A
bobblehead, also known as a
nodder or
wobbler, is a type of
collectible toy. Its head is often oversized compared to its body. Instead of a solid connection, its head is connected to the body by a spring or hook in such a way that a light tap will cause the head to bobble, hence the name. Although bobbleheads have been made with a wide variety of figures such as breakfast cereal mascot
Count Chocula,
beat generation author
Jack Kerouac, and Nobel Prize–winning geneticist
James D. Watson, the figure is most associated with athletes, especially baseball players. Bobbleheads are sometimes given out to ticket buyers at sporting events as a promotion. Corporations including
Taco Bell (the 'Yo Quiero Taco Bell' Chihuahua),
McDonald's (Ronald McDonald), and
Empire Today (The Empire Man) have also produced popular bobbleheads of the characters used in their advertisements.