When I remember Hulk Hogan, the wrestling superstar who died Thursday at the age of 71, I think about him as one of the first athletes who truly understood modern merchandising.
The '80s were the beginning of it all. Sports licensing was becoming more multi-layered and complex.
I might have forgotten to brush my teeth or take a shower when I was 10. But I never missed a day taking my multivitamin. #RIPHulk pic.twitter.com/nBGRhghiQx
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) July 24, 2025
Local stores, such as Manny’s Baseball Land in the Bronx, started publishing national catalogs to reach the entire country. Sports Illustrated ads began to offer more than just a smattering of player jerseys.
And just as Air Jordans were redefining the shoe market, Hulkamania swept the nation.
The Hulkster offered a line of products that went far beyond the yellow and red tank tops he wore (and often pulled apart) in the ring.
I put on Air Jordans when I played basketball. But Hulk Hogan products touched multiple areas of my life.
I ate Hulk-licensed multi-vitamins every day. I brought my Hulk sheets to summer camp, and when it came time to have a snack at the canteen, I ate my Hulk Hogan Good Humor bar on a stick.
And who could forget the Hulk lunchboxes? As they turned from metal to plastic, it seemed about one out of every five kids at my lunch hour in elementary school had the WWF lunch box with Hulk in the middle, surrounded by Rowdy Roddy Piper and Andre The Giant.
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When I went to the supermarket, and I got 25 cents for a sticker. I prayed I would pull the Hulkamania one.
In an era when Starting Lineup figures were starting to emerge, the LJN rubber wrestlers, with Hogan at the helm, was the figurine everyone had to get.
Shortly after Hogan's death, I posted a poll on social media, asking followers in my age group whether they had owned the Hogan LJN figure. More than two-thirds of respondents said they had.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, when I needed nostalgia to fill my head with happy emotions, I bought a bunch of sealed Hogan LJN figures and a ring that harkened back memories of me throwing them around so hard upstairs on weekend mornings that my parents had no chance of sleeping below.
Thursday's news was difficult for me and other friends in my age group — not only because Hulk was a legend of our childhood, but because we felt even closer to him because his image was so much a part of our lives.
I wish I still had the Hogan Wrestling Buddies pillow to cry on.
Darren Rovell is the founder of cllct and one of the country's leading reporters on the collectibles market. He previously worked for ESPN, CNBC and The Action Network.