On June 24, 2023, at home versus the Milwaukee Brewers, the Cleveland Guardians honored Andres Gimenez with a bobblehead giveaway. It ended up being a strange experience (we can't speak for everyone, since we were only in one section of the ballpark) because, upon arrival, many folks (some irate) wanted to exchange their bobbleheads. You will note that, with this particular bobble, the player's right arm is raised for a throw and is very close to the helmet.
We are not sure what the manufacturing issue was, but the ensuing problem became clear when we opened our bobble. There were two oversized pieces of Styrofoam mashed in with the bobble -- one between the molded plastic shell behind the arm, and a second piece wedged between the arm and the batting helmet.
The guess is that at the plant in China, the arm may have come into contact with the helmet, causing damage and/or breaking the arm after a second piece of Styrofoam was added. (Some folks at the game were claiming their bobble was broken and were demanding replacement). Anyway, not only did this second piece of Styrofoam increase the likelihood of breakage from the added stress, but it also distorted the plastic shell, making it almost impossible to close the box (though they somehow managed). When we got home from the game, we relieved the stress by wrapping the arm in very thin Styrofoam to cushion the arm between the arm and the helmet. It's all good NOS (New Old Stock). However, if the condition of the shell is critical to you, this shell -- close to the player's head -- is permanently distorted (see photo). We're guessing this might be pretty scarce someday, since many of these will probably be floating around with broken arms...
We wonder what management did to quell the angry fans at the game.
Check out the photos and see what you think. Made in China.
Thanks for dropping by and visiting.
JTC31-06242301 (JVT 1 E 0)
