Sister Jean’s bobblehead is getting a remake: ‘She essentially has become her own brand’

Sister Jean’s bobblehead is getting a remake: ‘She essentially has become her own brand’ By Phil Thompson
Loyola Ramblers merchandise has been selling briskly, with some fans scouring sites like Etsy and eBay to find vintage items, but there’s one collectible that’s the Holy Grail: the Sister Jean bobblehead.
And it’s making a comeback.
If you didn’t get one at team chaplain Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt’s bobblehead night in February 2011, and 2015, you were probably out of luck.
“We’re looking at doing another run very soon,” Tom Sorboro, senior associate athletic director for external operations, said via email from Atlanta, where the Ramblers will face seventh-seeded Nevada Thursday night.
“At this point, everything Sister Jean-related is of tremendous interest. She essentially has become her own brand. … When people hear about the bobbleheads the first question they ask is, ‘Where can I buy one?’ … We’re hoping to be able to answer that question with something other than ‘Nowhere, right now,’ very soon.”
Sorboro didn’t specify a timeline.
(Update: Loyola’s University’s Museum of Art at 820 N. Michigan Ave. received three cases of Sister Jean bobbleheads on Wednesday, according to museum docent Celeste Nair.)
Meanwhile, Ramblers merchandise has seen a 500 percent spike in sales on Fanatics.com over the past week, outpacing the other 15 teams remaining in the NCAAtournament, the company announced. Fanatics is one of the NCAA’s licensed apparel and product retailers and operates on-site retail for nearly 50 pro and college partners.