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Thirty years ago this October, the hottest accessory in Minnesota was a white hanky. 

It was such an impressive item that it propelled the Twins to their first World Series title. 

OK, that part is an exaggeration, but Homer Hankies played their own role in the Twins finishing on top of the baseball world in 1987.

The brainchild of the Star Tribune's Terrie Robbins, the hankies were snatched up by enthusiastic Twins fans and waved frenetically during the playoffs and World Series. Thousands of people lined up outside the newspaper's headquarters to buy them when they went on sale. 

The hankies themselves weren't grandiose — just an 18-inch square piece of thin cotton printed with the words "Twins 1987 Championship Drive" in red. 

But when fans waved them en masse during home games, it was quite the sight. 

In spite of the clouds, a sunny Twins opener

Shrimp boil and a triple sausage bloody mary

But according to former Star Tribune editor Tim McGuire (as relayed to him by Robbins), the Homer Hanky was almost killed before it became a thing. 

After getting the go-ahead from the Star Tribune, Robbins had also received permission from the Twins. But shortly before the playoffs, she met with the Twins again and "the fellow she had talked to 'got really white,' " McGuire 

wrote in a post that appeared on MinnPost

That's when they saw a sea of white as fans shook and waved their Homer Hankies proudly. 

After the 1987 World Series, the Star Tribune announced that they had sold or given away 2.3 million Homer Hankies. 

They have been offered on several other occasions since then, most recently in 2014 during All-Star Week at Target Field. 

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Thirty years ago this October, the hottest accessory in Minnesota was a white hanky. But that almost wasn't the case because the Twins were reportedly afraid of becoming the "laughing stock of baseball."

In July the Twins will host a series of events marking the 30th anniversary of the team's first World Series title in 1987. If you weren't living here at the time, it's hard to describe just how excited this community was during that post-season run.  After the Twins advanced to the World Series by beating the Tigers in Detroit, team officials knew a lot of fans would want to welcome the team home. So instead of a typical rally at the airport, the doors of the Metrodome were opened and fans were encouraged to gather there. And to everyone's surprise over 50,000 people spontaneously showed up just to cheer for their heroes.  The one souvenir all those fans had to have was a Homer Hanky. It's an 18-inch square piece of thin cotton printed with the words "Twins 1987 Championship Drive." The Star Tribune made them and thousands of people lined up outside the newspaper's headquarters to buy them.

MPR 50th: The excitement of the Twins' 1987 championship

After the Twins advanced to the World Series by beating the Tigers in Detroit, team officials knew a lot of fans would want to welcome the team home. So instead of a typical rally at the airport, the doors of the Metrodome were opened and fans were encouraged to gather there. To everyone's surprise over 50,000 people showed up.

From the archives: Twins fans fill Metrodome to welcome team after winning pennant

The one souvenir 1987 World Series fans had to have was a Homer Hanky. It's an 18-inch square piece of thin cotton printed with the words "Twins 1987 Championship Drive." The Star Tribune made them and thousands of people lined up outside the newspaper's headquarters to buy them.

How the iconic Homer Hanky almost wasn't even a thing

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