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Bobblehead collecting is serious business.

When I received an email inviting me to the Bobblecon kick-off event, my first thought was, “I’ve got to see this.”

So I headed to the Hibernian club in Akron, on Main Street.

Bobblecon is the creation of Pedro Avalos and is one of the events he coordinates along with his wife and business partner, Sara, through their company, Bobblehead Addicts.

This all started out as an idea to get Los Angeles Dodgers bobbleheads by trading the bobbleheads Pedro would get in this area. It turned into a Facebook group of almost 9000 buyers, sellers, and traders nationwide and regular events and meet-ups here in Akron.

Bobblehead Addicts has even partnered up with the Bobblehead Hall of Fame to create bobbleheads of their own. One of which was of Hiccups the Clown – a Dodgers superfan who is known for his charity work feeding the homeless of skid row and helping children fighting cancer. The first edition of this bobblehead sold out and is now rare, so they are releasing a second edition. It’s now available for presale.

Bobblecon even attracted one of the biggest bobblehead manufacturers in the country. Warren Royal, founder of Bobbleheads.com and Royal Bobbles made the trek to Summit County, Ohio all the way from Alpharetta, Georgia to hang out with the collectors. As a special treat, Warren brought prototypes, as yet unreleased models, and rare pieces to show off.

The collectors loved it!

I got a chance to talk with Pedro, Sara, and Warren and they shared their insights into collecting, creating, and what it’s like to be at Bobblecon.

Enjoy!

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