Patent Publication Number: US-7722431-B2

Title: Customizable wobble objects

Description:
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/462,931 filed Apr. 15, 2003. 

   FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates to toy figurines and more particularly, to customizable wobble heads. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   Bobblehead dolls are popular toy figurines, which feature a mounted head that allows movement. It is common for the head to be connected with a spring, which allows random movement in limited directions. This movement is frequently termed as bobbing or bobbling. 
   The bobblehead dolls are typically small ceramic, resin, or plastic cast stationary bodies with spring mounted distinctive heads featuring the likenesses of a variety of stars (e.g., sports, movie, rock, historic persons). The motion in the toy figurines is supplied by a vertically mounted spring, most often attached in or as a neck under a hollow bobbling head. Recent updates to the bobblehead dolls include a plastic portrait window mounted in place of the face. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The following presents a simplified summary of the invention in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the invention. This summary is not an extensive overview of the invention. It is intended to neither identify key or critical elements of the invention nor delineate the scope of the invention. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of the invention in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later. 
   In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, a mounting assembly for an image is provided. The mounting assembly includes a first mounting plate and a spring secured to the first mounting plate. The spring is positioned substantially perpendicular with respect to the first mounting plate. An image, which can be customized, is secured to the first mounting plate. 
   In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a mounting assembly for an image is provided. The mounting assembly includes a cam provided within a cam housing, wherein a portion of the cam projects from a first side of the cam housing; a mounting plate coupled to the portion of the cam that projects from the cam housing; and an image secured to a second side of the cam housing. 
   In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention, a wobble head doll is provided, which includes a body; and at least one image coupled to the body via at least one spring extending substantially perpendicular between a vertical plane of the body and a vertical plane of the image, such that the image can be activated manually by a light touch and inertia takes over darting the head/image from side to side in a wobble/wiggle type motion. 
   In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention, a kit for creating wobble objects is provided. The kit includes paper for printing a desired image; and a mounting assembly to secure to a back side of the image, wherein the mounting assembly includes at least one mounting plate and at least one spring secured to the mounting plate in a substantially perpendicular manner. 
   The following description and the annexed drawings set forth in detail certain illustrative aspects of the invention. These aspects are indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principles of the invention may be employed and the present invention is intended to include all such aspects and their equivalents. Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the drawings. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a perspective view of a mounting assembly for a wobble head in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. 
       FIG. 2  illustrates a side view of the mounting assembly of  FIG. 1  in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. 
       FIG. 3  illustrates a side view of the mounting assembly of  FIG. 1  in accordance with another aspect of the present invention. 
       FIG. 4  illustrates a side view of a wobble head doll in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. 
       FIG. 5  illustrates a front view of a wobble head doll in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. 
       FIG. 6  illustrates a front view of another wobble head doll in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. 
       FIG. 7  illustrates a side view of the wobble head doll of  FIG. 6  showing multi level/multi wobble elements in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. 
       FIG. 8  illustrates a front view of an example of a wobble head doll design in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. 
       FIG. 9  illustrates a front view of another example of a wobble head doll design in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. 
       FIG. 10  illustrates a front view of another example of a wobble head doll design in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. 
       FIG. 11  illustrates a front view of another example of a wobble head doll design in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. 
       FIG. 12  illustrates a front view of another example of a wobble head doll design in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. 
       FIG. 13  illustrates a perspective view of a base having one slot in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. 
       FIG. 14  illustrates a perspective view of a base having two slots in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. 
       FIG. 15  illustrates a perspective view of a base having a plurality of slots in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. 
       FIG. 16  illustrates a perspective view of a stepped base having a plurality of slots in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. 
       FIG. 17  illustrates a perspective view of a multi layered wobble head configuration in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. 
       FIG. 18  illustrates a perspective view of a base in accordance with another aspect of the present invention. 
       FIG. 19  illustrates a perspective view of a base in accordance with another aspect of the present invention. 
       FIG. 20  illustrates a perspective view of a base in accordance with another aspect of the present invention. 
       FIG. 21  illustrates a perspective view of a base in accordance with another aspect of the present invention. 
       FIG. 22  illustrates a perspective view of a base in accordance with another aspect of the present invention. 
