Isotopes brace for huge crowd for lowrider bobblehead giveaway. Here are the details.

Rob Vanderslice admits he may have been living in his own little bubble this time a year ago.

The well-known custom car designer and owner of Vanderslice Kustom Shop and Paint Supply, who has carved out a place as one of the more respected lowrider designers in the country, had no idea the buzz one of the tiniest creations he ever worked on would create.

At the request of the Albuquerque Isotopes, he and fellow artist Joseph “Blast” Leyba spearheaded the design of a lowrider bobblehead that fit the team’s theme of their popular alter ego, the Mariachis de Nuevo Mexico.

The figurine would be available to the first 3,000 fans at the July 5, 2023 Mariachis/Lowrider Night game. People began lining up outside Isotopes Park as early as 5:30 a.m. to get their hands on the collectable. Eventually, the promotions brought 14,591 to the park.

People from outside Albuquerque also took an interest in getting their hands on a lowrider bobblehead.

“Oh, man, you got to remember that instantly that day they were going for like, 900 bucks, 600 bucks on eBay,” Vanderslice said. “Of course, the day after they they dropped back down to a few hundred bucks, but I had no idea that was going to happen. Even after that (first day), everybody was trying to get them signed and people from all around — outside of New Mexico — they were trying to get me to give them one — asking me and Blast to sign them, which was cool.

“I didn’t know too much about all of this prior to that (night), but I guess it’s a big deal (for collectors). I found out there are people who drive from other states for these things, not just because they like lowriders or whatever, but because this was a really unique bobblehead. It was wild.”

Well, buckle up.

Saturday is Part 2 of the lowrider bobblehead experience, with a newly designed figurine for the first 3,000 fans.

Gates for the Mariachis Night/Lowrider Night game open at 5 p.m. and there will be lowriders on display around the outfield before the game and fans can get on the field to observe until 5:45 p.m. There will be dancers and music throughout the game and a postgame fireworks show. First pitch is 6:35 p.m. against Pacific Coast League opponent Tacoma.

Oh, and about that bobblehead …

Last year’s design was a sugar-skull male mariachi bouncing along in a 1959 Impala with black and turquoise designs.

This year’s design features a female driver wearing a Mariachis shirt and a black fedora and another classic car — a red, 1948 Chevrolet Fleetline.

The Isotopes have now had six Mariachi-themed bobblehead giveaways and going back to the lowrider well for this year’s bobblehead wasn’t a hard decision.

“It was a no-brainer. Last year’s was so successful and so popular, and this year’s has proven that the interest is certainly there as well — once we unveiled (pictures of) it through social media, people were starting to get real excited,” said Isotopes General Manager John Traub.

The success of the Mariachis de Nuevo Mexico (the lowrider theme is one of six Mariachis nights throughout the season) has been about more than just trying to get fans to their games, but about a concerted effort to remain ingrained in New Mexico culture.

“The lowrider community here is a culture of its own, and for for us to be able to partner with with them ... it’s just a neat collaboration that just shows how important it is for us to try and be a part of this community,” Traub said. “And it doesn’t matter to me that we’re into our third decade now of existing. It’s really important for us to understand what’s important to the community and involve the community in what we do, not just try to get them to come to us.”