Founded Avon, OH, USA (1990) Headquarters Westlake, OH, USA | Founder James Cantrall | |
Type Subsidiary of The Party Animal, Inc. Industry Sports Flags/Banners and Toys Key people James Cantrall, President/CEO | ||
Lil' Teammates is a line of collectible sports figures developed by Party Animal Toys, a division of The Party Animal, Inc., which is based in Westlake, OH. Lil' Teammates are 3 inch vinyl figures representing an officially licensed professional or collegiate sports team. The first edition of the toy line, Series 1, was released in January, 2010 and initially included figures for National Football League (NFL), Major League Baseball (MLB) and National Basketball Association (NBA) teams, as well as over 40 college teams. Series 1 expanded to include National Hockey League (NHL) teams in November, 2010. Series 2 debuted in 2011 and introduced articulated joints on the figures. Lil' Teammates are now able to rotate at the waist, head, and arms. Series 3 brought new uniforms and positions in 2012. In 2013, Series 4 was rolled out specifically with the introduction of the Wide Receiver position to the line of NFL and Collegiate Lil' Teammates.
Contents
Overview
Lil' Teammates were created by Party Animal Toys to fill the void for sports fan products geared towards young children. Though the figures were initially developed with 4-10 year olds in mind, it quickly became apparent that many adult sports collectors had interest as well. The figures are posed in various positions, representing different professional and collegiate sports. As they are all officially licensed toys, each figure represents a specific team. The toy line was developed with a limited-edition implementation beginning with Series 1. Changes in player positions, poses, and uniforms will be released as different Series numbers. The latest series is Series 4. With each new series release, the previous series for that figure will be retired, thus enhancing the collectibility, and increasing the value of that given figure.
Series 1
Release Date: January 2010 (NHL added in November 2010) Total Figures: 208
Series 2
Release Date: June 2011 Total Figures: unknown Now with posing action!
Series 3
Release Date: 2012 Total Figures: unknown New uniforms!
Series 4
Release Date: August 2013 Total Figures: unknown
Lil' Teammates Throwbacks
Lil' Teammates Throwbacks Series 1 were released in November 2010. The Throwback line features players in the retired jerseys from the teams golden eras.
Throwback Series 1
Release Date: November 2010 Total Figures: 2
Throwback Series 2
Total Figures: 6
Throwback Series 3
Total Figures: 2
Lil' Teammates Gold Label
A new figure was released in January 2011 under the limited edition Gold Label tag. The gold label is used to designate miscellaneous figures who will only be available for a limited time. The first figure in this series is "The Ref."
TeenyMates
In the fall of 2012, Party Animal Toys released a mini-collectible spinoff of Lil' Teammates called TeenyMates. Standing at just one inch tall, TeenyMates put the fun of sports in the palm of your hand. The figures are sold in blind packaging which adds mystery and fun. Each package contains two figures and two puzzle pieces. Each line also features rare figures. TeenyMates started with NFL Series 1 in 2012 and expanded to NBA and NHL in 2013 as well as releasing Series 2 of the NFL TeenyMates.