       FIG. 23  illustrates a perspective view of a base in accordance with another aspect of the present invention. 
       FIG. 24  illustrates a perspective view of a base in accordance with another aspect of the present invention. 
       FIG. 25  illustrates a side view of a rotatable wobble head doll in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. 
       FIG. 26  illustrates a perspective view of an action wobble assembly in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. 
       FIG. 27  illustrates a cross sectional view of the action wobble assembly of  FIG. 26  in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. 
       FIG. 28  illustrates a side view of the action wobble assembly of  FIG. 26  in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. 
       FIG. 29  illustrates a perspective view of an action wobble assembly in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. 
       FIG. 30  illustrates a perspective view of a mounting assembly for a wobble image in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. 
       FIG. 31  illustrates a perspective view of another mounting assembly for a wobble image in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. 
       FIG. 32  illustrates a perspective view of another mounting assembly for a wobble image in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. 
       FIG. 33  illustrates a perspective view of another mounting assembly for a wobble image in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. 
       FIG. 34  illustrates a perspective view of a twist cam assembly for a wobble image in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. 
       FIG. 35  illustrates a perspective view of a pendulum assembly for a wobble image in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. 
       FIG. 36  illustrates a side view of the pendulum assembly of  FIG. 34  in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. 
       FIG. 37  illustrates a perspective view of a wobble image greeting card in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. 
       FIG. 38  illustrates a perspective view of an action wobble photo in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. 
       FIG. 39  illustrates a perspective view of a self-mailer wobble image greeting card in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. 
       FIG. 40  illustrates a side view of the self-mailer wobble image greeting card in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. 
       FIG. 41  illustrates a perspective view of wobble image stationary in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. 
       FIG. 42  illustrates a perspective view of a wobble image employed in advertising in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. 
       FIG. 43  illustrates a front view of a wobble image poster in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. 
       FIG. 44  illustrates an educational game employing wobble images in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. 
       FIG. 45  illustrates a wobble image employed on a hat in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. 
       FIG. 46  illustrates a wobble image employed on clothing in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. 
       FIG. 47  illustrates a kit for creating wobble objects in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. 
       FIG. 48  illustrates another kit for creating wobble objects in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates to custom wobble heads and kits for assembling custom wobble heads. The present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout. It is to be appreciated that the various drawings are not drawn to scale from one figure to another nor inside a given figure, and in particular that the size of the components are arbitrarily drawn for facilitating the reading of the drawings. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. It may be evident, however, that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block form in order to facilitate describing the present invention. 
   Referring initially to  FIG. 1 , an example of a mounting assembly  10  for a wobble head is illustrated in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. The mounting assembly  10  includes a first mounting plate  12  and a spring  14 . A first end portion of the spring  14  is coupled to the first mounting plate  12  via at least one spring seat  16 . The first mounting plate  12  can be a thin paper, plastic, cardboard, or other plate-like structure, having a first and second side. The first side is adapted to secure to a photo (not shown) via an adhesive. The adhesive can be pre-applied to the first side of the first mounting plate  12  and can include a film provided thereon, which is removed prior to use. However, it is to be appreciated that the photo can be secured to the first mounting plate  12  via a magnet, fastener (e.g., a hook and loop fastener), suction cup, or any other suitable structure and/or method. The first end of the spring  14  is coupled to the second side of the first mounting plate  12  at a substantially perpendicular angle, as depicted in  FIG. 2 . The spring seat  16 , which can be an epoxy resin, for example, is utilized to sufficiently secure the spring  14  to the first mounting plate  12  so that movement of the first mounting plate  12  will not disengage the first mounting plate  12  with the spring  14 . 
   Optionally, the mounting assembly  10  can include a microchip  17 . The microchip  17  can coupled to the spring  14 , and preferably, secured to a second end portion of the spring  14  via a spring seat. An adhesive  18 , or the like, is utilized to secure the microchip  17  to any desirable surface. The microchip  17  is operable to provide voice activation and audio for an image secured to the mounting assembly  10 . Thus, a wobble assembly can include an audio output such as a pre-recorded or recordable greeting, an animal sound (e.g., dog barks, cat meows), a car horn beeping, music, etc. and/or a battery, microchip, or solar power to provide movement. 
