This week is the annual Licensing Expo at the Jacob Javitts Convention center in New York City, and Star Trek is there. The show is for companies to show off their brands and strike deals with merchandisers. CBS Consumer Products (who handles Trek licensing) has a large booth and list Star Trek as one of their key brands.
CBS Pushing Trek…Nimoy helping out
With the 2009 feature film looming, CBS is looking to leverage the Trek brand more and more, for both products directly tied to the film as well as general Trek items. (our early preview of Star Trek PEZ is an example of this new effort) This is the same approach Lucasfilm took the Indiana Jones brand over the last year with a wide array of both classic Indy products and new products linked to Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. In the official Expo guide, CBS lists 90210, Survivor, CSI, I Love Lucy and Star Trek as their showcase brands seeking licensed products. Here is their blurb on Trek:
Star Trek has thrilled and inspired millions of fans worldwide for over 40 years. This beloved franchise has been lauded as both a technological and socially conscious visionary, with over 700 hours of television programming across six series and 10 theatrical releases. Look for the next chapter in the Star Trek adventure in May 2009 with the premiere of a new vision of Star Trek, directed by JJ Abrams and featuring an all-new cast portraying beloved characters like Capt. Kirk and Mr. Spock.
However Trek appears to be at the top of their list and they are even getting some help promoting it from Mr. Spock himself, Leonard Nimoy. The actor is scheduled to be at the CBS booth tomorrow, here are the details:
Meet Star Trek’s Legendary Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy)
Date/Time: Tuesday, June 10th from 11:00 to Noon Location: Booth #3749Leonard Nimoy appears on behalf of the Star Trek franchise and the highly anticipated new Star Trek feature film slated to debut in May 2009.
Expect Trek news this week
TrekMovie has been told that there should be some news for new Trek merchandise (both for the feature film and for general Trek), coming out of the Trade show. So keep an eye on this site during the week for updates from New York. However do not expect any big reveals of images from the new Star Trek feature film, as the merchandise for that is being kept under wraps for as long as possible. In an article on Tentpole Merchandising from the show, Variety reports:
CBS has revealed few details of its J.J. Abrams-helmed “Star Trek XI” merchandise program, but — similar to the film itself — early efforts suggest that generating interest beyond a core Trekker fanbase is a key initiative. Materializing at retail in spring 2009, the first phase of new Star Trek consumer products by Playmates Toys will include action figures, collectibles and role-play toys, many with interactive electronic features.
This is not a Star Trek 2009 Phaser
It is attack of the bad phaser caption again. Back in February TrekMovie.com cleared up confusion created by Gearlog, when they mislabeled a Master Replicas Star Trek V Assault Phaser being shown at the New York Toy Far as being a replica from the 2009 Star Trek. In a gallery at Variety.com on future feature film products at this week’s Licensing Expo, there is a picture of a Diamond Select TOS phaser with caption that implies it is a Star Trek XI phaser from Playmates. It isn’t. So far CBS has done an amazing job of keeping prototype images of the toys from the new movie out of the public eye.
consider this ‘phaser classic’
I’m dying to see the new phasers.
Fun stuff :)
I am all about the RPDs. “Hey, they’re not toys. They are role playing devices.” Can’t wait. I look forward to adding the Trek ’09 phaser to my expansive collection.
Lifelong fans like myself have a special attachment to the design and function of the original handheld props…phaser, communicator, and tricorder.
I hope they got those right!
Its going to be an interesting week,
( I wonder if there will be a new “Spock Helmet” !! )
:o )
Gene must be proud or envious.
Keep those pencils away from Leonard. They are for OFFICIAL CBS use only. Paperclips, he can have all those he wants. No pencils, nope, can’t do it. Liquid paper? Geesh, we have a whole pallet in the back… load it in his car for him. If he wants it its his.
Note to self: must get a job with CBS Consumer Products…
I hope someone is planning to release a model kit of the new Big E!
It’s too bad Polar Lights model company has gone out of business. Their Star Trek model kits are primo. Their NCC-1701A model kit is a studied example of a quality accurate and beautifully rendered addition to the schlock kits out there… and a great bragain considering how big the kit was. And the small scale kits from ST: TOS are also great stuff!
I just don’t want to see any crap like AMT put out (for example, their Shuttlecraft Galileo, which was wildly inaccurate) for decades.
I’ve never understood why model companies put out such poorly executed science fiction models.
Yeah, yeah, I know a large part of that is the money factor and their mentality that we sci-fi fans won’t notice that a large number of their model kits are pure schlock.
oops.. that should have read…
and a great bargain…
damn fumble fingers and old eyes (grin)
where star trek tour going next city???????
I hope the phasers look similar and not alien from the classic TOS designs
people this is the new phaser from the Star Trek XI !!!!
http://img388.imageshack.us/img388/9995/nebulizermw3.jpg
yea o.k. i am joking :)
Speaking of Star Trek merchandise, has anyone else ordered the Enterprise NCC-1701 bottle opener, and if so, do you know when they are being delivered?
I orderd mine when I found the link on this site early last month I think, I was under the impression that they should be ready for distribution this week but I have not recieved an e-mail yet to A. Confirm that my order has been recieved, and B. To say that payment has been made and the item is on its way. Does anyone have any information?
Ta
Ah. The classic hand phaser! Still my favorite. Much better than those hand held dust busters used later on in the other series.
…the adventure continues…
If Diamond Select would kindly follow suit and get ones finger out of ones arse then i’ll be all for supporting Diamond Select Toys – however their DS9 wave is a joke as it isn’t the DS9 characters at all – its a lot of Data bodies with DS9 heads and hands.
I don’t think in all of their Toy Fair 08 pics did they have one new body sculpt other than the three Borg figures.
I envy those that are going to the show and get to see all this neat stuff. :)
Lego Star Trek ( the game ) … puuurrrrrleeeease ….
90210, Survivor, CSI, I Love Lucy and Star Trek are CBS showcase brands?! Without Star Trek that doesnt seem to be a very solid base.
The shows themselves are/were wildly popular of course…but i just cant see CBS pusing 90210 related merchandise!
Doug, you will be happy to hear the Polar Lights has been reborn, the guy who started PL and was aced out when the company was sold to RC2(which closed the doors on PL soon after) was able to buy back the name and the molds, and is in talks with Paramount for the License for the New Star Trek! Hopefully good news soon on New Star trek Models.
#19 Is this true? PL definitely had outstanding kits. Say what you want about the series ENTERPRISE, but that model was one of the best!
19: that’s awesome!
thanks for the news!!!
I was at the Expo & got a photo with Leonard.
It was very quick but he was all smiles and when I gave my Vulcan Salute (what, you thought I could resist) he said, “Ah! Well done!”
The whole thing took about six seconds but now I’ve got a polaroid to take with me wherever I drag my nerdy-ass.
THanks SO much for posting… I was able to meet Mr. Nimoy and get a picture with him. I told him I can’t wait for the new movie and he seemed genuinely thankful.
They’re skipping over this Christmas season?
Marketting geniuses. This secrecy bit is going to cost them.
JJ better deliver the goods.
I met Nimoy too thanks to this posting. YOU GUYS ROCK!