"It's why they never look like the person they're supposed to depict," said Andrew Malone, 28, who purportedly sold his likeness to several of the major bobblehead manufacturers, beginning in 1999, when he was just 20.
According to Malone, he was approached by an industry agent who saw him walking his dog in an East Orange park in the summer of '99.
"He told me I had the perfect bobblehead face -- round, plump, and generic in expression," Malone explained in an exclusive interview. "And he said I could make a lot of money in royalties if I would agree to sell my face, essentially."
Malone did just that, and his head was cast into a mold -- a mold that, he says, has been used to produce "millions" of bobblehead dolls, supposedly of various sports and entertainment stars.
Malone (above) claims to be the model for all bobbleheads, like the ones on top
"All they do is change the hair and skin and eye color, and of course, the uniform. Sometimes they have to stretch the head or make it more round. But it's my face," Malone said.
He appears to not be afraid of the repercussions of his admission.
"I've made my money," Malone says. "I just can't stand seeing all these fans being duped any longer. Especially the kids."
Not surprisingly, Malone's comments were met with sharp and swift rebuttal by at least one bobblehead manufacturer.
"Total nonsense," says Artie Hankins, owner of Bobble Cast, based in Connecticut. "This Malone kid is just looking for his 15 minutes of bobblehead fame."
However, Hankins did acknowledge that bobblehead dolls struggle with their likenesses.
"It's an art in development," he says. "We're still trying to get it right."
Not so, according to Malone.
"It's my face. Period. Anything they try to feed you is baloney."
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