Five plastic figures of
Hank Aaron, Warren Spahn, Mickey Mantle, Eddie Mathews, and Babe Ruth were first produced in 1958. These proved to be
extremely popular and a few years later another set was produced with thirteen more players, along with
some generic pieces. The company history gets a little confusing, as Hartland has also been involved
with western figures, horses, football, numerous advertising pieces as well as the generic items.
But it was the late eighties/early nineties it really got confusing! The owner, William Alley, acquired the rights
to re-produce the original statues. The company was back on track to
become
a player in the figure game when Alley disappeared, obviously causing all sorts of problems,
legal and otherwise. Today Hartland is busy producing sports figures in plastic, bronze and resin.
