Baseball teams are using bobblehead giveaways to drive up attendance

A new dance is sweeping MLB front offices: The Bobble. Teams have been tripping over themselves to hold limited bobblehead giveaways, as these games often correlate with blowout attendance figures.

• In April, the Pirates earned a rare sellout on Paul Skenes Bobblehead Day, while the Reds drew their highest attendance in ballpark history for Elly De La Cruz Bobblehead Night.
• The LA Dodgers set their 2025 home attendance high in June on Ice Cube Bobblehead Night, drawing 54,154 fans.
• And it’s not just MLB clubs. The Brooklyn Cyclones, the Mets’ High-A minor league affiliate, draw 30% bigger crowds than normal games when it’s a bobblehead night, assistant GM Billy Harner told Front Office Sports.

This dancing doll 🤝 sports collab hasn’t been around for long. Bobbleheads, potentially the only things more agreeable than AI, have been around since the 17th or 18th century. But it wasn't until May 9, 1999, when the Giants provided a Willie Mays bobblehead to the first 20k fans who entered Candlestick Park, that their popularity exploded, Front Office Sports reports.

It’s not all nostalgia…The figurines also bring hustlers out to play. Shohei Ohtani bobbleheads recently given away by the Dodgers are being sold online for anywhere between $100-$2,500, while George Costanza bobbleheads scheduled to be passed out by the Yankees in August are already receiving presale orders up to $250.