Do you like McFarlane Sports Picks, Upper Deck figures, Starting Lineups or any of the thousands of figures that have been sold over the years? If so - thank Hartland. As far as I know, Hartlands were the first licensed sports figures ever produced, and they have set the standards for sports figures ever since.
That is one way to view Hartland - the other way is, the history of Hartland sports action figures is about as strange as you can get.
The first Hartland sports figures were produced in 1958 by Hartland Plastics of Hartland, Wisconsin, a company that had previously made plastic cowboy figures (Not Dallas Cowboys - the real kind, on horseback). These 8" baseball figures were sold at sports venue concession stands and featured Eddie Mathews, Hank Aaron, Warren Spahn, Mickey Mantle and Babe Ruth. Shortly thereafter Hartland Plastics created NFL figures of Johnny Unitas, Jon Arnett and generic linemen and running backs for each of the 14 teams in the NFL. In 1960 the company expanded their line with ten more MLB players, as well as a generic Bat Boy and Minor League player. The figures were issued with a tag, a circular cardboard piece that attached to the figures with a string. In 1962, Hartland a generic running back and lineman for the LSU Tigers to commemorate their 1959 NCAA Championship. In 1963 the company was bought out by Revlon Cosmetics Company and the sports figures were abruptly discontinued.
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