Matthew Hoffman had an unusual thought while in the stands at a Phillies game in the summer of 2010: “What would Chase Utley look like if he were a Muppet?,” the Philadelphia Inquirer reported yesterday. From that musing about the team’s former second baseman, the Plymouth Meeting father of three would launch Bleacher Creatures LLC six months later, its 10-inch plush dolls and other collectibles becoming popular among fans of professional sports teams, action heroes, singers, politicians and even Pope Francis. His Holiness was tickled to see his likeness when a young girl handed it to him upon his arrival in New York in September 2015, days before his U.S. visit brought him to Philadelphia. Although the pontiff kept the doll, his influence was no match for the challenges of today’s retail environment. Bleacher Creatures filed for chapter 11 protection, citing $1.5 million in assets as of the end of March and $1.8 million in liabilities. “It’s humbling and it’s disappointing,” Hoffman said, adding that his company, which had 12 employees at its peak, now had six as it continues to accept orders, design new products, and prepare for a sale. He hopes to be part of the leadership of the reorganized company, but it is not yet clear how many bidders there will be. He says he expects the process to take about nine weeks. Hoffman is focused on seeing that orders are fulfilled and “selling as much as I can to recover as much as I can for my creditors.”
