A weather-related shipping delay has pushed back one of the Tampa Bay Rays’ most anticipated giveaways, but the team is trying to make sure fans still leave Tropicana Field with something in hand.
The Flappy Boi bobblehead, originally scheduled for the first 10,000 fans at Saturday’s game against the Baltimore Orioles, will not be handed out as planned. Instead, those fans will receive a Flappy Boi T-shirt and a ticket voucher for a September game, where they can return to pick up the bobblehead.
The delay caught some fans off guard, especially season ticket holder Diana Lichtenwalter, who has collected more than 150 Rays bobbleheads. She said she noticed something was wrong when the item disappeared from the team’s website.
"They had taken it off their schedule, so that’s when I thought they’re not going to give it away," Lichtenwalter said.
Flappy Boi has become one of the Rays’ most recognizable characters. The bobblehead is modeled after a smiling stingray inspired by the viral "local stingray in a great mood" meme, and the character has been a Rays fan favorite since 2016.
Lichtenwalter said the design stood out right away.
"It looks like a Devil Ray," she said. "I thought it would be pretty cool to go with all my other bobbleheads."
For some fans, the appeal is as much about the character as the giveaway itself. Season ticket holder Glenn Mangold called Flappy Boi a fan favorite and said he likes to back him in the mascot races.
"Flappy Boi is really popular," he said. "I always bet on Flappy Boi during the mascot races," he said.
Behind the scenes, the Rays had only a week to scramble for a fix after learning about the shipping problem. Eric Weisberg, the team’s vice president of fan experience, said the club wanted to respond in a way that still felt special for the crowd.
"It's incredibly sad, and we really had to come together with a plan," Weisberg said. "We knew we needed to do something for the fans."
The team also leaned into the situation with a playful video on social media about Flappy Boi’s whereabouts. Mangold said he saw that post first.
"I saw it on social media first," Mangold said. "The Rays always do everything first class, everything's just spectacular with them."
Paul Mullins said he thought the organization handled the change the right way.
"The Rays have done right by fans," he said. "Because they listen to fans."
Weisberg said the goal was to make sure supporters still got a memorable experience at Tropicana Field.
"We wanted to make sure that people had this in their hands," Weisberg said. "We were going over the top, to make sure they have a wonderful experience here at Tropicana Field."
Saturday’s gates open at 4:10 p.m., with first pitch set for 6:10 p.m. The game is followed by a performance from country music star Jordan Davis 30 minutes after the final out.
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