   Turning now to  FIG. 3 , the mounting assembly  10  can include a second mounting plate  19  coupled to the second end portion of the spring  14  via a second spring seat  20 . Alternatively, if the microchip  17  is utilized, the second mounting plate  19  can be coupled to the microchip  17 . Like the first mounting plate  12 , the second mounting plate  19  can include an adhesive, fastener, or the like, such that the second mounting plate  19  can be utilized to couple the mounting assembly  10  to a background. 
   For example, the mounting assembly  10  can be employed to mount a photograph of a head  22  onto a body  24 , as shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 . The head  22  can be constructed from a high-resolution digital photograph on thick, gloss photo paper or any other suitable media. The head  22  can be of a specific person (e.g., oneself, family member, friend, celebrity) or a pet (e.g., dog, cat). The body  24  can be constructed from pressboard, plastic, metal, wood, or the like, and includes a full color printed image, for example, an athlete (e.g., tennis player, ice skater, skateboarder, cyclist, basketball player), a media personality, an actor/actress, singer, or even an inanimate object, such as a sports car, a motor boat, etc. A base  26  having a slot  28  formed therein can be employed to support the body  24 . The base  26  can be manufactured from plastic, wood, metal, or any other suitable material. 
   When mounted to the body  24 , the head  22  is able to wobble with respect to the body via the spring  14 . The wobble movement of the head  22  depends upon a length, material, and wire diameter of the spring  14 . For example, the spring  14  can be a compression spring with flat ends and music wire plated with a free length of 0.625 in., an outside diameter of 0.0180 in., an inside diameter of 0.188 in., a wire diameter of 0.012 in., a load of 0.69 lbs, a spring rate of 1.3 lbs, and a solid compressed height of 0.099 in. Moreover, because the head  22  is mounted substantially perpendicularly with respect to the body  24 , the head  22  wobbles in a unique side to side motion that can last up to thirty seconds or longer when set in motion. The wobble action of the head  22  is a clockwise and counterclockwise movement of the head  22  with the spring  14  acting as a pivot point. It is to be appreciated that any item can be animated with the wobble motion. For example, a hand can be attached to the body via the mounting assembly  10  to provide a waving motion. Other examples of items that can be attached via the mounting assembly  10  include a rotating ball, a food item (e.g., cup of coffee/tea, can of soda/beer, a donut, ice cream, cookie, hot dog, burger), a book, flowers, a gift, or a branded product, such as a COKE®, a SNICKERS®, etc. can be attached for advertising purposes. 
   As yet another example,  FIGS. 6 and 7  illustrate a wobble head doll  26  having a head  28  attached to a body  30  via a first spring  32  to provide a wobble movement of the head  28 . The doll  26  further includes a secondary object, a torch in this example,  34  attached to the body  30  via a second spring  36  to provide a wobble movement of the torch. A spacer  38  can also be included to provide an additional space for a second object/image to wobble or wiggle while also giving added dimension to the wobble head doll  26 . The doll  26  is supported by a base  40  in a manner similar to that described with respect to  FIGS. 4 and 5 . 
     FIGS. 8-12  illustrate various bodies or backgrounds that can be employed with the wobble head mounting assembly  10  and head  22  combinations. The bodies can be constructed from gloss printed color and/or black and white images and are mounted onto one of a variety of materials, such as pressboard, foam core, plastic, metal, wood, etc. A pose of the body can capture an action related to the image. Poses can be of any size, with standard models measuring up to 14″ high depending upon an action captured in the pose. However, it is to be appreciated that the action bodies can be preprinted, die cut, action/animated body styles of any shape, thickness, size or material and is contemplated as falling within the scope of the present invention. 
   As discussed above, the body and/or background can be supported by inserting a bottom portion of the body into a slot in a base. For example, the base can be a 4 in×5 in×¾ in black gator foam, which is self skinned for strength and durability. The slot in the base corresponds with a thickness of the body or background employed with the base; thereby allowing insertion of the wobble head doll into the slot. By varying the overall size and adding additional slots, the base becomes a platform for multiple figures, themed backgrounds, commercial messages, etc. The slots can be of any suitable size and can be positioned horizontally, vertically, and/or angled within the base. Further, the base can include at least one recess (not shown) and at least one projection (not shown) in a side portion of the base such that at least two bases can be coupled together. However, the base can include any suitable structure employed to couple a plurality of bases together. 
