Custom bobblehead: the guide to big head figurines

The word bobblehead joins “bobble” and “head”: originally, a figure whose head sits on a spring and nods at the slightest bump. Many people picture the ones handed out at baseball games, others the nodding dog on the back shelf of a car. Today, the word often covers any figurine with an oversized head, whether it moves or not. At FIGU we keep the two apart: Big Head is the style, and bobblehead is the option where that head sits on a spring.

Three families look alike from a distance and often get mixed up:

• the custom bobblehead, or big head figurine: the whole head is enlarged, and the features stay those of the person;
• the caricature, which exaggerates one feature, the nose, the chin, the ears;
• the Pop-style figure, with a stylized face and the same round eyes for everyone.

The difference matters. A caricature hunts for the feature that gets a laugh, and it can sting if it lands on the wrong one. A Pop-style figure relies on a shared graphic look, so the likeness comes mostly through hair and clothes, while the faces look almost the same.

FIGU’s Big Head belongs to the first family. Only the proportion changes: the face, hair, clothes and accessories stay those of your photo.

A big head draws the eye to where likeness is decided: the face. On a small figurine with natural proportions, the face is barely bigger than a fingernail. Enlarged, it lets you read the expression, the laugh lines, the three-day stubble, the earrings.

These proportions also recall cartoon characters and small children. They touch people as much as they amuse them, which is why a big head rarely offends: nobody is being mocked for anything in particular. The godfather who’s never without his cap, the colleague with the red glasses, the brother who gives a double thumbs-up in every photo: you recognize them instantly, and they’re the first to laugh.

A practical tip: choose the photo for the expression first and the outfit second; it doesn’t have to be technically perfect. The enlarged head amplifies whatever the face shows. A stiff passport-photo face gives a well-behaved figurine; a fit of giggles on a patio gives a figurine that laughs. Remember too that a FIGU is made from a single photo: you can upload several and choose the one to work from, but they aren’t combined.

Then there’s the question of tone. For a tribute, a solemn keepsake or someone who hates being teased, the Classic style with natural proportions is the better fit. Where it will live matters too: cheeky suits a desk at the office, gentler suits a living room sideboard.

Big Head comes in four heights, base included. 12 cm fits in one hand, 15 cm stands beside a photo frame, 20 cm, the size we recommend, finds its place without getting in the way, and 25 cm becomes a showpiece where every detail can be read. Our size guide shows them side by side, next to a book.

The small size has its fans, for a desk or a shelf that’s already full; just keep in mind that it always has a fixed head. For a group, think big: up to 13 people and 4 pets fit on one base, as long as they’re all in the same photo, and the more people there are, the more room a taller size leaves for each face.

Then comes the choice of head.

Fixed head

Attached to the body, it’s the standard finish. It suits a piece that gets picked up often, carried around or passed from hand to hand.

Bobblehead

Mounted on a spring, the head nods as soon as someone brushes the figurine or the furniture. The bobblehead option starts at 15 cm; at 12 cm the head is always fixed. You can’t see the spring on the finished piece. You pick the option next to the height once your preview is on screen, with a small extra charge per person that you see before ordering.

Big Head suits people who can laugh at themselves, and the friends who love laughing with them. It works especially well when several people watch the unwrapping:

• a coworker’s leaving party, where they head home with their own likeness perched on the box of desk belongings;
• a childhood friend’s thirtieth or fortieth birthday, based on the photo from that trip everyone still talks about;
• a bachelor or bachelorette party (a stag or hen do in the UK), in the outfit of the day;
• Christmas with the family, for the grandpa who loves being the center of attention (order by 4 December);
• a treat for yourself, for your desk or your hallway.

The working world is a playground of its own: the scrubs, the hard hat, the chef’s jacket or the club jersey say everything about a job or a passion. Our guide to the farewell gift for coworkers gathers ideas by profession and hobby, and many of them are at their best as a Big Head. Still looking for the holidays? There are more ideas in our personalized Christmas gift guide.

Big Head works very well for couples too, especially when the two love teasing each other; see our guide to the custom couple figurine. For a more serious gift, a milestone anniversary or a keepsake of someone dear, our guide to the custom figurine from photo presents the Classic style and the whole process, from photo to delivery.

The same idea, a head in the person’s likeness, also comes on two everyday objects: a bottle opener and a wine stopper. You don’t put them on a shelf, you use them at a barbecue or over drinks, and that’s exactly their charm.

A few simple rules set them apart from the figurine. They carry only a head, so the photo must show one person alone, with no pet. They have no pose, no outfit, no base and no size to choose: they measure 11 cm (4.3 inches) in all, head and metal part together. What counts is the face, and edits focus on it: “make me smile,” “take off my glasses,” “darker hair.” The preview stays free, just as it does for a figurine.

The bottle opener is the gift for the barbecue king or the best man. The wine stopper delights the wine lover who already owns every corkscrew, a classic case of a gift for someone who has everything. Bought together, they make our happy hour deal: the pair costs less than the two bought separately. Nobody says both need the same face: the stopper can be for her and the opener for him.

To create them, upload a photo where the person is alone: both objects are offered alongside the figurines, and again in your cart if the idea comes to you later.

Whether you go for a custom bobblehead or a Big Head with a fixed head, the figurine keeps what makes someone recognizable, face, hair and clothes, and only changes the proportion. That’s why it’s funny without being mean. Choose a photo where the expression truly fits the person, a size that suits the spot where it will live, then a fixed head or a bobblehead.

You see the free preview before you pay, and your first creation doesn’t even need an account. You can edit it in one sentence, up to 5 times per creation (a free account covers the extra edits), and the workshop only starts once you’ve approved it. Big Head starts at €69.99, with free delivery, and takes 10 to 14 days from order to delivery. Curious to see your photo as a Big Head? Create my FIGU.