25-04-2025
You can remember Deep Thought, Milwaukee's abandoned boat, with this limited-edition bobblehead
Deep Thought, Milwaukee's favorite abandoned boat, may soon be gone, but you can remember its six-month stay on the lakefront with a limited-edition bobblehead.
The National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum in Milwaukee announced April 25 that the Deep Thought Milwaukee Abandoned Boat Bobble is available for pre-order in the museum's online store.
"The bobble features the boat that has become an unofficial Milwaukee landmark after it was abandoned in mid-October 2024 along the city's lakefront ...," National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum co-founder and CEO Phil Sklar said in an email to the Journal Sentinel. "This bobble will give anyone who wants to remember Milwaukee's most famous boat the opportunity to have a replica version in bobble form!"
The graffiti-covered bobble boat is positioned on two springs on an oval, blue, water-and-sand-textured base with "Deep Thought" printed in white letters on the front of the base. The bobblehead is about 8 inches long.
Only 2,025 bobbleheads will be available, exclusively in the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum's online store. They're $35, plus a flat-rate shipping charge of $8 per order. They're expected to ship in November 2025, according to a news release from the museum.
Deep Thought, a 33-foot Chris-Craft Roamer, became stuck between Milwaukee's McKinley Marina and Bradford Beach on Oct. 13 after its Mississippi-based owners ran out of gas. Weather, costs and other challenges repeatedly delayed the boat's removal.
As the months went by, Deep Thought became somewhat of a Milwaukee icon, earning an entry on Google Maps, its own "I Closed Wolski's" sticker and T-shirts and other merch inspired by it. Eventually, it became covered in graffiti. Most of its electronics have been picked over or destroyed. Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson recently called it dangerous and an "eyesore."
After uncertainty about who would be responsible for organizing and paying for the boat's removal, Johnson announced Wednesday that an anonymous donor had offered to cover at least part of the cost of removal. Jerry Guyer, the owner of Jerry's Silo Marina, and his team have been working to get the boat unstuck throughout the week.
The National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum is at 170 S. 1st St. in Milwaukee. Deep Thought is far from the museum's first bobblehead depicting a Milwaukee legend ― others include Bay View celebrity The Milverine and famous Brewers fan Front Row Amy.
More: Anonymous donor paying for Deep Thought's removal from Milwaukee shoreline
More: All of our reporting on Deep Thought, the abandoned boat along Lake Michigan in Milwaukee
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Bobblehead Museum releases Deep Thought abandoned boat bobblehead
