--- title: Pope Francis Bobbleheads Selling Like Hotcakes description: The toys are flying off the shelves for Pope Francis's U.S. visit canonical: https://time.com/4043692/pope-bobbleheads/ author: Sarah Begley article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-09-21T22:47:58.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-19T07:44:43.726Z og:title: Pope Francis Bobbleheads Are Flying Off the Shelves og:description: The toys are flying off the shelves for Pope Francis's U.S. visit og:url: https://time.com/4043692/pope-bobbleheads/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte4f761b8e591d795/698864aa0a4a22a0b89c62d7/pope2.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2013 og:image:height: 1132 og:image:alt: Pope Francis Makes Historic Trip To Cuba og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Pope Francis Bobbleheads Are Flying Off the Shelves twitter:description: The toys are flying off the shelves for Pope Francis's U.S. visit twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte4f761b8e591d795/698864aa0a4a22a0b89c62d7/pope2.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Pope Francis Bobbleheads Are Flying Off the Shelves > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME The Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition The Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors. The Brief brings TIME's perspective to the day's most important stories, helping readers understand not just what is happening, but why it matters. It combines original reporting and analysis with the best of TIME, spanning politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=a9c9b138-9aab-4ac6-b8b1-58254d233e45&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Daily | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Richard Hall, Editor | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The informed consumer. A scaled audience of readers who turn to TIME to stay informed and make sense of the world, with meaningful reach across education and research, nonprofits and civic life, media and communications, government and public institutions, and business and professional services. ### TIME The Brief: key statements * The Brief is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * The Brief is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=a9c9b138-9aab-4ac6-b8b1-58254d233e45&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/subscribe?i=a9c9b138-9aab-4ac6-b8b1-58254d233e45&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's daily news newsletter? The Brief is TIME's daily newsletter, edited by Richard Hall. It curates the day's top headlines with TIME's reporting and analysis across politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is free to join at time.com/newsletters. #### How do I sign up for The Brief? The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. by [Sarah Begley](https://time.com/author/sarah-begley/) ## Sarah Begley Sep 21, 2015 10:47 PM UTC  Pope Francis holds a Mass in the Plaza de la Revolution on September 21, 2015 in Holguin, Cuba. Pope Francis is spending his second day of a three-day trip before moving on to the United States. Pope Francis holds a Mass in the Plaza de la Revolution on September 21, 2015 in Holguin, Cuba. Pope Francis is spending his second day of a three-day trip before moving on to the United States. Joe Raedle—Getty Images by [Sarah Begley](https://time.com/author/sarah-begley/) ## Sarah Begley Sep 21, 2015 10:47 PM UTC Interested in a [bobblehead](http://www.washingtonian.com/blogs/capitalcomment/local-news/pope-bobbleheads-are-nearly-sold-out.php) to celebrate Pope Francis’s historic visit to the U.S.? You and 24,999 other people. Retailers are struggling to keep Pope Francis bobblehead dolls on the shelves, according to _Washingtonian_, and one manufacturer says it has sold nearly 25,000 units since the visit was announced. “It’s about all we can do to keep up,” said Warren Royal, founder of Royal Bobbles, adding that his company consulted with Catholic scholars about the design and made the head slightly smaller than normal to be respectful of the religious leader. “It doesn’t bob as well as it would have otherwise,” he said, “but we’re happy with the decision we made and how it came out.” The pontiff arrives in Washington, D.C. on [Tuesday](http://time.com/?p=4043510); it’s not too late to buy a bobblehead, \[[_Washingtonian_](http://www.washingtonian.com/blogs/capitalcomment/local-news/pope-bobbleheads-are-nearly-sold-out.php)\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4043692/pope-bobbleheads/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4043692/pope-bobbleheads/"},"headline":"Pope Francis Bobbleheads Are Flying Off the Shelves","datePublished":"2015-09-21T22:47:58.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-19T07:44:43.726Z","description":"The toys are flying off the shelves for Pope Francis's U.S. visit","url":"https://time.com/4043692/pope-bobbleheads/","keywords":["Newsfeed","Pope Francis","Bizarre","Business topic"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte4f761b8e591d795/698864aa0a4a22a0b89c62d7/pope2.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Sarah Begley","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/sarah-begley/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte4f761b8e591d795/698864aa0a4a22a0b89c62d7/pope2.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Pope Francis Makes Historic Trip To Cuba","caption":"Pope Francis Makes Historic Trip To Cuba","creditText":"Joe Raedle—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4043692/pope-bobbleheads/","name":"Pope Francis Bobbleheads Are Flying Off the Shelves"}}]}] ```