A:
Self-proclaimed "Happiest Mayor on Earth" and the 19th in the history of the City of Las Vegas, Oscar B. Goodman is a well-known self-promoter. In addition to being the first and only local politician to have his likeness on a range of casino chips (a limited-edition run of $5 and $25 dollar tokens for the Four Queens in 1999), appearing in episodes of "CSI" and "Las Vegas," and portraying himself in the movie Casino, he has also been immortalized in the form of -– we believe -– five different Bobble Head dolls. (While researching this answer we came across one source that claimed there’d been six, but we’ve been unable to find any evidence or details for the mysterious sixth. If you know of one that’s not on the following list, please let us know.)
- A 2002 likeness produced to promote Cashman Field and the Las Vegas 51s baseball team depicts the mayor in a pinstriped suit, standing on something resembling a soap box and brandishing a baseball bat. As with all the Goodman Bobble Heads, this was never available commercially; it was only given away as a promotional piece at a game in July 2002.
- Following the huge success of the first baseball doll, which saw crowds lining up around the block, a second Goodman baseball Bobble Head was produced and given away in August 2005. This one has Oscar in a 51s uniform standing on a patch of turf in the shape of the state of Nevada. One of these recently sold on eBay for $19.
- A third doll was also fabricated by the merchandizing department of the 51s, but had nothing to do with baseball. This one was a giveaway item for a fundraising dinner and reflects the mayor’s notorious penchant for gin: He's standing on a Bombay Sapphire (his favorite brand) podium and holding a martini glass in his hand. We spotted one of these dolls on eBay, minus the martini glass -– it had a starting price of $6.50, but was withdrawn without any bids being made.
- The fourth Goodman Bobble Head that we’re aware of was produced by Palace Station as part of a casino promotion. We did manage to secure a photograph of one of them but were unable to verify any further details about it, although we were informed that it was produced with the mayor’s approval.
- The fifth and final example we know of was commissioned earlier this year by Las Vegas City Councilman and Goodman associate Michael Mack. Like the Palace Station doll, it was produced by Monarch Promotions of Las Vegas, although again, aside from a picture, we’ve been unable to obtain any additional information about this doll.
All of these dolls were produced strictly in limited editions (1,000 – 2,500) and, bearing in mind the locations in which they were distributed, we assume that most stayed in the vicinity of Las Vegas. As noted above, they do occasionally come up for sale on eBay for reasonable prices, so it’s worth doing a search every now and then if you’re looking to own one.
Meanwhile, if you want to learn more about our mayor and his background, check out John L. Smith's biography Of Rats and Men, published by Huntington Press.
Photographs appear courtesy of the Merchandising Department of the Las Vegas 51s and Monarch Entertainment.
Baseball '02
Baseball '05
Martini head
More incarnations
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