BOBBLEHEADS A BIG HIT

The bobblehead is not only the most important and successful promotion for the teams that give them away — team officials across the league say they notice as much as a 5,000 attendance bump on bobblehead giveaway games — it’s also a status symbol for players.

“It’s an honour,” said Jays catcher J.P. Arencibia, who will be immortalized in plastic this year alongside Edwin Encarnacion and Brett Lawrie.

“I’ve grown up with the Blue Jays, it’s the only organization I’ve known – and hopefully I will ever know – so it’s pretty cool to be able to have a bobblehead.”

The bobblehead designers consult with the players before recreating their likenesses. They discuss all the finer details, from accessories to facial hair. For the record, Arencibia’s bobblehead will have a beard. So will Edwin Encarnacion’s, which will be given out April 21 and is the only figurine already completed. “It’s scary how much it looks like him,” Arencibia said. The Jays’ first baseman said he wasn’t picky about the design, but they nailed his chinstrap stubble. “It’s perfect.”

Jays’ senior vice-president Stephen Brooks says the team typically sees an attendance spike of “several thousand” on bobblehead giveaway games.

For Lawrie, this bobblehead stuff is old hat. He had his first back when he was a minor leaguer in the Milwaukee Brewers’ farm system.

“It’s not a really big deal to me; it’s just a bobblehead. But I’m sure it’ll look cool.”