Bobblehead Hall of Fame unveils AAGPBL Bobbleheads

MILWAUKEE, WI – The morning of Friday, Aug. 17, the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum unveiled the first complete series of officially licensed, limited edition (All-American Girl Professional Baseball League) AAGPBL Bobbleheads. A bobblehead was produced for each of the 15 AAGPBL teams that played from 1943 to 1954, marking the first bobblehead for two-thirds of the teams. The AAGPBL gave over 600 women athletes the opportunity to play professional baseball and to play it at a level never before achieved.

The bobbleheads, which are individually numbered to only 500 for each team, are available for sale in the Hall of Fame and Museum online store individually or as a set. The bobbleheads cost $25 each. (There is a flat rate shipping charge of $8 per order.) A complete set is also available for $300. These bobbleheads are officially licensed by the AAGPBL.

The AAGPBL operated from 1943 to 1954 and represents one of the most unique aspects of our nation's baseball history. This year, the League is celebrating its 75th Anniversary, and former players, their families, and fans will gather in Kansas City, Missouri, September 6-9 for the League’s annual reunion.

Prior to this bobblehead series, bobbleheads representing only five of the 15 AAGPBL teams were produced. Those bobbleheads featured the Fort Wayne Daisies, Kalamazoo Lassies, Kenosha Comets, Peoria Redwings and Rockford Peaches.
The Rockford Peaches and South Bend Blue Sox were the only AAGPBL teams that played all 12 seasons.

The other inaugural teams were the Kenosha Comets (1943-1951) and Racine Belles (1943-1950). The Milwaukee Chicks and Minneapolis Millerettes both played during the 1944 season. In 1945, the Fort Wayne Daises and Grand Rapids Chicks joined the AAGPBL and played through the 1954 season. The Muskegon Lassies and Peoria Redwings joined in 1946 and played through the 1950 and 1951 seasons, respectively. The Chicago Colleens and Springfield Sallies played three seasons between 1948 and 1950. The Kalamazoo Lassies (1950-1954), Battle Creek Belles (1951-1952) and Muskegon Belles (1953) were the last three teams to join the league.

The 1992 fictional movie, A League of Their Own, staring Geena Davis, Tom Hanks, Madonna and Lori Petty, told the story of the League’s founding and play and brought renewed interest in the AAGPBL and the women who played professional baseball. The Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, has a section dedicated to the AAGPBL and women in baseball. 

"We are thrilled to partner with the AAGPBL to celebrate the league and its players with the first comprehensive series of AAGPBL bobbleheads ever produced,” said Phil Sklar, co-founder and CEO of the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum. “The women of the AAGPBL will forever be role models. These bobbleheads commemorate their tremendous contribution to sports and society. We are confident the bobbleheads will generate even more interest in the AAGPBL while inspiring women throughout the world to follow their dreams.”

The National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum is finishing set-up of its permanent location, which is expected to open in Fall 2018. The HOF and Museum was announced in November 2014 and hosted a Preview Exhibit in 2016. The HOF and Museum also produces high quality, customized bobbleheads for organizations, individuals and teams across the country.

Today, the AAGPBL Players Association is an active, nonprofit organization that promotes social activities and opportunities for its members. Its purposes are to research, collect, document, and preserve the history of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, and to disseminate educational information regarding the history of the League and its personnel.

**Foul language alert**