Dr. Amy Acton Bobblehead with a Cause Unveiled
MILWAUKEE – This morning, the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum unveiled a bobblehead of Ohio’s Health Director, Dr. Amy Acton. The bobblehead is the first of the Buckeye State’s top public health official, who was called “the real MVP of Ohio’s coronavirus response” by Ohio House Minority Leader Emilia Sykes and “Ohio’s trusted face during the pandemic” by the Dayton Daily News.
The National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum will be donating $5 from every Dr. Acton Bobblehead sold to the Protect The Heroes fund in support of the 100 Million Mask Challenge. This is the same cause that the Hall of Fame and Museum has raised over $175,000 through the sale of bobbleheads featuring Dr. Fauci, Dr. Birx and four United States Governors. Within a week of being released on April 1st, the Dr. Fauci bobblehead surpassed Loyola Chicago’s Sister Jean to become the Hall of Fame and Museum’s best-selling bobblehead, and over 32,000 Dr. Fauci bobbleheads have been sold to date. Â
The Dr. Amy Acton bobbleheads are only available through the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum’s Online Store. They are $25 each plus a flat-rate shipping charge of $8 per order and will ship in July. On a base bearing her name, the bobblehead features Acton wearing a white lab coat and standing at a podium adorned with the state flag as she makes an announcement during a press briefing. The bobblehead of Acton joins the bobblehead of Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, which was released last week.
Determined to have the right person in charge during a crisis, Governor DeWine made Acton his final cabinet pick as director of the Department of Health after a lengthy search process in February of 2019. The first woman to occupy the post, the Youngstown, Ohio, native previously taught at Ohio State University as an associate professor of public health. She also worked at the Columbus Foundation as a grants manager and was the director of Project LOVE (Love Our kids, Vaccinate Early).
In response to the coronavirus pandemic, CNN referred to Acton as “the Buckeye State’s version of the straight-talking Dr. Anthony Fauci.” Acton advised DeWine, who became the first governor in the nation to shut down schools and limit gatherings to no more than 100 people, despite the fact that Ohio had only three confirmed cases at the time. Ohio was also the first state to shut down bars and restaurants when it had fewer than 40 confirmed cases. In addition, Acton was instrumental in the decision to postpone Ohio’s 2020 primary election, which was slated for March 17.
Acton, who predicted in early March that the COVID-19 outbreak will “be the thing this generation remembers,” received the Spirit of Columbus award on April 17. Columbus-based T-shirt manufacturer Homage released a T-shirt in March that paid tribute to Acton proclaiming, “Not all heroes wear capes.”
“Bobbleheads are the ultimate honor, and we think Dr. Acton deserves it given what she has done and continues to do for the state of Ohio and the country in the battle against COVID-19,” National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum co-founder and CEO Phil Sklar said. “After releasing the bobblehead of Governor DeWine, we received a lot of requests for a bobblehead of Dr. Acton, who has been instrumental in the continued fight against the coronavirus.”
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.