I Love The '80s: Starting Lineup Figurines Making Comeback With Sports Teams

The Starting Lineup toy figurines introduced in the late '80s are "primed for a second life," according to Joe Delessio of SPORTS ON EARTH. The plastic four-inch tall figurines were introduced by toy company Kenner in '88, and Buccaneers CMO Brian Killingsworth in late '15 realized that "giving away a Starting Lineup figure of a modern-day Bucs player could appeal not just to kids, but to the adults nostalgic for their own childhoods." Kenner in its first year "produced 346 different figures of MLB, NFL, and NBA players." Later, they added NHLers, NASCAR drivers and Olympians "before parent company Hasbro shut down the company" in '00. Hasbro "briefly kept the brand going, but the figures were discontinued altogether the following year." Killingsworth "reached out" to Match-Up, an Orlando-area promotions company. Match-Up VP/Sales Jeff Collins then "learned that Hasbro had let its trademark lapse, and that a different entity now owned the rights to the brand, even though it had been dormant for years." Collins "struck a deal with the trademark-holder that gave Match-Up the right to produce Starting Lineup figures for stadium giveaways." Licensing issues "prevented Match-Up from including a trading card" with figurines for Bucs QB Jameis Winston. But Killingsworth and Collins otherwise "tried to be true to the original design of the figures and their classic cardboard-and-plastic packaging." They say that "improved technology allows for more realistic player likenesses." The Rockets late last year "contacted Match-Up" and the company's reps also "began reaching out to teams suggesting the figures for upcoming giveaways." The Sharks, Hornets and Islanders are among the teams Match-Up has worked with, and next season the Mets, Rays and A's "all have plans for Starting Lineup promotions" (SPORTSONEARTH.com, 1/11).