Finding every last one of these things is a rite of passage. Honestly, if you haven’t spent three hours squinting at a dark corner in a flooded basement, have you even played Fallout 4? Most people think these are just cute shelf decorations. They're wrong. These tiny plastic Vault Boys are basically permanent buffs that can turn a "meh" build into a god-tier wasteland legend.
There are 20 of them. Seven for your core S.P.E.C.I.A.L. stats and thirteen for specific skills. Some are easy to trip over. Others are tucked away in places that will make you want to throw your controller across the room. Let's get into where they actually are.
The Stat-Boosting Seven
If you want to maximize your character, you need the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. bobbleheads first. They add a permanent +1 to their respective stat. Pro tip: If you already have a 10 in a stat and you pick one of these up, it pushes you to 11. That's the only way to "overclock" your base stats without gear or chems.
Strength is a weird one. You have to go to the Mass Fusion Building. Don't just look on the floor. It’s perched right on top of the massive metal wall sculpture high above the lobby desk. You'll need to head to the upper levels and look down (or hop across) to snag it.
Perception is basically a gift. It's in the Museum of Freedom in Concord. You'll find it on a desk in the same room where you first meet Preston Garvey and his ragtag group of survivors. If you missed this, you were probably too distracted by the Deathclaw outside.
Endurance is a bit of a trek. Head to Poseidon Energy in the southeast. It’s sitting on a metal desk in the central catwalk hut. Watch out for the Raiders; they’ve turned that place into a fortress.
Charisma is locked behind a door you can't just kick in. You need to start the "Secret of Cabot House" questline to get into Parsons State Insane Asylum. Once you’re in, it’s on Jack Cabot’s desk in the administration area.
Intelligence is inside the Boston Public Library. Go to the mechanical room in the northwest corner. It’s sitting right on the computer bank. It's a quiet spot compared to the super mutant skirmishes happening three rooms over.
Agility requires you to climb the Wreck of the FMS Northern Star. Walk all the way to the very edge of the ship's bow. It's balancing on a wooden beam like it’s king of the world.
Luck is out on Spectacle Island. Look for a green tugboat beached on the southern shore. Inside the pilot house, there’s a locker next to a steamer trunk. The bobblehead is just chilling in there.
All Bobblehead Locations Fallout 4: The Skill Seekers
The skill-based bobbleheads don't give you +1 to a stat, but they give you unique perks. Some are better than others.
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Barter (+5% better prices)
Go to Longneck Lukowski’s Cannery. Head to the upper catwalk area in the main cannery room. There’s a metal office hut overlooking the assembly line. It’s on a desk inside.
Big Guns (+25% critical damage with heavy weapons)
This one is in Vault 95. You’ll find it in the living quarters, specifically the northernmost room, sitting on top of a radio. It's a high-level area, so bring something that packs a punch.
Energy Weapons (+25% critical damage with energy weapons)
You’ll find this in Fort Hagen. It’s tucked between two refrigerators in the cafeteria area of the Command Center. This is where you go for the "Reunions" quest, so you basically can't miss the area.
Explosives (+15% explosive damage)
Travel to Saugus Ironworks. It’s in the Blast Furnace area where you fight Slag. Look on the catwalk behind the boss spawn point, right next to a steamer trunk.
Lock Picking (Lockpicking is permanently easier)
This is in the Pickman Gallery. Head to the very bottom, into the tunnels where you finally meet the "artist" himself. It’s on the floor next to a burning trash can. Kinda grim, honestly.
Medicine (Stimpaks heal 10% more)
Go to Vault 81. You have to do the "Hole in the Wall" quest to get into the secret section of the vault. It’s on the desk in Curie’s office.
Melee (+25% critical damage with melee weapons)
Climb to the very top of Trinity Tower. It’s inside the cage where Strong and Rex Goodman are being held. If you’re afraid of heights, don't look down.
Hidden Gems and Tricky Picks
Repair (+10% Fusion Core duration)
This is a game-changer if you live in Power Armor. It’s at the Corvega Assembly Plant. You have to go outside onto the roof and climb the blue catwalks all the way to the very top of the massive spherical tank.
Science (One extra guess when hacking)
Located in Malden Middle School (Vault 75). It’s on a desk in the office area that overlooks the subterranean training course.
Small Guns (+25% critical damage with ballistic guns)
Head to Gunners Plaza. It’s on the broadcast desk in the "On the Air" room. You’ll need a Master-level lockpicking skill to get in, or you can loot the key from a nearby Gunner commander.
Sneak (10% harder to detect)
Deep inside Dunwich Borers. This place is creepy. Follow the tunnels down to Section 4. It’s on a small table right next to a terminal. The flashbacks in this place are no joke.
Speech (Vendors have +100 caps)
Found in Vault 114, which you enter through Park Street Station. It’s on the desk in the Overseer’s office where you find Nick Valentine.
Unarmed (+25% critical damage with unarmed attacks)
Go to the Atom Cats Garage. It’s sitting right on the hood of a rusty car inside the main warehouse. The Atom Cats are cool, so stay a while and buy some paint.
Why You Should Care
If you're trying to hit the "They're Not Dolls" achievement, you need all 20. But beyond the trophy, the cumulative effect of these items is massive. We're talking about a significant boost to your lethality and survivability. Most players wait until the end-game to hunt these down, but getting the Repair or Perception bobbleheads early can radically change your first 20 hours of gameplay.
Don't just leave them in your inventory. Build a Bobblehead Stand in one of your settlements. It’s under the "Furniture" tab in the workshop menu. It looks great, and it keeps your inventory clean.
To make the most of your hunt, start by clearing the Museum of Freedom immediately. Then, as you move toward Diamond City, take a detour to Corvega for the Repair buff. If you're a Power Armor user, that extra 10% on Fusion Cores is the difference between walking home and sprinting. Once you hit level 20, start looking toward the corners of the map—Spectacle Island for Luck and Vault 95 for Big Guns.
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The Commonwealth is a big place, but it's a lot smaller once you have 20 little plastic friends backing you up.