Bobblehead Collection Celebrating America’s 250th Birthday Unveiled

MILWAUKEE – This morning, to celebrate America’s 250th Birthday, the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum unveiled a series of 16 bobbleheads featuring key figures from America’s 250-year history. This group spans Founding Fathers and statesmen (Ben Franklin, Alexander Hamilton), groundbreaking inventors (Eli Whitney, Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Edison, Samuel Morse), abolitionists (Frederick Douglass, William Lloyd Garrison), women’s rights pioneers (Susan B. Anthony, Dr. Mary Edwards Walker), social reformers and educators (Dorthea Dix, Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet), patriotic flag makers (Betsy Ross, Mary Pickersgill), an industrialist-turned-philanthropist (Andrew Carnegie), along with a bobble of the founding document that started it all (The Declaration of Independence).

The special edition bobbleheads are being produced by the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum and are part of a series of bobbleheads being unveiled throughout the year to celebrate America’s 250th birthday. The new series, which marks the first bobblehead for ten of the individuals featured, joins many previously released patriotic bobbleheads including every President, over a dozen first ladies and many other key people and icons which are all available at this link.

The bobbleheads, which will each be individually numbered to 1,776, are now available for pre-order exclusively through the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum’s Online Store. Expected to ship in Decembers, the bobbleheads are range from $30 to $35 each plus a flat-rate shipping charge of $8 per order. The bobbleheads join many other patriotic and political bobbleheads produced by the Museum that can be found here with additional bobbleheads being added throughout the remainder of the year.

America’s 250th birthday, known as the Semiquincentennial, will be celebrated on July 4, 2026, marking two and a half centuries since the Declaration of Independence was adopted in 1776. This milestone anniversary promises to be one of the most significant patriotic celebrations in the nation’s history, with planning completed by the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission, which was established by Congress to coordinate nationwide commemorative activities. Communities across all 50 states are preparing elaborate festivities that will honor America’s founding principles, celebrate its diverse heritage, and reflect on the nation’s journey from 13 colonies to a global superpower. The celebration will feature historical reenactments, educational programs, cultural exhibitions, concerts, fireworks displays, and special ceremonies at iconic locations like Independence Hall in Philadelphia, the National Mall in Washington D.C., and landmarks throughout the country. Beyond the pageantry, the Semiquincentennial offers Americans an opportunity to engage in meaningful dialogue about the nation’s past achievements and future aspirations, encouraging civic participation and a renewed commitment to the democratic ideals that the Founding Fathers enshrined in the Declaration of Independence.

“We’re excited to take part in the celebrations of America’s 250th birthday through these new bobbleheads which feature a mix of important individuals who have played a role in America’s history,” National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum co-founder and CEO Phil Sklar said. “These bobbleheads will be a great way to commemorate the amazing achievements and legacies of these important individuals and celebrate our nation’s history.”

The bobbleheads being unveiled in this series are:

• Ben Franklin – Born January 17, 1706, in Boston, Massachusetts, Franklin was a Founding Father, inventor, and diplomat whose contributions include the lightning rod, bifocals, and a key role in drafting the Declaration of Independence and Constitution.
• Alexander Hamilton – Born January 11, 1755, on the island of Nevis in the British West Indies, Hamilton was a Founding Father who served as the first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and established the nation’s financial system.
• Eli Whitney – Born December 8, 1765, in Westborough, Massachusetts, Whitney invented the cotton gin in 1793 and pioneered interchangeable parts manufacturing, transforming American agriculture and industry.
• Susan B. Anthony – Born February 15, 1820, in Adams, Massachusetts, Anthony was a leading women’s suffrage activist whose decades of advocacy helped pave the way for the 19th Amendment.
• Alexander Graham Bell – Born March 3, 1847, in Edinburgh, Scotland, Bell invented and patented the telephone in 1876, revolutionizing long-distance communication.
• Frederick Douglass – Born into slavery on February 14, 1818, in Talbot County, Maryland, Douglass became a leading abolitionist, orator, and writer who championed civil rights and equality for all Americans.
• Thomas Edison – Born February 11, 1847, in Milan, Ohio, Edison was a prolific inventor who held over 1,000 patents, including for the practical incandescent light bulb and the phonograph.
• Dorthea Dix – Born April 4, 1802, in Hampden, Maine, Dix was a social reformer whose advocacy for the mentally ill led to the creation of more than 30 hospitals across the United States.
• Betsy Ross – Born January 1, 1752, in what is now Gloucester City, New Jersey, Ross was a Philadelphia seamstress and flag maker popularly credited with sewing the first American flag.
• Dr. Mary Edwards Walker – Born November 26, 1832, in Oswego, New York, Walker was a Civil War surgeon and the only woman ever to receive the Medal of Honor.
• William Lloyd Garrison – Born December 10, 1805, in Newburyport, Massachusetts, Garrison was an abolitionist who founded the influential antislavery newspaper The Liberator in 1831.
• Andrew Carnegie – Born November 25, 1835, in Dunfermline, Scotland, Carnegie built a steel empire before becoming one of history’s greatest philanthropists, funding over 2,500 public libraries.
• Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet – Born December 10, 1787, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Gallaudet founded the first permanent school for the deaf in North America in 1817.
• Samuel Morse – Born April 27, 1791, in Charlestown, Massachusetts, Morse invented the telegraph and Morse code, enabling instant long-distance communication for the first time.
• Mary Pickersgill – Born February 12, 1776, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Pickersgill sewed the Star-Spangled Banner flag that flew over Fort McHenry and inspired the U.S. national anthem.
• The Declaration of Independence – Adopted by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the Declaration of Independence formally announced the thirteen American colonies’ break from British rule and established the founding principles of American democracy.

About the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum:
The National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum, which is located at 170 S. 1st St. in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, opened to the public on February 1st, 2019. The HOF and Museum also produces high quality, customized bobbleheads for retail sale as well as organizations, individuals and teams across the country. Visit us online and on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.