   Turning now to  FIGS. 13-16 , a variety of bases that can be utilized with one or more wobble head dolls are depicted in accordance with an aspect of the present invention.  FIG. 13  illustrates a base  42  having one slot  44  formed or cut through a top portion of the base  42  for mounting a single wobble head doll. For mounting two wobble head dolls back to back, or two wobble head dolls of different heights (e.g., a boy and a dog), a base  46  having two slots  48  provided therein, as shown in  FIG. 14 , can be utilized. As another example,  FIG. 15  illustrates a base  50  having a slot  52  for a background scene and one or more slots  54  for one or more wobble head dolls. Thus, base  50  can be employed to display music groups, movie themes, sports teams, cartoon characters, etc. As yet another example,  FIG. 16  illustrates a stepped base  56  having a plurality of levels, wherein each level includes a slot  58  for receiving one or more wobble head dolls. Accordingly, the stepped base  56  can be utilized for displaying sports teams, company staff, school classes, a history of presidents, etc. 
     FIGS. 17 and 18  illustrate examples of different scenes that can be created with the bases and wobbles of the present invention. Further, the backgrounds and/or wobble head dolls can be arranged on a base such that a plurality of wobbles can be displayed on a plurality of sides of the base. The wobble objects and/or background images can also be configured to move with respect to the base, as will be discussed in greater detail below. For example, in  FIG. 18 , the cars can be configured to move back and forth with respect to the base to create a visual image that the cars are traveling along a racetrack. 
     FIG. 19  illustrates a base  60  in which a dual-sided background  62  can be inserted into a center slot  64  and two or more wobble head dolls can be inserted in slots  66  located on either side of the background  62 .  FIG. 20  illustrates a base  68  that can be employed with a multi-sided background structure  70 . One or more wobble head dolls can be positioned in slots  72  located forward of the background structure  70 . It is to be appreciated that any base configuration having any number of slots arranged in any manner can be employed and is contemplated as falling within the scope of the present invention. 
     FIGS. 21 and 22  illustrate a base  74  for one or more wobble head dolls  78  in accordance with another aspect of the present invention. The base  74  includes one or more turntable portions  76  that are operable to rotate the wobble head doll(s)  78  in a clockwise and/or counterclockwise circular motion. The rotation activates a wobble motion of a head and/or other feature of the wobble head doll(s)  78 . A top portion of each of the turntables  76  has at least one slot  77  provided therein for supporting the wobble head doll(s)  78 . At a bottom portion of the turntables  76 , a plurality of gear teeth  80  are provided along an outer periphery of each of the turntables  76 . Accordingly, when two or more turntables  76  are employed, the turntables  76  can be engaged with each other such that only one turntable  76  needs to be powered to effectively rotate all of the turntables  76 . Batteries  81 , or any other suitable power source, such as solar, magnetic, electric, microchip, etc., can power the turntables  76 . Alternatively, the turntables  76  can be manually rotated via a crank structure, or the like. 
   Turning now to  FIGS. 23 and 24 , another base  82  for rotating one or more wobble head dolls is depicted in accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention. The base  82  has at least one slot  84  provided in a top portion of the base  82  and a circular recess  86  provided in a bottom portion of the base  82 . The slot(s)  84  is configured to support one or more wobble head dolls positioned in the slot(s)  84 . The circular recess  86  at the bottom portion of the base  82  is positioned over a cylindrical support  88  such that the base  82  is operable to spin freely on the support  88 , thereby spinning the wobble head doll(s) and activating a wobble motion of a head and/or other feature of the doll(s). 
   It is to be appreciated that the rotatable bases described with respect to  FIGS. 21-24  can include base or turntable portions of any desirable configuration. For instance, the base  74  can include turntable portions that include dual sided or multi sided background images with two or more wobble dolls, similar to the bases illustrated and described with respect to  FIGS. 19 and 20 . 
