Sister Jean is No. 1: 98-year-old nun’s bobblehead becomes best-seller

SHARE Sister Jean is No. 1: 98-year-old nun’s bobblehead becomes best-seller
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Sister Jean Dolores-Schmidt, the Loyola Ramblers’ chaplain, holds up No. 1 as fans chant inside Gentile Arena. | Tyler LaRiviere / Sun-Times

It seems the nation can’t get enough of Sister Jean Dolores-Schmidt. She’s become Loyola’s fairy godmother in the Ramblers’ Cinderella story.

Within 40 hours, Sister Jean became the best-selling bobblehead in Bobblehead Hall of Fame history even though the knick-knack won’t ship until June. That means not even the combined forces of Clemson’s Dabo Swinney and Deshaun Watson can outperform 98-year-old Sister Jean.

Sister Jean’s bobblehead has been sold in all 50 states. | Courtesy of National Bobblehead Hall of Fame

Sister Jean’s bobblehead has been sold in all 50 states. | Courtesy of National Bobblehead Hall of Fame

Sister Jean’s bobblehead has been selling at a rapid rate across the nation with 63 percent of the orders coming from outside Illinois. In two days, more than 5,000 units have been sold in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Canada. To break that down: that’s 107 Sister Jean bobbleheads every hour or 1.7 every minute.

Proceeds of the bobblehead sales, which are priced at $25 per bauble, will be donated to the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Loyola Athletic Fund.

And it appears many parties are trying to cash in on the 98-year-old basketball-loving nun.

With her blessing, Loyola has approved more than 25 Sister Jean T-shirt designs from multiple companies, according to ESPN. The team’s basketball chaplain did not ask for anything for herself in return, including compensation.

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