CBS Bulks Up Star Trek Merchandise

NEW YORK: In advance of the new Star Trek feature film, CBS Consumer Products is expanding its merchandising program for the iconic sci-fi franchise, extending its current deal with Mattel to include a full range of die-cast vehicles that will hit stores later this year.

Mattel already has an agreement in place for branded Star Trek products ,including a line of Barbie Collector dolls, Tyco R/C flying radio controlled vehicles, a Scene It? DVD game and a 20Q Star Trek trivia game. CBS Consumer Products has also tapped additional toy partners USAopoly, Funko and Fundex. USAopoly will create a Star Trek-branded Monopoly edition for fans and Fundex will develop co-branded board games—UNO, Scrabble, Magic 8 Ball, Phase 10 and All About Trivia—for the U.S. and Canada.

New apparel, fragrance, accessories, jewelry, home décor and gift partners are also on board for the franchise. These include Vandor, which will develop a wide range of gift items; Funko for a line of bobbleheads and vinyl figurines; Briefly Stated  taking on the adult market for sleepwear and loungewear; E.S. Originals  creating kids footwear, bags and accessories; and AME developing sleepwear for children. York/Roommates is developing peel-and-stick wall art and décor, including life-size wall murals, while Rabbit Tanaka is developing lighting, wall art and other creative home décor elements. Trends International is offering posters. In the way of fragrance products, GenkiWear is developing a trio of fragrances celebrating classic Star Trek. "Tiberius," "Pon Farr" and "Red Shirt" fragrances will be available in stores in the spring. For accessories, Cufflinks.com is developing silver plated cufflinks and Bradford Exchange will offer direct-to-consumer items such as leather jackets, laptop bags, patches, pins and flags. MBI/Danbury Mint, meanwhile, will offer jewelry such as men’s and women’s rings in a direct-to-consumer deal.

"The momentum is building for the Star Trek brand as we approach the new feature film this May," said Liz Kalodner, the executive VP and general manager of CBS Consumer Products. "We are excited to continue our focus on expanding the Star Trek universe and bringing the whole franchise to a new generation."