   With the spinning assemblies of  FIGS. 21-24 , or with any other assembly, a wobble head doll having both front and back sides is desired. Accordingly,  FIG. 25  illustrates a wobble head doll  90  having a body portion  92  with a first side  94  and a second side  96 . The first side  94  is printed with an image of a front side of a body. Likewise, the second side  96  is printed with an image of a back side of a body. At a head portion of the body  92 , or any other suitable portion, first and second mounting assemblies  98 ,  100  are secured to the first and second body sides  94 ,  96 , respectively. A facial image  102  is secured to the first mounting assembly  98  and a back of the head image  104  is secured to the second mounting assembly  96 . Thus, when the wobble head doll  90  spins on a base  106 , a user views both front and back images of the doll  90 . It is to be appreciated that in the alternative, a doll having two front images with two wobble faces can be utilized. 
   Although, a plurality of bases have been described herein as having rotating portions for spinning the wobble head dolls, it is to be appreciated that bases can also be configured to bounce, slide, or otherwise move one or more wobble head dolls. For example,  FIGS. 25-28  illustrate a wobble assembly  106  which is animated by employing an action wobble head  108  in combination with a rocking motion, provided by a battery powered cam  110 , and a linear motion, provided by a gear driven track  112 . The wobble assembly  108  includes a base  114  having one or more slots provided therein. In this example, the base  114  has three slots  116 ,  118 , and  120 . Slots  116  and  120  are employed to secure a fixed foreground scene  122  and a fixed background scene  124 , respectively. Slot  118 , on the other hand, includes a slotted track portion  126  for engaging teeth of a wheel  128  located on or within a motion carriage  130 . Accordingly, the motion carriage  130  is able to move linearly along a length of the slot  118 . The slot  118  can include bumpers  136  at end portions of the slot  118  to prevent the motion carriage  130  from moving off the track  126 . The motion carriage  130  includes a first projection  132  for mounting a wobble head body or wobble vehicle thereto. The first projection  132  acts as a pivot point for the wobble head body or vehicle. The wheel  128  in the motion carriage  130  includes a second projection  134 , which moves in a circular motion as the wheel  128  moves along the track  126 . A portion of the action wobble head  108  can be positioned to rest on the second projection  134 . Thus, as the second projection  134  moves in a circular motion, the end portion of the wobble head body or vehicle moves in a rocking motion, while pivoting about the first projection  132 . The motion of the wheel  128  can be battery powered and/or manually activated. 
   As an alternative to, or in addition to, a microchip provided in a mounting assembly for a wobble head, a base could include a microchip for voice activation and audio output. Thus, a wobble head assembly can include a pre-recorded or recordable greeting, an animal sound (e.g., dog barks, cat meows), a car horn beeping, music, etc. 
   Although wobble heads have been described herein as being attached to a body or background image, it is to be appreciated that a wobble head can be provided with a magnet, suction cup, hook and loop fastener, snaps, rivets, buttons, or any other fastening device to couple the wobble head to clothing, appliances, computers, office equipment, furniture, vehicles, windows, mirrors, bulletins and wipe boards, or any other suitable material or structure.  FIGS. 30-33  illustrate various mounting assemblies that are employed to couple the wobble heads to different materials or structures.  FIG. 30  depicts a button mounting assembly  138  in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. The button mounting assembly  138  includes a mounting plate  140  coupled to a button shroud  142  via a spring  144 . The spring  144  can be secured to the mounting plate  140  and button shroud  142  via an epoxy resin (not shown). Thus, an image can be attached to the mounting plate  140  and the entire assembly can be securely positioned over a button, such as on an article of clothing. 
     FIG. 31  illustrates a snap assembly  146  that can be employed to secure a wobble head to clothing, hats, accessories, etc. The snap assembly  146  includes a first mounting plate  148  for securing a photograph or other image thereto. The first mounting plate  148  is coupled to a first end of a spring  150  to provide a wobble movement for the photograph or image. A first snap portion  152  is coupled to a second end of the spring  150  and is configured to correspond with a second snap portion  154 . Thus, the snap assembly  146  can be employed by placing the second snap portion  154  on one side of an article of clothing and the first snap portion  154  on an opposing side, to secure the wobble assembly to the clothing. The first and second snap portions  152 ,  154  can include magnets to facilitate coupling of the snap assembly  146 . 
