For decades, stadium giveaways have served as a chance for marketers to push boundaries, releasing quirky collaborations and keepsakes that have sent fans clamoring to get into stadiums hours before the game, if they even cared about the game at all. On July 26th, the MLB’s Chicago White Sox will officially take home the crown for the most absurd giveaway of the season.
This Sunday when the White Sox host the Houston Astros, the first 15,000 fans to enter Rate Field will receive a limited-edition Munetaka Murakami First Major League Home Run bobblehead. The presenting sponsor? TOTO, the Japanese company best known for making the WASHLET, the heated, self-cleaning, bidet-equipped toilet that has become a cult favorite in the U.S. over the past decade.
The team that’s bringing you Pope Hat Night comes a chance to commemorate the Cyclospora outbreak of 2026!
How a Clubhouse Toilet Turned Into a Sponsorship
When Murakami, one of the most decorated hitters of the past decade in Japan, signed with the White Sox this year, he brought a piece of his pregame routine with him: he asked the team to install a TOTO WASHLET in the clubhouse. Naturally, his teammates got curious, tried it, and fell in love with the wonder toilet. An official sponsorship followed.
When it Comes to Collectibles, the Ceiling Is the Roof
If this feels like a new level of absurdity for the collectibles industry, something tells me we won’t have to wait long until it’s topped. Back in January, we covered some of the most popular stadium giveaways and cross-fandom activations over the past few years. A few standouts:
- LA Dodgers x ONE PIECE card: one graded copy sold for $14,999.99
- BVB x ONE PIECE card: up to $6,000 on the secondary market
- Seattle Mariners x New Balance “When It Rains, It Dumps” Cal Raleigh snapback: $400
- Mac Miller Pittsburgh Pirates bobblehead: this one drew lines stretching outside PNC Park onto the bridge
- Milwaukee Brewers x Bob Uecker Magic 8-Ball: a legitimate cult classic
The through line between culture and sports isn’t hard to see, but the White Sox x TOTO promo might have produced the most literal cross-audience collectible yet: baseball fans and people who care a lot about their bathrooms.
What to Expect on July 26
Given the hype around the South Side Samurai, this one is going to go fast. The bobblehead commemorates Murakami’s first MLB home run, and the rising star slugger is currently tied for 19th when it comes to hitting dingers this season. With the success of Japanese imports like Shohei Ohtani, the 26-year-old’s bright future has driven strong demand for his rookie card, and it’s fairly safe to say that this toilet-sponsored collectible will knock it out of the park on eBay.
Ladies and gentlemen, the Hobby is always up to something.
