Mayor to present new bobble-head

Erica D. Johnson

Thursday, Oct. 31, 2002 | 11:30 a.m.

Mayor Oscar Goodman has traded in his pinstripe suit for Uncle Sam's signature red, white and blue.

The outfit will adorn a miniature mayor on a new Oscar Goodman bobble-head doll, which is expected to be unveiled today at the mayor's weekly press conference.

With a solid body and spring-loaded, wobbling head, the doll is part of a Palace Station and Station Casinos promotion. The promotion will give 5,000 of Station's preferred player club members a bobble-head. Another 100 will be given to people who donate blood to United Blood Services, casino officials said.

The casino is pledging $1 for each doll given away to charity.

The mayor's announcement came amid a flurry of national publicity for the mayor, who appeared Wednesday afternoon on CNN's "Crossfire" and this morning taped a future segment for NBC's "The Today Show" to talk about his endorsement of Bombay Sapphire Gin.

The mayor received $100,000 for the endorsement, in which he'll serve as a spokesman for the brand. He donated $50,000 of the fee to address downtown homelessness and $50,000 to the Meadows School, which his wife helped found.

The Las Vegas Area 51s baseball team gave away Goodman bobbleheads in August. The promotion packed the stadium with people eager to get a doll of Goodman, dressed in a pinstripe suit and holding a baseball bat. The dolls, which were given to on a first-come basis, showed up on eBay within a week.

The Uncle Sam attire, complete with a top hat and tails, is designed to pay tribute to the election with the giveaway on Election Day, Station officials said.

Goodman did not immediately return phone calls seeking comment. In a press release, he said he was "delighted" to participate and called Stations Casinos a "great community partner."

It won't be as easy to get one of the 5,100 new bobbleheads. They will be available to Station Casinos' preferred boarding pass club members and a limited number of people who can prove they donated blood, Station Casino officials said.

"The quantity is extremely limited," Lesley Pittman, spokeswoman for the Station Casinos, said. "No more will be made. So these bobbleheads will be invaluable to the individuals who collect them."

About 5,000 boarding pass members will receive a coupon in the mail, which they can redeem for a free bobble-head, Pittman said.

An additional five dolls will be given away at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday in a drawing at the Palace Station. Goodman will draw the names and autograph bobble-heads for the winners.

The first 100 people at the drawing with a receipt proving they donated blood will also receive an autographed bobble-head.

One dollar for each bobblehead will be donated to the Shade Tree Shelter for Women and Children, Pitman said.

Goodman has drawn national attention recently in the wake of the Oct. 9 announcement that he had signed to endorse Bombay Sapphire deal.

Goodman appeared Wednesday on CNN's Crossfire to discuss "The Politics of Sin."

Goodman told hosts James Carville and Tucker Carlson that his love of drinking and gambling makes him a "quintessential Las Vegan."

"When you're looking for freedom, looking to escape, looking to have a good time," Goodman said. "When you want to go to the cusp of legality, (Las Vegas) is the place for you."