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Phillies to Give Away First 5-doll Babooshkah Set to Feature Different Players

This Sunday is your chance to be part of that tribute to teamwork as the Phillies give away the latest Babooshkah doll to the first 20,000 fans to enter Citizens Bank Park in the 8:00 p.m. game against St. Louis. From the creative minds at Bensussen Deutsch & Associates (BD&A) -- the same guys who fueled the recent bobblehead craze -- this hot new trend has taken sports collectible enthusiasts by storm this summer.

    "We really think this item will be well received. It's similar to a bobbing head as it depicts our players in a unique way, but it's so much more because we can feature five of our players and not just one," said Scott Brandreth, Phillies Merchandise Manager.

    Major League Baseball teams across the country agree. Since its debut at a Texas Ranger's game in May, the Babooshkah has created quite a stir in the sports collectible world. Average attendance at a Kansas City game that featured a George Brett Babooshkah rose 30%. Bids on eBay for the Barry Bonds Babooshkah peaked at $60. In fact, last week's Tony Gwynn Babooshkah was the largest of the year with fans clamoring to get one of the 41,000 dolls depicting their hometown hero.

    "We are thrilled to bring the Babooshkah(TM) to a town known for its passionate fans," says Jay Deutsch, president and chief executive officer of BD&A. "When we sit down to design a new collectible, it is always with the fans in mind. We see promotions like the Babooshkah as a tribute to some of the game's greatest players and we want to be sure they meet the high demands of their fans."

    The Babooshkah(TM) is accompanied with a Certificate of Ownership sized to match the dimensions of a baseball card. Each certificate is sequentially numbered for added value. But part of excitement behind the Babooshkah is its name.

    "The Babooshkah is definitely the hottest new promotion," said Deutsch. "We have not seen lines like this at stadiums since the Beanie Babies or bobbleheads!"

    Though these Russian nesting dolls are more commonly known as "matryoshka" dolls, BD&A trademarked them as Babooshkahs to echo the endearing sentiment the term has in Russian as it has evolved from the literal translation of "grandmother" or "scarf." It captures the same kind of affection fans have for their favorite sports stars.

    This Sunday's Babooshkah is the first chance Philadelphia fans will have to get their hands on what many are calling "the next bobblehead." 

 About BD&A

    BD&A, the country's first full-service merchandise agency, extends brands for Fortune 1000 companies around the world with custom, three-dimensional merchandise-based marketing campaigns. With 2002 revenues exceeding $100 million, the Woodinville, Washington-based company is the leading promotional merchandise agency in the United States and employs nearly 250 in 14 locations nationwide. 

BD&A's extensive client list includes some of the world's most recognized brands including adidas, Agilent Technologies, AOL, Bank of America, Dell, Delta Air Lines, DreamWorks, Eli Lilly and Company, ExxonMobil, Microsoft, Nintendo, Pepsi, Texas Instruments and Yahoo. 

Additionally, as the number one in-stadium sports promotion agency in the United States, BD&A provides merchandise and promotions for the NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB. The Bobblehead and the rally rag are two of the more popular sports crazes they are responsible for fueling. For more information, visit the BD&A Web site at www.bdainc.com.

- Business Wire
Aug. 15, 2003