Harrisburg, Penn. – Ollie’s Bargain Outlet, Inc. (Ollie’s), America’s largest retailer of closeout merchandise and excess inventory, became the verified Guinness World Records title holder for the World’s Largest Bobblehead, breaking the previous record set in 2016. Standing at 16 feet 6.73 inches tall, the fully functioning bobblehead is an oversized replica of Ollie, the company’s beloved mascot, and was created to help celebrate the retailer’s 40th birthday.
“For 40 years, we’ve been committed to offering huge deals on brand name merchandise, so we wanted to create something big to help honor our anniversary, and what better than a 16-foot bobblehead?” said John Swygert, president/CEO of Ollie’s.
According to Guinness World Records’ guidelines, the bobblehead had to be a replica of an already existing model, which Ollie’s sold as a promotional item and needed to be fully functional. From start to finish, the bobblehead creation process included 3D modeling, hand sculpting, carving, and painting, which took over four months to complete. A light-density foam material was used with a steel inner skeleton for support and a spring mechanism to create the bobbling motion of Ollie’s head. More than 10.5 gallons of paint were used to create a perfect, hand-sculpted replica of Ollie. The finished bobblehead weighs over 600 pounds compared to the 9.7-ounce original bobblehead.
“We’ve been anticipating this moment all year. To see this giant bobblehead come to life before our eyes and to have Guinness World Records at Ollie’s in Harrisburg today to officially announce that we broke the world record is absolutely thrilling,” said Swygert. “We see the World’s Largest Bobblehead as a beacon to bargain hunters everywhere that Ollie’s is the best place to save big on brand name merchandise at up to 70% off the fancy stores’ prices—not just on our birthday, but every day.”
The World’s Largest Bobblehead will reside at Ollie’s flagship store in Harrisburg, Penn.
