Since the Karl Alzner bobblehead was produced by Pro Sport Image in the spring of 2012, each Capitals bobblehead has been sculpted by a different company. Here we’ll analyze the strengths and weaknesses of each as we anticipate the next Washington Capitals bobblehead giveaway.
Bobble Factory – Olie Kolzig
Bobble Factory is a pure bobblehead producer, having been in the business for 10 years. The minimum order for a lot of bobbleheads is 252 pieces, running about $10 each and as many as 10,000 for $3.50 each. The packaging for these bobbleheads is done with a PVC clam shell insert instead of the usual Styrofoam insert and the boxes had a window opening in the front in order to see inside. The jersey didn’t have creases or folds, which kind of took away from the product. It’s the cleanest bobblehead of them all and very shiny but from the neck down the detail slowly disappears.
Cavanaugh – Jason Chimera
When I first pulled up this site I was puzzled as I couldn’t find a single thing about bobbleheads. It turns out that this is a marketing network out of the hometown of the team whose name I shall not pronounce, and they produce much more than just bobbleheads. They make custom items from shirts, headwear, and watches to ceramics, calendars, and magnets. I couldn’t find an actual price, as you had to call in and ask for a quote, however I found that the order limit was 500, and it took a minimum of 35 days to produce them all. They are made out a polyresin material and these bobbleheads looked very similar to those produce by Pro Sport Image in their being hand painted making each one unique.
Success Promotions – Slapshot Toothbrush Holder
Although the Chimera bobblehead was released at the same exact time as this toothbrush holder, they were made by two different companies. Success Promotions described themselves as “…a full service promotional company that specializes in customized products.” When viewing their catalog they seemed to be more into custom clothing items than anything else. However, after looking further I found that they mass produce just about anything you could imagine. Their catalog offered only pictures, and among them is the Slapshot toothbrush holder. They also had pictures of a Dallas Stars mini-ice rink bobblehead set which would be a very cool multi-game promotion for the Caps if they ever decide to do something like that. When looking closer at this bobblehead, it was custom painted like the others. but it has odd lines running through the jersey where the stitching would be and didn’t have the lifelike qualities of the others.
Bobble Dobbles – Matt Hendricks
Bobble Dobbles produces only bobbleheads, which I could have guessed just looking at the name. It turns out that this was the company that produced the Jagr bobbleheads back when he was on the Caps along with the Kolzig, Bondra, and Simon that were given away in the 2001-02. With exception of Kolzig, this bobblehead is very detailed along with being very neatly produced. I believe it was hand painted, however it was then covered with some sort of finish, giving it a shinier look. I would say the looks of this from the neck down just about beats out all the others, however the problem is the face. It still has very nice facial features, but doesn’t capture what Matt Hendricks actually looks like. I would like to see this company come back to making the Caps bobbleheads. (I couldn’t find any pricing info)
Pro Sport Image – Karl Alzner
In recent years, including now, the site printed on the bottom of a majority of the Caps bobbleheads has been nonexistent. I’ve tried to find info about this company but did couldn’t. Comparing this bobblehead to the other four, I have reason to believe that since the Chimera and the Alzner are so very similar that, Pro Sport Image may have turned into or merged with Cavanaugh. Most likely will never know, but I can only speculate.
As bobbleheads come and go, the companies that produce them will to. I feel as though if you want a high quality and great detail, the Caps should go back to Bobble Dobbles. We’ll just have to wait and see what they have in store for the next blood drive and compare them once more.
