After a 21-year hiatus, Hasbro is diving into the sports collectibles game and bringing back Starting Lineup figures this fall.
The relaunch is a partnership between the toy company and Fanatics, which is owned by Michael Rubin, a minority owner of the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils. Fanatics has expanded from selling sports merchandise into collectibles as well as sports betting in recent years.
"We're thrilled to be bringing back one of the most beloved sports collectibles brands of all time, Starting Lineup, and to be teaming up with Fanatics for its highly anticipated return this fall," Eric Nyman, President and COO of Hasbro, said in a press release. "The fast-growing sports collectibles category presents great opportunities to connect with fans of all ages, and we've got many exciting announcements to come from the brand in the months ahead."
My @Hasbro sources are telling me that Starting Lineup Action Figures are coming back 9/22/22! #We'reBack #StartingLineup #SLU #AD @hasbropulse @fanatics @SLUofficial_ pic.twitter.com/O5tdRGqHId
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 18, 2022
Hasbro's Starting Lineups line was originally conceived by Pat McInally, a former NFL player with the Cincinnati Bengals, after he saw a lack of figurines featuring top athletes that kids liked as much as they did action figures or superheroes. The toys, which eventually featured athletes from all four major U.S. sports as well as boxing, soccer, track and field, auto racing and golf, were produced by Kenner and later Hasbro, from 1988 to 2001.
In the years since, Starting Lineup figures have become collectibles. They dot pages on Amazon, eBay and other sites. Some are worth anywhere from $30 to $50 for most figures to nearly $5,000 for the rarest figures, such as this 1988 Karl Malone.
Starting Lineup figures will be available for purchase online starting Sept. 22.
