mean -- but the cabinet that holds my bobble head collection is mine.

My wife and my sons can look, but touching is definitely off limits. And as my collection grows -- I now have close to 150 of the wobbly little guys -- the thought of buying another cabinet is creeping into my mind, much to my wife's dismay. She calls the existing cabinet "The Hotel" and every time I bring a bobble head home from a different ballpark or road trip or get one in the mail, she jokes about how it will have to check in.

Some folks collect cards, others autographs or press pins. For me, these resin statues, many of which don't even look like the players they supposedly depict, will one day be my downfall. I have visions of a crazy old man sitting alone in his basement someday as his bobble heads come to life, like some B horror movie.

So, why the little glimpse into my hobby (nice word for obsession)? Well, I had the chance to speak with Todd Goldenberg last week. Goldenberg is the national sales director of Alexander Global Promotions, the leading producer of bobble heads in the business. AGP has produced more than 27 million pieces over the last decade, putting out 5,300 original pieces for collectors like myself.

I wanted to get some insight as to how teams, both in the Minor and Major Leagues, decide on who they will use as a bobble head and see what the hot promotions will be this season. Promotional ideas at Minor Leagues parks are often crazy and fun, but the bobble head remains the staple of giveaways. At least I thought it did until I spoke with Goldenberg, who couldn't contain his excitement over what is expected to be the next big thing in sports promotions -- the 12-scale figurines.

"Bobbles haven't run their course," Goldenberg said. "But the large percentage of people asks what the next big thing is. Bobbles have been 90 percent of our business from 1996 until a year-and-a-half ago. This year, because of the 12-scale products, they are about 40 percent of our business. We have done statues for the Braves and the Devil Rays and as soon as they start to hit and other teams see them, they'll jump on them.

"We've done the bobble arms and the bobble hands and we did the Curt Schilling bobble ankle. Now the bobble heads are easy to do and are safe because teams know they will get increased attendance on those days they're given away. This doesn't mean it's the end of the bobble head, just the start of these figurines. And I'm fairly confident they're the next big thing because so far the reaction has been overwhelming."

From a collector's standpoint, these little statues certainly are sharp. AGP CEO Malcolm Alexander and Goldenberg have made some significant strides in the field. I picked up one of the figurines in Dallas at the Winter Meetings in December and it is very impressive. The detail and care taken to make them look as realistic as possible certainly puts most bobble heads to shame. And for collectors, the numbered pieces almost assuredly will vary in value.

Suppose the Braves give out figurine likenesses of Hank Aaron. Imagine the value of the ones numbered 714, 715 and 755. Ditto if the Giants ever commission a piece on Barry Bonds. The numbered pieces that are tied to certain records will almost assuredly be worth a bit more than their counterparts.

The ceramic statues, however, are just one of the exciting items that AGP has produced. The Oklahoma City Red Hawks of the Pacific Coast League will be giving out bronze statues of famous Oklahoma natives this season, marking the third consecutive year in which they have used the promotion. Mickey Mantle, Johnny Bench and Warren Spahn have been given out in the past. This year's giveaways include Jim Thorpe, Joe Carter, Carl Hubbell and Big Poison Paul Waner.

The series has been so popular with Red Hawks fans that Goldenberg said the club is considering doing 12-scale figurines next year.

I can only collect so much, though, so for now I'll stick with the bobbles. Like Goldenberg said, they're safe and fairly easy to come by. I suspect finding some of the figurines on the open market, at least early on, will be pretty difficult. Besides, there's always looking forward to June 10. That's the night the Charleston River Dogs will be giving away Bill Murray, honoring the comedian/actor who is part owner of the team. AGP produced those dolls as well as the bobble bridge the River Dogs gave away last month.

"When we started, every bobble head looked the same," Goldenberg said. "For me, that's too boring. I would make a whole lot more money if I just made the same doll the whole day long. The creative end of this takes up a lot of time. I have too much pride for my own good. I don't want to see the fans end up getting something that could have been better."

The folks in "The Hotel" certainly appreciate the effort.