Starting Lineup (toy Line)
Starting Lineup was a brand of action figures produced from 1988 to 2001, first by Kenner and later by Hasbro. They were conceived by Pat McInally, himself a former professional American football player with the Cincinnati Bengals, in 1986. The figures became very popular, and eventually included sports stars from baseball, football, basketball, and hockey; and, to a lesser extent, auto racing, boxing, track & field, skating, soccer, and golf.
McInally came up with the idea during a visit to a toy store. He noticed there were many figurines available of the likes of G.I. Joe, but nothing based on real-life sports heroes. McInally and a former college friend who was running Kenner's day to day operations decided to work together on the project. Today, the figures are collector items. The prices on the figures vary dramatically. The low-end items can be acquired for around or above retail cost, but many rarer items can fetch prices as high as several thousand dollars for a single figure.
A typical figurine stands about 4 inches (10 cm) tall, but the brand at times launched various special series that can be much larger including a 14" NBA line and came with a sports card of the respective athlete.
Read more about Starting Lineup (toy Line): 1988 Major League Baseball Starting Lineup, Different Product Lines
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“To anticipate, not the sunrise and the dawn merely, but, if possible, Nature herself! How many mornings, summer and winter, before yet any neighbor was stirring about his business, have I been about mine! No doubt, many of my townsmen have met me returning from this enterprise, farmers starting for Boston in the twilight, or woodchoppers going to their work. It is true, I never assisted the sun materially in his rising, but, doubt not, it was of the last importance only to be present at it.”
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