Collecting bobbleheads is at an all-time high and if anyone tells you different is a complete asshole. The age of collectors are ever expanding from 8 years old to 70. I personally witnessed grown adults standing in line for 3 hours at Citi Field to receive their bobblehead in the soaking wet rain. Other stadiums such as Chicago (Cubs), Yankees, Cardinals are just as insane. The amount of messages I receive from young collectors explaining that their mom or dad can’t bring them to a game to get their bobblehead is enormous. On top of that, within the past several years I’ve seen a spike in women of all ages starting to collect. Pure evidence of a 55 year old man standing in line with a herniated disc in his back for 3 hours to obtain a bobblehead is the proof in the pudding. 

The hot “major” in college these days is graphic design and software programming. These college students with the technology we have today are so sophisticated it’s absurd. Fifteen years ago nobody ever heard of photoshop and these high tech software programs. The creativity will skyrocket to new limits for major companies to keep us collectors impressed. What I witnessed first hand at FOCO Headquarters and the amount of discourse the employees had for new ideas was breathtaking. I popped into the office of a graphic designer and he was creating different images, poses and designs for new bobbleheads and I had to catch my breathe. It was that advanced I was speechless. 

The fandom of collecting has not even reached the tip of the iceberg yet as the collectors we are, will continue to be more and more fascinated with future bobbleheads. The interest and the overall fandom of the bobbleheads we collect will surpass any sports or entertainment collectible that will ever hit the market. Period. 

At first thought you’re probably thinking how to Snipe bobbles from other Snipers. That’s not the case here. This is a learn blog. Let me explain. 

When you’re at a game you know I stress sniping prior to the game starting. Once that first pitch is thrown 90% of fans are in their seats ready to watch the game. This is why you get there early to snipe when people are walking around, getting food and bullshitting. Now, there are moments where there’s down time and this is where I want you to capitalize. If you’re new to sniping which I know a lot of you are, this is critical. Do yourself a favor and observe other Snipers. You know who they are. They are the guys looking shady eyeing everyone who walks by. These are the guys with multiple bags. Many of them stand like statues like a drug deal is about to go down. I want you to observe them. Watch their moves. Look how they approach fans. Pay attention to who they go up to. Look at their faces when they get rejected by a fan who wants to keep their bobblehead. Look at their body language. See if their confidence gets shattered when turned down. Observe what they do poorly and what they do correctly. Look at the type of bags they carry. See if they keep a watchful eye out for security guards. See if they run to the bathroom to organize their bobbles when they snipe a bunch. 

You can learn a lot from other Snipers. You may run into certain Snipers who clean up and can learn a thing or two from them. You can also observe a mistake they make and not make the same one. I often find myself eyeing many Snipers and some are good and some should have just stayed home. I remember one guy standing at a game looking so shady people were literally scared of him.  His approach and whole body language was totally off and I guarantee the best outcome for him was a bag of peanuts from the game. 

If you’ve been attending games this season and have not been doing well, I implore you to observe other Snipers. There’s plenty of bobbles to go around at these games and you can gather some very valuable tactics to use and what not to use. The learning process of Bobble Sniping is skill that can always improve no matter what game you attend. 

When Sniping at a game you need the proper materials in order to walk away knowing you gained some leverage. This blog only pertains to a no re-entry rule, meaning you cannot go back into the stadium with another ticket. When Sniping, you have to have to bring multiple bags. Whether it be a large backpack or some Marshalls shopping bag. If you’re Sniping solo, you gotta bring more than one bag. The bag has to be very sturdy because if it’s a cheap plastic team store bag, the handles will eventually rip. TJ Maxx and Marshalls have excellent shopping bags that can fit a a bunch of standard SGA bobblehead boxes. These particular bags have a foot long handle and are crazy weather proof. The one I have has lasted me a good 8 years now and it’s been through a ton of games. I can fit a good 16 bobbles in that bag and I do have a huge backpack that I can fit a bunch more in. Now, before you ask, bobblehead boxes vary in size. For example, the Game of Thrones Syndergaard bobblehead boxes were very large. At best, with my large backpack and Marshalls bag all I could fit was about 14. I rarely and I mean rarely, go out of the stadium to empty my bags and re enter. It’s just not worth my time and I really don’t need 20-30 bobbles anymore. 

Below is some pictures of some good sniping bags. The large backpack can be found on Amazon for under $23.00 and is well worth it. Plus you don’t have to carry it because it’s a fucking backpack! The Marshalls or TJ Maxx bags have funky designs on them. Some have flowers or Christmas quotes and what not. Bottom line, who gives a shit what it says. It’s there to serve a purpose and don’t think twice about looking cool with what your bag looks like. I’ve seen some top notch Snipers use a Marshalls bag and there were bright colored flowers on it. Remember, it does’t fucking matter “what” it looks like. And better yet, when you go to Marshalls or TJ Maxx, these bags will cost you $1.00 to buy. Yes, one dollar!

Overall, you don’t want a flashy bag as security always has an eye on everyone. If you carry one of these Marshalls bags and it’s full to the top, bring an extra sweatshirt or t-shirt and cover the top. The last thing you need is someone looking down and they see a shit ton of bobbles that are popping out of the top of your bag. Remember, the less attention the better. I’ve seen some shit where some cranky middle aged lady went up to security to point out a Sniper for having a bag full of bobbles and she bitched and moaned that she arrived late and didn’t get one. I’ve seen it happen and all that hard work can go away fast. Yes, I’ve seen security make people open their bags and they confiscated all but a few from the bag. The lesson here, cover the top of your bag. 

Lastly, when entering the ballpark, fold the Marshall or TJ Maxx bag and put it in a side pocket of the large backpack. Don’t go through the gates holding 2 or 3 bags. Security will immediately question why you have so many bags on a bobblehead giveaway game. And now that the Mets are prohibiting backpacks as of today, I now have to go back to the drawing board and devise a new plan. If you’re a Sniper who attends Mets games I’ll have a solution for you in a few days. I need to think.