Bobblehead Mania, But Dodgers Rise Above

Many of you might have heard about the Yankees' recent fiasco distributing the Mariano Rivera bobblehead (what a royal mess and PR nightmare). With the Dodgers recently doing as many as 10 bobblehead stadium giveaways a year, it's pretty impressive that they haven't stepped in piles of crap like the Yankees just did.

But in a recent WSJ article recapping the Yankees' debacle, it was nice to see the Dodgers represented as having solid bobblehead protocol:

Bobblehead management has become something of an issue with popular teams. In April, the Dodgers issued a rule limiting the number of bobbleheads given away at games to one per ticket holder to deter hoarders—and to help ensure that the fans actually stick around for the action.

"They're our most popular giveaway," says team spokesman Steve Brener. "We're trying to be fair to our fans."

But during the doll giveaway days, it can be tough to tell who the real fans are.

Ms. Connelly admits she isn't a baseball aficionado. She says she goes to the games to keep her husband company—and to bag a bobblehead. Explaining her postgame marketing efforts, she says, "I don't need extra crap lying around."

David Perahia of Torrance, Calif., has snatched up dozens of tickets for $2 bleacher seats at Dodgers Stadium just to get as many free bobbleheads in the image of popular former players like Sandy Koufax and Fernando Valenzuela. He then goes to his office to list them on his website, BobblesGalore.com, for as much as $100 apiece.

He started the business in 2001 because his collection of bobbleheads became too much for his wife to bear. "She said 'get these out of the house' and that's how I started selling them," he says.