Are Bobbleheads Just A Passing Fad?
Because it often occurs with niche products with a growing market, one frequently asks if they are a fad, which will pass away shortly after.
Bobbleheads are no exception to this. The last few years have seen quite a few players popping up within this industry, all with highly equivalent offerings along with a similar strategy, appealing to the particular fun-seeking nature of potential clients, the customized nature of the product as well as the element of novelty.
In discussions with some friendly competitors, the question is often posed of how long will customized bobbleheads retain their own novelty standing, before they become popular, and eventually commoditized.
Thought it was worth composing a few lines on the subject, given that we with 3D Small Me tend to be firm followers that customized bobbleheads, and figurines in general will not follow that lifecycle.
To begin with, customized bobbleheads cannot loose their novelty status, simply because they aren’t new. There’s records dating centuries back, which show them being made out of bamboo, within regions of China and Japan (note just how this also discredits Any web site claiming they make THE original bobblehead. There really isn’t any such factor). If we extend the concept towards the general idea of personalized figurines, then you’ll find people have been making little statues of one another as long as we’ve existed.
Secondly, customized bobbleheads are very unlikely to get mainstream because of their process. They tend to be cumbersome to create. Understanding just what the client would like, asking for more details, the hard physical work involved, the standard checks and also margin for error ensure it is that no big players in the playthings and collectibles industries want to touch bobbleheads. To all of them it is considered too much headache. They’re often correct too…!
Advancements in quick prototyping technologies might make part of this process easier, namely the production, however they are still not advanced enough, nor is making a customized bobblehead top of thoughts on just about anyone’s head with regards to making a customized item.
Therefore in a way, exactly the same reasons which prevent Bobble Heads from becoming a huge market are the ones in which prevent these from heading extinct after their fad has passed.
There is one further idea, and it’s also the versatility of bobbleheads as a gift, and also what it symbolizes. If we take the example of using them as wedding cake toppers, we can conclude that as long as people are planning a wedding, and as long as you will find wedding partners that want their own wedding to become a bit cool or fun, a bobble head cake topper will be something which they’re attracted to. Now we haven’t checked the marriage demographics, yet chances are that wedding ceremonies are not diminishing. Nor are graduations, retirements, goodbyes for instance. Birthdays and also anniversaries are incredibly safe.
We feel as long as special occasions are there, some thing as personal as a bobbehead will usually have a spot alongside special gifts to big surprise and entertain people you like.
In an age in which it is difficult to discover a gift for individuals that already have it all, a personalized bobblehead is unlikely to become a buzz that ends.