History

Founded in 1941 in Hartland, Wisconsin, Hartland Plastics manufactured a variety of products for consumer and industrial use, and can even lay claim to producing the very first plastic toy in 1941.

A definitive history of the company and its products isn’t readily available, so we’ve assembled a timeline as best we could from various sources.

If any facts need correction or clarification, or if you have any new information that we could add, please comment below or contact us.

The 1940s

Hartland Plastics got its start making various plastic products for personal and business use. Their first statue, titled “Killroy was Here,” was produced in 1941, and was soon followed by a line of varied religious plastics, including statues, plaques, and other items, which continued into the 1960s.

The 1950s

In 1952, Hartland moved into western-themed statues, including horses, livestock, and horse-and-rider sets, which would be widely available in stores beginning in 1953. Their first horse statue, the Large Western Champ, was designed to stand on top of a clock, and a cowboy rider was later made to sit atop the horse. A number of horses, all intricately sculpted to be faithful representations of various breeds, would soon follow. Generic riders were included.

In the mid-1950’s, to capitalize on the popularity of western movies and TV shows, Hartland issued a number of licensed characters from various shows, as well as historical figures. The western line would continue into the early 1960s.

In 1958, Hartland introduced their iconic baseball player line. It was first conceived as a way to keep producing products year-round by keeping workers employed in the winter, making products to be sold in the summer. Supervisor Frank Fulop spearheaded the new line, attending baseball games and sketching some of the game’s top players. Based on those sketches, 17 statues were crafted. An 18th statue, of retired Yankee legend Babe Ruth, was sculpted from pictures.

The first five player statues released were Hank Aaron, Eddie Mathews, Warren Spahn, Mickey Mantle and Babe Ruth. They were sold at baseball stadiums and select retailers at a price of $1.98 each.

In 1959, Hartland produced a series of NFL football player statues. The line, though short-lived, featured the same styling and modeling as their baseball statues.

The 1960s

In 1960, three Chicago players were added to the lineup: Cubs star Ernie Banks, and White Sox players Luis Aparicio and Nellie Fox. Ten more players would soon follow, for a total of 18 statues.

In 1963, Hartland was sold to Revlon Cosmetics, who immediately shut down production on all statues and reallocated production resources to producing compacts and cases for their makeup products. Two statues slated for production, manager Casey Stengel and Jim Gentile of the Baltimore Orioles, were never made.

In 1976, Stevens Manufacturing Company of Missouri purchased the inventory and original molds from the Hartland statues, but efforts to restart the company failed and it went out of business in 1978 with no products ever being made.

The 1980s – The “Dallas Hartlands” Era

In 1987, Dallas attorney William “Bill” Alley discovered Hartland baseball statues at a sports card show and became fascinated with them. He acquired the rights to the brand, and as the head of the new Hartland, his first act was to reissue the original 18 statues as commemorative editions. The generic “Batboy” and “Minor Leaguer” statues were reissued as well. Matt Welsh served as vice president of production.

Featuring a quality similar to the original line, and packed in vintage-style boxes, the statues were a hit at a time when baseball collectibles were booming. Kenner’s 1988 line of “Starting Lineup” 4-inch baseball figures brought thousands of new collectors into the hobby, and new interest in the Hartland brand. Alley’s company would soon we generating over $1 million in annual sales.

Statues included a “25th Anniversary” stamp to differentiate from the originals.

The 1990s

Hartland would continue to flourish into 1990, with new statues of legends including Roberto Clemente and Lou Gehrig.

On March 1, 1991, Bill Alley disappeared after leaving his hotel to attend a toy and collectibles show. The company’s business standing declined rapidly, as vendors went unpaid and the company’s 12 employees were furloughed.

Within weeks, a judge gave Alley’s wife Pamela control of the company in an attempt to salvage it. She was pregnant with her fifth child at the time. On July 3, 1991, Dallas businessman Bill Dunlap purchased the company from Pamela and established USA Hartland in Dallas, the third incarnation of the company.

“Though the name has changed to USA Hartland Inc., the dedication to service and excellence in our product will be proven,” Dunlap said at the time. He even brought back Frank Fulop, the original creator and designer of the 1958 Hartland baseball line, to advise.

Dunlap owned Case-Dunlap Enterprises, which produced sports-related, promotional, and souvenir items. Despite his efforts to revive the company himself, he soon sold USA Hartland to Steven Manufacturing of Hermann, Missouri.

Strangely, Alley was later found, alive and living under an assumed name in Lynchburg, Virginia. He reportedly told people his family had died in an auto accident. Why he disappeared is still not known.

The “Missouri Hartlands” Era

In 1992, Steven Manufacturing would continue the Hartland line Dunlap started, using packaging with the brand “The Hartland Collection.” Nolan Ryan, Honus Wagner, and Cy Young were among the statues produced.

In 1993, Hartland suffered another catastrophic blow, after the nearby Missouri River flooded and practically destroyed the factory in Hermann. Despite promises to resume production, Steven Manufacturing eventually closed its doors.

The 2000s – The Hartland Collectibles LLC Era

Between 2001 and 2006, Hartland reemerged as Hartland Collectibles LLC, based in Shreveport, Louisiana. They obtained a license from both Major League Baseball and The Cooperstown Collection, and managing partner Ken Movold hired Yogi Berra as a spokesman. They also partnered with Krause Publications to issue statues under the “SCD Authentic” banner.

In addition to reissues of the original baseball statues, the company offered statues of various sports figures in the classic Hartland style, including a 2005 “Hopalong” Cassady Statue, a premium for the Columbus Clippers minor league baseball team.

The Hartland of Ohio Era

In 2006, Fay Halliwell bought out Hartland and created Hartland of Ohio, which she owned until her 2022 passing. According to her LinkedIn page, Halliwell “redesigned the company sales model and brought the quality and collector value back to what the original founders intended, while continuing the Hartland tradition.”

Halliwell also fulfilled the dreams of hard-core Hartland collectors by adding both Casey Stengel and Jim Gentile statues. Both were statues slated to be released in 1963, but the Revlon buyout stopped their production. The original 1960s molds for the statues were reportedly used.

Hartland of Ohio shifted the focus of its statues to making fan-favorite players and legends from the Negro Leagues. In all, 22 statues were made in limited quantities, usually autographed by the player. Among the statues were a 2008 line of college football Heisman winners.

Despite making some fantastic statues, we can find no record of Hartland of Ohio releasing new products after 2013. In 2014, Halliwell announced that she was putting the Hartland trademark, inventory, and customer list up for sale. She said at the time “The wish is to find a new owner who shares the passion with which I ran the company, who will take the business to the much needed and desired level it deserves to be and continue the Hartland tradition for all current collectors and millions of potential new customers.” Halliwell reportedly passed away in 2021, and the current status of ownership of the company is not clear.

Source: Hartlands.com, The Oklahoman, San Francisco Gate, Los Angeles Times

If there are any errors, or if you can recommend additions to this history, please comment below or contact us!