The National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum in conjunction with the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and Dreams Fulfilled honored the Negro Leagues with 32 bobblehead dolls. The Negro Leagues Centennial Team (1920-2020) is comprised of 30 of the greatest African-American and Cuban players from 1895-1947 plus a manager and a team owner. Each individual will be depicted on a baseball-shaped base with replica of Kansas City’s Paseo YMCA, the site where the Negro National League was organized on February 13th, 1920. The bobbleheads are officially licensed by the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and approved by the families when applicable.
The bobbleheads in the series are: Cool Papa Bell, Ray Brown, Roy Campanella, Oscar Charleston, Ray Daindridge, Leon Day, Martin Dihigo, Rap Dixon, Larry Doby, John Donaldson, Rube Foster, Josh Gibson, Pete Hill, Monte Irvin, Judy Johnson,Buck leonard, Pop Lloyd, Biz Mackey, Jose Mendez, Buck O’Neil, Satchel Paige, Cannonball Dick Redding, Bullet Joe Rogan, Hilton Smith, Turkey Stearnes, Mule Suttles, Cristobal Torriente, Willie Wells, James Wilkinson, Smokey Joe Williams and Jud Wilson.
“We are thrilled to commemorate a historic number of former Negro League players with bobbleheads, which are the ultimate honor,” said Phil Sklar, co-founder and CEO of the National Hall of Fame and Museum. “These are the first bobbleheads for over half of these players, and the bobbleheads will help ensure that their legacy and vital contribution to baseball and society is always remembered. We have been overwhelmed by the excitement for the series and are thrilled that all of the bobbleheads have arrived.”
Each bobblehead in the series is individually numbered to 2,020 and comes in a collector’s box with a brief back story on each player. All bobbleheads were produced with the permission of the identified families and/or estates of the players.
All 32 of the bobbleheads are available online as well as the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri as well as the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. The bobbleheads are $30 plus an $8 flat rate shipping fee. The portions of the proceeds of each sale will go to the relatives of the Negro League players and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.
The National Bobblehead Hall of Fame says all orders placed by December 19th will be delivered before Christmas.