     FIG. 32  illustrates a magnetic assembly  156  for securing a wobble head to an appliance, a vehicle, etc. The magnetic assembly  156  includes a first mounting plate  158  for securing a photograph or other image thereto. The first mounting plate  158  is coupled to a first end of a spring  160  to provide a wobble movement for the photograph or image. Secured to a second end of the spring  160 , is a magnet  162  for coupling the wobble head assembly to a metal surface. 
     FIG. 33  illustrates a suction cup assembly  164  that allows a wobble item to be displayed in numerous locations. The suction cup assembly  164  includes a mounting plate  166  for securing a photograph or other image  167  thereto. The mounting plate  166  is coupled to a first end of a spring  168  to provide a wobble movement for the photograph or image  167 . A suction cup  170  is secured to a second end of the spring  168 . Thus, the wobble item can be secured to mirrors, windows, appliances, message boards, computers, etc. Motion in a room, a breeze, or vibration can activate a wobble motion for the item. 
   Turning now to  FIG. 33 , a twist cam  172  for a wobble head is shown in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. The twist cam  172  includes a cam and slot configuration to provide a side-to-side twisting motion of a wobble head secured thereto. A mounting plate  174  is coupled to an end portion of at least one projection  176 , preferably two projections, which extend through a slotted opening  178  in a first side of a cam housing  180 . Thus, the cam housing  180  can move with respect to the mounting plate  174  as dictated by the slotted opening  178 . In this example, the slotted opening  178  is substantially curvilinear to provide a twisting motion. A photograph or image  182  is secured to a second side of the cam housing  180  via an adhesive, fastener, or the like. 
     FIGS. 34 and 35  illustrate a pendulum assembly  184  for a wobble head in accordance with another aspect of the present invention. The pendulum assembly  184  includes a pendulum  186  coupled to a cam  188 , which extends through a slotted opening  189  in a cam housing  190 . The slotted opening  189  is configured to provide a side to side wobble motion for a photograph or image  192 , which is secured to a free end portion of the pendulum  186 . The pendulum  186  can also be provided with a spring force at the pendulum&#39;s pivot point  194 . Thus, when the pendulum  186  is pulled to one side, a ‘whipping’ side-to-side action can be created. 
   Motions of the battery powered wobble head examples can be voice activated, motion activated, programmed to wobble at predetermined intervals and/or time periods, and/or manually activated. 
   The wobble head concept can be employed in a variety of different applications, as depicted in  FIGS. 37 through 46 .  FIGS. 37-39  illustrate action wobble greeting cards. A greeting card can be in the form of a standard book format  196  ( FIG. 37 ) or a photo easel format  198  ( FIG. 38 ). In the standard book format, a 5″×7″ image can be employed as a base  200 . In the photo easel format  198 , a photograph can be employed as a base  202 . A wobble image  204  is then coupled to the base  200 ,  202  via a mounting assembly (not shown). If desired, a removable adhesive (not shown) can be placed between the wobble image  204  and the base  200 ,  202  to hold a spring of the mounting assembly in a compressed manner, thereby, protecting the wobble image  204  during shipping or mailing. When the card is received, a user can easily discard the removable adhesive to release the spring and set the wobble image  204  in motion. The greeting cards  196  and  198  can also house microchips to provide recorded messages, music, and/or voice activation. 
   Turning now to  FIGS. 39 and 40 , a self-mailer greeting card  206  is illustrated in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. The self-mailer greeting card  206  includes a spacer box  208  and a greeting panel  210 . Hook and loop fasteners or removable adhesive dots  212  can be applied to corners of the spacer box  208  and greeting panel  210  to facilitate holding the greeting card  206  together during mailing. A mailing address is provided on an outside portion of either the spacer box  208  or the greeting panel  210 . A wobble image  214  can be secured to an inner portion of a back panel  215  of the spacer box  208  via a spring  216 , as depicted in  FIG. 40 . A front panel  218  of the spacer box includes a cut out portion such that the spring  216  can project through the front panel  218 . The spacer box  208 , thus, provides room for suitable compression of the spring  216  while still retaining its original properties. For example, the spacer box  208  can have a thickness of about three-eights of an inch. The spacer box  208  also provides room for one or more microchips, batteries, or the like. 
