A consumer’s guide to the best and...

A consumer’s guide to the best and worst of sports media and merchandise. Ground rules: If it can be read, played, heard, observed, worn, viewed, dialed or downloaded, it’s in play here.

What: Corinthian “Headliners.”

Price: $3.99.

Borrowing on the principle that art imitates life, Corinthian “Headliners” are very small replicas of American and Canadian professional athletes with very, very big heads.

Each “Headliner” stands less than three inches tall, with nearly half that space occupied by an grossly oversized cranium, fronted by a face that, according to the packaging, features the “super-realistic ‘look’ of the actual star.’ ”

Which star, of course, is up to each individual viewer’s interpretation.

Is that Colorado Rockie first baseman Andres Galarraga . . . or Pee Wee Herman with shoe black under his eyes?

Pittsburgh Penguin forward Jaromir Jagr . . . or Rolling Stone guitarist Ron Wood?

Dodger right-handed starting pitcher Hideo Nomo . . . or Galaxy goalkeeper Jorge Campos in his strangest costume yet?

Sculptures by Rodin these are not. Most of the “super-realistic” recreations are stretches at best--perhaps squinting, or dim lighting, would help--and outright frightening at worst. The Mike Piazza “Headliner” could keep a kid up all night--it’s a near spitting image of the knife-wielding voodoo doll that terrorized Karen Black in “Trilogy Of Terror.”

“Headliners” originated in the UK, where Corinthian’s line of English Premier League soccer players proved an immense success with British kids apparently not too hung up on details.

On the plus side, “Headliners” can be educational toys. Recently, I overheard a mother showing a Dan Marino figurine to her four-year-old son and telling him, “Here’s someone who has lots of nice statistics but has never won anything.”