We moved to Milwaukee in 2019 and one of the first museums I learned about was the National Bobblehead Museum. It was later featured in one of the Top Chef episodes set here. I still hadn’t been until this week. Matt gave the whole company a homework assignment to visit a museum to elevate our craft through exposure to culture.
Originally I thought I’d use it as an excuse to visit MAM, a short ride on the Hop from my co-working space. But, the more I considered the prompt, I decided to go somewhere I’d never been before. The Bobblehead Museum is a small one perched above the Colectivo on S 1st St in Walker’s Point. It is the largest collection in the world and educates visitors about the history and cultural relevance of “nodding-head toys.” (They’ve been around since at least the 1700s!)
The museum was started by a UW Milwaukee grad who began collecting them after he worked for the Rockford Riverhawks. Today, they have a copy of “The Overcoat,” the first known text to reference “plaster cats which wag their heads.” And the museum does, in fact, have some feline bobbleheads. From the tiniest to the 6 foot tall museum mascot, everything but the shelves they sit on is a bobblehead. One of the docents confirmed: If it doesn’t bobble, it’s not on display.
It’s one of those museums that can only exist in one place and offers a glimpse at a specific piece of culture. I’m glad that one place happens to be right here in Milwaukee. If you ever visit, bobble on in.