     FIG. 41  depicts a wobble image employed on or as a stationary base  220 . For example, a wobble image  222  can be employed as a business card  220  that can be secured to a refrigerator via a magnet mounting assembly. As another example, a wobble image  222  can be employed on a reminder/wipe board. Alternatively or additionally, the wobble image  222  can be employed as a reminder/wipe board. The reminder/wipe board includes desired image printed on photo paper with or without a personalized message. A clear “wipe-off” laminate is provided over a top portion of the image. Accordingly, text and images can be written on the wobble image as desired. A microchip can also be included on the stationary base (e.g., business card, reminder/wipe board) to provide programmable names, times, reminders, and/or sales messages. 
   In  FIGS. 42 and 43 , a wobble image is shown employed in a commercial, or marketing, application. For example, a poster  224  having a wobble image and coupons thereon, can be enclosed within a pouch  226  on a pizza box  228 , or any other item. A consumer can pull the folded poster  224  from the pouch to reveal the wobble image and/or coupons. The wobble image provides a unique, attention-getting design for sales or other advertising applications. For example, the wobble image can be employed in coupon offerings, posters, magazine and newspaper advertisements and any other suitable advertising settings. 
     FIG. 44  illustrates wobble objects employed in educational products. The wobble objects can assist in teaching children the alphabet, numbers, history, geography, and vocabulary, for example. The wobble action of the objects facilitates in holding the interest of the children. For example, a board  230  can be provided with the alphabet. Pluralities of wobble images  232  whose first letter corresponds with a letter of the alphabet are provided as game pieces. Although not shown, each of the images  232  includes a mounting assembly thereon to provide a wobble motion for the image  232 . The wobble images  232  can also be provided with one or more microchips to provide audio verification when the correct wobble image  232  is placed on the correct letter, thereby facilitating the learning process. 
     FIGS. 45 and 46  include wearable items having one or more wobble items secured thereto in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. In particular,  FIG. 45  depicts a wobble item  234  coupled to a hat  236  and  FIG. 46  depicts a wobble item  238  coupled to a shirt  240 . The wobble items  234 ,  238  have mounting assemblies, such as the mounting assembly described with respect to  FIG. 1  herein, attached thereto. The mounting assemblies can be secured to the hat  236  and shirt  240  via a hook and loop type faster, an adhesive, a snap assembly, or via any other suitable manner. 
   Although various wobble items have been shown and described in various applications herein, it is to be appreciated that any other application that can be employed with a wobble item is contemplated as falling within the scope of the present invention. For example, wobble items can be employed in and/or on CD and DVD cases, various clothing items, food items (e.g., boxes, cans, bags of food), books, etc. 
   Turning now to  FIG. 47 , a kit  242  is illustrated for creating wobble objects. The kit  242  can include photo paper  244  for printing a desired image and at least one action wobble mounting assembly  246 . A variety of fasteners (not shown) can also be provided for securing the wobble image to various surfaces and/or structures. For example, the fasteners can include snaps, hook and loop fasteners, magnets, etc. The kit  242  can also include one or more die cut action figures and/or backgrounds  248 , as well as one or more bases  250  to support the figures and/or backgrounds. Alternatively, or additionally, the kit can include cardstock (not shown) to create greeting cards. 
     FIG. 48  illustrates yet another kit  252  that can be utilized for creating wobble objects. The kit  252  includes photo paper  254  for printing one or more desired images and at least one action wobble mounting assembly  256 . The kit  252  also includes at least one easel back photo base  258 . The easel back photo base(s)  258  can be preprinted photographs or alternatively, a user can attach any suitable photo to the easel back photo base  258 . The mounting assembly(s)  256  is employed to secure a printed image to the easel back photo base  258 . 
   What has been described above includes exemplary implementations of the present invention. It is, of course, not possible to describe every conceivable combination of components or methodologies for purposes of describing the present invention, but one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that many further combinations and permutations of the present invention are possible. Accordingly, the present invention is intended to embrace all such alterations, modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.