A bobblehead is basically a toy or collectible image that has an oversized head which wobbles on a spring connected to the torso of the toy or collectible image. Since the head wobbles or "bobbles", the term used to describe such a toy or collectible image became bobblehead.

Your collectible bobblehead may come in a variety of types – and the world of bobblehead collecting becomes more interesting as new and more unique types of bobblehead collectibles get created every day. For instance, if you are into sports, you might choose a bobblehead collectible representing someone from the NBA player pool, a bobblehead patterned after a US baseball player, and another bobblehead that was designed to look like an NFL football player. On the other hand, if you like TV shows, then you might be amused to get a bobblehead likeness of top businessman Donald Trump who stars in the reality TV show "The Apprentice."

Star Wars fans will be happy to know that there is now the Darth Vader bobblehead and a host of other bobbleheads which were designed after characters in that same movie series. If you are a religious type, surprise surprise! There are now bobbleheads made to represent key religious figures like Jesus, the Virgin Mary, Pope John Paul II, the current Pope who is Benedict XVI, and the Protestant preacher Billy Graham too. On a more irreverent note, you can also look for companies that will supply you a bobblehead of Homer Simpson, and bobbleheads of Beavis and Butthead.

Politically-inclined people may enjoy collecting a bobblehead of President Dwight Eisenhower, President Harry S. Truman, the Republican Party mascot (which is an Elephant), the Democratic Party mascot (which is a Donkey), Crown Prince William of the UK, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the Reverend Jesse Jackson, ex-Mayor Rudy Guliani, President Theodore Roosevelt, and the first President George Bush of the US.

Because a bobblehead is often considered a novelty item, it is not surprising that cartoon and comic-strip characters are made into bobbleheads or that bobblehead collections are often composed of cartoon and comic-strip characters. Futurama fans might want to snatch up their own Doctor Zoidberg bobblehead, Fry bobblehead, or Leela bobblehead so that their Bender bobblehead will not get lonely. Snoopy of the Peanuts comic strip has a loyal following, and so do the other Peanuts characters such as Woodstock, Lucy, and Charlie Brown. If you like the Looney Tunes characters a lot, then you could try collecting a bobblehead of Marvin the Martian, Yosemite Sam, Tweety Bird, Elmer Fudd, and of course the biggest cartoon hero there is – Bugs Bunny.

Celebrities have a special place in the hearts of both bobblehead makers and bobblehead collectors. You can aim to have the biggest collection of bobbleheads in your neighborhood simply by setting aside $15 per month for your next bobblehead purchase. Now, the choice of which celebrity bobblehead to buy depends on which celebrity you like. Some might aim to get a Marilyn Monroe bobblehead while others might want a James Dean bobblehead instead.

So long as there are creative bobblehead designers and manufacturers, and so long as people still like collecting bobbleheads, there will probably still be a market for new and unique bobbleheads in the near future.