MILWAUKEE, WI – Recently, the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum announced that the Negro Leagues Centennial Bobblehead Series has been completed, with all 32 bobbleheads in stock now. The Centennial Team Series is comprised of 30 of the greatest African American and Cuban players from 1895-1947 as well as an owner and manager. The series was introduced and partially funded through a successful Kickstarter Campaign that concluded in January 2019 with a goal of delivering all bobbleheads by February 2020. The goal of the series is to honor and celebrate the league and its players, many of whom were never honored with a bobblehead, while also educating the public about the Negro Leagues and its players.
All 32 of the bobbleheads are now available in the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum’s online store as well as the Museum, while supplies last. The bobbleheads are $30 each with a flat rate shipping charge of $8 per order. In addition to the Hall of Fame and Museum, the bobbleheads are also available at the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri, the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, and from Dreams Fulfilled.
Each bobblehead in the series is individually numbered to 2,020 and comes in a collector’s box with a “back story” of the player. The bobblehead series is officially licensed by the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and was produced by the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum in conjunction with Dreams Fulfilled and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. Approvals have been received from all the identified estates of players featured in the series. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of each Negro Leagues bobblehead will go to the relatives of the Negro League players and the Negro League Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri.
The Negro League Centennial Team (1920-202 is comprised of 30 of the greatest African American and Cuban players from 1895-1947, as well as one team owner and a manager. Each player is depicted on a baseball-shaped base with a replica of Kansas City’s Paseo YMCA, the site where the Negro National League was organized on Feb. 13, 1920. The bobbleheads in the series are: Cool Papa Bell, Ray Brown, Roy Campanella, Oscar Charleston, Ray Dandridge, Leon Day, Martin Dihigo, Rap Dixon, Larry Doby, John Donaldson, Rube Foster, Josh Satchel Paige, Cannonball Dick Redding, Bullet Joe Rogan, Hilton Smith, Turkey Stearnes, Mule Suttles, Cristobal Torriente, Willie Wells, James Wilkinson, Smokey Joe Williams and Jud Wilson.
The players comprising the Negro League Centennial Team were announced at a special event at the Negro League Baseball Museum (NLBM) in Kansas City on December 12th, Bob Kendrick, President of the NLBM, announced the team in conjunction with Jay Caldwell, founder of Dreams Fulfilled, and the Kickstarter was launched. Within 24 hours, the Kickstarter Campaign reached the initial $10,000 goal, and it finished just above the final $75,000 stretch goal.
The Negro Leagues Centennial Celebration begins on February 13, 2020 with the opening of a special Centennial Art Exhibition featuring the stunning works of artist, Graig Kreindler. The exhibit will be a visual history of the Negro Leagues through a showcase over 200 original portrait studies commissioned by Seattle businessman and NLBM license, Jay Caldwell, owner of Dreams Fulfilled. The exhibition will also include rare artifacts from Caldwell’s personal collection. From August through the end of 2020, the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum will host a special exhibition featuring Kreindler’s works and rare artifacts from Caldwell’s collection.
“We are thrilled to commemorate a historic number of former Negro League players with bobbleheads, which are the ultimate honor,” said Phil Sklar, Co-Founder and CEO of the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum. “These are the first bobbleheads for over half of these players, and the bobbleheads will help ensure that their legacy and vital contribution to baseball and society is always remembered. We have been overwhelmed by the excitement for the series and are thrilled that all of the bobbleheads have arrived.”
Jay Caldwell, founder of Dreams Fulfilled stated. “The Negro League Centennial series is bringing long overdue recognition to player who were not only among the best to ever play the game, but also early civil rights pioneers who helped pave the way for integration in baseball and the country.
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