Socialist serves as a tool for capitalism
You’ve seen Bernie Sanders bundled up against the chilly Inauguration Day weather, his arms and legs crossed, hands in a pair of knitted mittens.
Thanks to clever Americans and their meme magic, you’ve also seen the Vermont senator, who refers to himself as a democratic socialist, sitting on a bench next to Forrest Gump, spending some solitary moments at Hopper’s “Nighthawks” diner and hanging out at Yalta with FDR, Churchill and Stalin.
Soon you can place him in a tableau of your choosing at home.
The National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum in Milwaukee has sprung into action.
“As soon as one of our employees alerted us to the viral pictures of Bernie, we checked out Twitter and knew we had to get to work,” said Phil Sklar,cofounder and CEO of the museum that opened in 2019. “We think this will be another fun bobblehead to put a smile on people’s faces.”
The online presale for the bobblehead ($25, plus $8 flat-rate shipping) has started. But shipments won’t start until May because while internet ingenuity is nearly instantaneous, manufacturing takes some time.
The size of the production run varies for each bobblehead.
“We’ll have a few weeks to gauge the final demand before we have to give a final quantity,” Sklar said. “Each one will be individually numbered.”
Also currently in production are bobbleheads of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris (both on one podium); Dr. Anthony Fauci (with a customer choice of Fauci in a lab coat or Fauci in his facepalm pose); first lady Jill Biden; and Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett.
Sklar said they’re nearly ready to ship the Mike Pence Fly bobbleheads. “We’re pretty close to selling out of that one, but will usually order some extras for orders that come in after production starts.”
Some sell better than others. The first Fauci bobblehead became the hall of fame’s bestseller. A previous Sanders bobblehead sold out. But former presidential contenders Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio have been discounted to $10.
A portion of proceeds from the sales of 2020’s coronavirus-themed bobbleheads, including Fauci and the Essential Heroes, was donated to the Protect the Heroes Campaign to purchase personal protection equipment for the nation’s health care workers. That effort netted $300,000 for the charity, Sklar said.
For details, go to: bobbleheadhall.com.