Don’t miss out on the first Billie the Brownie bobblehead. Billie the Brownie is an elf-like character who embodied Christmas in the Milwaukee area from the 1920s to the 1950s and is still fondly remembered by many generations. Billie the Brownie has been a frequently requested bobblehead, and we’re excited to be able to offer this unique, new bobblehead just in time for the holidays.
In Milwaukee, brownies began to appear in Schuster’s Department Store advertisements and displays during the 1920s. By 1927, Billie the Brownie was featured in Schuster’s annual Christmas Parade. His popularity took off four years later when he became well-known for his daily 15-minute radio segment with Santa Claus and an Eskimo named Metik. They chatted about the holiday, read letters from local children to Santa and told Christmas stories. Originally presented as an advanced scout for Santa’s arrival in Milwaukee, Billie would communicate via shortwave radio with the North Pole to update Santa about local children and get the progress of toy production in Santa’s workshop.
Young children would rush home from school to listen to Billie the Brownie on the radio each weekday evening. Billie would encourage them to do their chores, brush their teeth, eat their vegetables, mind their parents, and write their Christmas “wish letter” to Santa. Kids all over the metro Milwaukee area would send letters to the radio station so that Billie would read them on air in the weeks leading up to Christmas. In 1947, WTMJ received 100,000 letters. You can learn more about Billie the Brownie here.
- In stock and ships now
- Bobblehead is high quality and produced by the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum
- 8 inches tall
- Individually numbered to 2,023