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Nesting Dolls Challenge Bobbleheads for Sports Giveaway Supremacy

PHILADELPHIA - Sitting on his bedroom shelf, not far from his baseball card collection, 13-year-old Bill Marconi has on display what some sports collectibles experts are betting is the next big thing:

A set of Russian dolls.

Nesting dolls - the five-in-one, egg-shaped toys that bear a smiling Barry Bonds or a hulking Jim Thome - are a hit at pro stadiums this summer.

The question the sports promotions industry is now asking: Can nesting dolls match, or even overtake, bobbleheads in popularity? Marconi, who unknowingly echoes industry experts, gives an unqualified no - well, yes. Maybe, eventually.

Russian nesting dolls, also known as matrioshkas or by the trade name Babooshkah, saw their big league debut at a Memphis Grizzlies game in April.

Since then, 180,000 have been given away in promotions from Oakland, Calif., to New York City, according to the company that manufactures Babooshkahs, Bensussen Deutsch & Associates, Inc., based in Woodinville, Wash.

In San Diego it was three Tony Gwynn dolls. Mike Piazza and Barry Bonds got their own set, too. In Philadelphia it was a cascading five-some, from a large Jim Thome to a diminutive Jimmy Rollins. The Alex Rodriguez doll was popular in Texas.

"We got a lot of milage out of it in terms of promotion and publicity," said John Blake, a Rangers spokesman.

Babooshkahs, which are limited edition and individually numbered, quickly showed up on eBay. Five George Brett dolls, free to early arriving Royals fans on May 31, now sell for $20 on - of all places - www.bobbleheadaddict.com.

Manufacturers say the doll giveaways will expand through the NBA, NHL and minor league teams.

Jeff Bouchy, owner of Destroyer Promotional Products, a nesting doll distributor, said not enough people yet know what nesting dolls are to declare them the next big thing.

"Manufacturers are pumping them as the next bobblehead doll, and I have some mixed reactions about that," Bouchy said Wednesday. "Even the people in sports, if I have to explain it to them, how are they going to drive single game sales? That doesn't mean they can't in the future, it's just going to take some time."

Early signs of popularity are there. Attendance in Philadelphia on the night of the Aug. 17 giveaway was a solid 43,153, with 10,900 walk-up sales, the most since opening day 2002.

Weather and the team's opponent contribute to walk-up sales, too, but Steve Avanessian, vice president of marketing at BD&A, was happy with the numbers.

"We know that a trend is really hitting the marketplace when the fans line up," he said.

Nesting dolls have been around for more than 100 years. Sports bobbleheads - figurines with oversized heads on a spring - were first available in the 1920s, Avanessian said.

Like the 1999 modern-era launch of the bobblehead, Avanessian thinks nesting dolls are here to stay.

"People ask me all the time, 'What's the new bobblehead?'" he said. "I can tell you now, unequivocally ... this is definitely it."

Bill Ianniciello, the Mets' vice president of ticket sales and services, said nesting dolls garnered strong interest this year, but said it's too early to call it a trend.

Marconi, the 13-year-old from suburban Philadelphia, said his friends have a lot of bobbleheads, but no nesting dolls - yet.

"I like them a lot," he said. "Maybe in 10 years they will be more popular than bobbleheads. Bobbleheads are now the big thing, and I think they'll fade away."

JASON STRAZIUSO
Associated Press

From duluthnewstribune.com (Aug 27 2003)