Hershey Bears Teddy Bear Toss Bobblehead with a Cause Unveiled

MILWAUKEE – This morning, the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum unveiled an officially licensed Hershey Bears Teddy Bear Toss Bobblehead. The bobblehead celebrates the Hershey Bears world-famous Teddy Bear Toss, and the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum will be donating $5 from every bobblehead sold to the Hershey Bears Cares initiative that the Teddy Bear Toss supports. The special edition bobblehead is being produced exclusively by the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum, an official licensee of the American Hockey League.

Standing on an ice-textured base, the bobblehead features the Hershey Bears’ mascot Coco the Bear holding a bobbling teddy bear with teddy bears also covering the ice-textured base. Each bobblehead is individually numbered to 2,024 and they are only available through the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum’s Online Store. The bobbleheads, which are expected to ship in July, are $40 each plus a flat-rate shipping charge of $8 per order.

One of the best traditions in sports, the Hershey Bears have collected 464,107 stuffed toys since the inception of the annual Teddy Bear Toss in 2001. Fans throw stuffed animals onto the ice following Hershey’s first goal of the game. In the latest Teddy Bear Toss on Sunday, January 7^th, at GIANT Center, Bogdan Trineyev sent the fur flying with his goal 4 minutes, 15 seconds into the second period against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. A record 75,599 stuffed toys were collected, breaking the previous record of 67,309 set in 2023. “Let the sweet, cuddly mayhem commence!” Bears play-by-play voice Zack Fisch yelled after the goal. “Bogdan Trineyev scores the Teddy Bear Toss goal! It’s plush pandemonium in Hershey!” January 7^th also happens to be National Bobblehead Day, making this a fitting celebration of the record-breaking accomplishment.

The stuffed animals were donated to more than 35 local charities as part of the club’s Hershey Bears Cares program, which showcases the philanthropic activities and volunteer efforts of Bears players and staff members throughout the community. Organizations that benefit include Catherine Hershey Schools, Vista Autism Services, Harrisburg School District, Cocoa Packs, Hershey Food Bank, Helping the Harrisburg Family, Palmyra Lions Club, Milton Hershey School, and Autism Society Great Harrisburg Area. In addition, the Sweigart Family Foundation donated $55,000 to Children’s Miracle Network Hershey in recognition of the generosity shown by Bears fans.

The most successful franchise in the history of the American Hockey League, the Hershey Bears won their 12th championship in 2023 after defeating the Coachella Valley Firebirds in seven games in the Calder Cup Finals. The team also won titles in 1947, 1958, 1959, 1969, 1974, 1980, 1988, 1997, 2006, 2009, and 2010. The Bears captured their first championship since 2010 when forward Mike Vecchione became the first player in AHL history to score a sudden-death overtime goal in Game 7 of a Calder Cup Finals, clinching the championship at 16:19 of overtime.

The Bears have a long and storied franchise history in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Chocolate manufacturer Milton S. Hershey first established the “Hershey Hockey Club” in 1932 to manage professional hockey teams based in Hershey, and the Bears were officially founded for the 1938-39 season when the Canadian-American Hockey League and the International Hockey League merged to form the eight-team International-American Hockey League, now known as the AHL. The Bears have played in Hershey for their entire existence, making the franchise the longest continuously operating AHL member club still located in its original city.

The National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum also produced bobbleheads celebrating the team’s 2023 Calder Cup championship, and those bobbleheads are in stock and ready to ship. Two versions are available with Coco the Bear wearing a brown jersey and white jersey. A special edition bobblehead commemorating the organization’s 12 Calder Cup championships, which are the most in the history of the American Hockey League, recently arrived and ship now.

“We are thrilled to produce this bobblehead commemorating what has become one of the best traditions in sports,” National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum co-founder and CEO Phil Sklar said. “The wildly popular Hershey Bears Teddy Bear Toss shows that Hershey fans are among the most passionate and giving in the AHL. This bobblehead is a must-have for everyone who has taken part in this fun tradition, and we hope it will raise even more money and awareness for a great cause.”

About the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum:
The National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum, which is located at 170 S. 1st St. in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, opened to the public on February 1st, 2019. The HOF and Museum also produces high quality, customized bobbleheads for retail sale as well as organizations, individuals, and teams across the country. Visit us online and on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.