ST. GEORGE — To celebrate National Pickleball Day, the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum unveiled the first Pickleball Bobbleheads in the nation.
The first bobblehead features Kitchen the Pickleball Mascot, while the second is a Pickleball Bobble, the newest addition to the Sports Ball Bobble Series featured by the Milwaukee-based museum.
The announcement of their release coincides with National Pickleball Day, which is celebrated this year nationwide on Tuesday, Aug. 8. The special edition bobbleheads are being produced and distributed by the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum, according to a press release.
The Pickleball Bobble is the newest addition to the museum’s Sports Ball Bobble Series and joins previously released balls for baseball, basketball, football, golf, hockey, soccer and tennis.
The Pickleball Bobble is on a base that is a replica of a pickleball court. Designed by Melvin LeBlanc, Kitchen made his debut appearance at the Association of Pickleball Players Casa Grande Pickleball Open in December 2021.
The figurine has since become a staple on the professional tour and has a growing fan following. As for his name, Kitchen refers to the 7-foot zone on each side of the net on a pickleball court. The non-volley zone is more commonly referred to as “the kitchen” of a pickleball court. Players are not permitted to volley while standing in it. The kitchen rule exists to prevent a player from standing at the net and smashing every hit.
Pickleball has grown rapidly in popularity since its invention in 1965 in Washington state. In 2022, pickleball was adopted as the official state sport.
Pickleball was named the fastest-growing sport in the U.S. by the Sports and Fitness Industry Association in 2021, 2022 and 2023.
“We’re thrilled to be unveiling the first two Pickleball Bobbles on National Pickleball Day,” National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum co-founder and CEO Phil Sklar said. “The bobblehead of Kitchen and the Pickleball Sports Ball Bobble will be must-haves for pickleball players everywhere.”
Just last week, Cedar City celebrated its first public pickleball court openings with eight courts to play on near the skate park.
“Utah is a major cog in that,” Cedar City Leisure Services Director Ken Nielson said. “One of the reasons I love pickleball, it’s a wide variety, right? It’s got older folks. It’s got younger folks. It’s got families. I love the versatility that it brings, because it’s all people play, and I love that.”
High school pickleball players in Southern Utah have been forming clubs, as previously reported by St. George News, as the sport is not an option among those offered locally.
“There’s a lot of enthusiasm, but right now there’s only two high schools that have pickleball clubs, so we’re trying to get it going a little bit faster,” Dixie High School senior Ella Sophia Dunford said.
And last year, St. George News told the story of Utah’s Katy Luxem, who started the pickleball accessory business, Big Dill Pickleball Company, in Salt Lake City.
“We immediately fell in love with the sport, but the equipment was really boring,” she said of her early playing days. “Bland colors, boring styles — the paddles looked like the side of an old camper trailer.”
The National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum, located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, has been open since 2019. The museum also produces customized bobbleheads for retail sale, as well as organizations, individuals and sports teams across the country, according to their website.
Photo Gallery
The National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum unveiled a bobblehead of Jack Smith, the head of the United States Department of Justice’s investigation into former President Donald Trump, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, July 19, 2023 | Photo courtesy National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum, St. George News The National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum unveiled two bobbleheads for pickleball fans in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Aug. 8, 2023 | Photo courtesy National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum, St. George News The National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum unveiled in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, date unspecified | Photo courtesy National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum, St. George News The National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum unveiled two bobbleheads for pickleball fans in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Aug. 8, 2023 | Photo courtesy National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum, St. George News The National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, date unspecified | Photo courtesy National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum, St. George News
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