Bobblehead Graveyard
 via @ParkerSports |
 via @darrenrovell |
Not every bobblehead gets to see the light of day. Some even get made, but are subsequently canceled. The reasons vary. Sometimes it is due to scheduling conflicts, like when COVID-19 hit and several were never handed out, or even rescheduled. Other times, players get traded, or have a scandal. The funniest ones are when the bobblehead is made, but the end product isn’t quite appropriate. Here’s a running list of ones that have been canceled, and at the very best, remade. We’ll be expanding on this later with photos and more information. You can view more of them here.
| Team | Name | Date | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tampa Bay Devil Rays | Jason Tyner | 6/2/2002 | He had been demoted to the minors five days prior to the giveaway. |
| Baltimore Orioles | Brian Roberts | 7/15/2006 | A manufacturing error made his skin too dark. It was replaced with a new one. |
| Toronto Blue Jays | Frank Thomas | 5/25/2008 | He was traded from Toronto to Oakland a month earlier. |
| New York Yankees | Snoopy | 9/25/2013 | After years of other Snoopy-related giveaways, the Yankees replaced it with Charlie Brown. |
| Boston Red Sox | David Ortiz | 4/7/2014 | This looked like a racist caricature and was replaced with a new one. |
| Washington Nationals | Jayson Werth | 8/30/2015 | His walk-off home-run bobblehead was scary looking and was replaced with a new one. |
| Miami Marlins | Billy the Marlin | 9/4/2015 | The Billy the Marlin Stormtrooper bobblehead was replaced by a t-shirt. |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | Francisco Liriano | 9/10/2016 | (Canceled/traded away) |
| Toronto Blue Jays | Zach Britton | 4/1/2017 | This was an April Fools' joke, as a blogger said the Blue Jays were trying to increase ticket sales by giving out an Orioles bobblehead. |
| Philadelphia Phillies | Pete Rose | 8/11/2017 | Allegations surfaced that Rose had a sexual relationship in the 1970s with a girl before she turned 16. |
| Boston Red Sox | J.D. Martinez | 4/24/2020 | Never handed out at the stadium due to COVID. |
| Houston Astros | Yordan Alvarez | 4/24/2020 | Never handed out due to COVID. Rookie of the Year. |
| Altoona Curve | Bryan Reynolds | 5/9/2020 | This was cancelled due to COVID-19 of Bryan 'Not Ryan' Reynolds as Ant Man. |
| Tampa Bay Rays | Tampa Bay Rays Audio Bobbleheads | 5/9/2020 | Most of these were canceled due to COVID-19. One was handed out and the other was canceled for a different reason. |
| Cincinnati Reds | Sonny Grey | 5/16/2020 | Never handed out at the stadium due to COVID. |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | Josh Bell | 7/4/2020 | Never handed out at the stadium due to COVID, but given to Season Ticket Holders. He's fishing. |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | Trevor Williams | 8/4/2020 | Never handed out at the stadium due to COVID. |
| Tampa Bay Rays | Willy Adames | 6/9/2021 | He was traded to the Brewers a few weeks prior to his giveaway. This was an audio bobblehead. |
| L.A. Dodgers | Trevor Bauer | 8/19/2021 | A woman alleged that Bauer sexually assaulted her. The case was settled in 2023. |
| Kansas City Royals | Andrew Benintendi | 8/23/2022 | He was traded to the Yankees a month before this giveaway. |
| Kansas City Royals | Michael A. Taylor | 8/24/2022 | He was part of a dual bobblehead with Andrew Benintendi, but Benintendi was traded so they were canceled. |
| Cleveland Guardians | Franmil Reyes | 9/3/2022 | Reyes was waived and clamed by the Cubs, so his bobblehead night was canceled. Several fans still got it, though. |
| San Diego Padres | Fernando Tatis Jr. | 9/7/2022 | Canceled after he failed a PED test. Changed to a Juan Soto City Connect shirsey giveaway. |
| L.A. Dodgers | Julio Urias | 9/21/2023 | Urias was arrested a few weeks earlier and kicked off the team before this bobblehead was handed out. |