The Virginian-Pilot
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The Navy’s SEAL Team 6 has joined the big-headed big time – as bobbleheads.
On the website of manufacturer Royal Bobbles (www.royalbobbles.com), the SEAL bobblehead is pictured just above Jesus Christ and right next to Uncle Sam and Sarah Palin.
“We’ve been doing American heroes,” said Warren Royal, company president. “We said, ‘You know what, we need to honor the Navy SEALs.’ ” The 9-inch-tall SEAL figure is ready for action, face half obscured by protective headgear and sporting what are described as “very realistic guns, details and combat gear.”
Some of that is artistic license because, as Royal pointed out, there aren’t many photos of the Virginia Beach-based SEAL team to go by.
The SEAL bobbleheads rank No. 187,637 on the Amazon.com best-sellers list. Customers who bought the SEAL Team 6 bobbleheads through that website also bought Thomas Paine and John Hancock.
Royal Bobbles makes many bobbleheads, mostly of a patriotic or political bent, but almost all of them are of recognizable individuals – John Wayne, Gen. George S. Patton Jr., 13 presidents, two different Sarah Palins.
Because the members of SEAL Team 6 are anonymous, the doll is a generic figure. So is the bobblehead Tea Party Patriot (from the 1773 Boston Tea Party – what tea party did you think they meant?).
Each Navy bobblehead sells for $19.95, and 10 percent of the total gross sales goes to the Navy SEAL Foundation. “We’ve always been big military supporters,” Royal said. “We wanted it to be an honor.”
Because SEAL Team 6 didn’t bobble its big job of getting Osama bin Laden, right?
Just nod your head.
Diane Tennant, (757) 446-2478, diane.tennant@pilotonline.com
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Sara Palin Yes, ST-6 Negative!
Bobble-heads are usually reserved for silly public figures. I see nothing silly about ST-6, nor do I think that any caricatures be made of any ST-6 warriors unless of course it's in the traditional toy form of a GI Joe.
It may be more appealing if 10% $$$ was donated to the foundation of Net sales! Gross sales include costs, so capitalizing on the popularity of our silent warriors should cost the company a-little more in profit since many have given their all!